Southern eastern fare evasion

[hamm1994]

I was stopped today by Southern Eastern officer for having a season ticket from Denmark hill to Victoria when I had travelled to swanley . I admitted it after being pushed and they checked my Trainline app that I had bought tickets from 21st January and took a witness statement from me to admit that I bought season tickets from that day .this is the first time o have dare evaded and I realise it was very stupid of me to think I can save some money after my husband had lost his job in November ,and can just about pay bills and the mortgage . I work in finance and really don’t want this to affect my career .

Will they likely check my Trainline account as they took a picture of my ticket and gave me an MG11 witness statement .

I will post the letter here once I get it for advice on how to respond .

Thank you for taking the time to read this , really appreciate it .

 

[John R]

Yes, it's very likely that they will check your Trainline account, and factor any period of fare evasion that you have been doing. It's very likely that you will be offered a settlement, and will be able to avoid a prosecution, and thus any impact on your employment.

Having said that, you work in Finance, and so if you are a member of a regulated profession, or your employer is subject to supervision by a regulated body then it is imperative that you check exactly what obligation you might be under to report any criminal activity that you are being investigated for.

 

[tonycockram]

What’s the concern if they check your Trainline account when you said things the first ever time you dared evade?

But anyway it is exactly as John advises above, very likely you will get a standard letter from south eastern first of all asking for your comments. Reply to that with an apology and an explanation of what you will do in future to ensure this never happens again, along with a respectful request to be allowed to settle out of court, and it is likely that his will be allowed, along with a contribution to the investigation by south eastern.
Again, as you work in a regulated industry it is vital
You check your terms and conditions of employment.

 

[hamm1994]

What’s the concern if they check your Trainline account when you said things the first ever time you dared evade?

But anyway it is exactly as John advises above, very likely you will get a standard letter from south eastern first of all asking for your comments. Reply to that with an apology and an explanation of what you will do in future to ensure this never happens again, along with a respectful request to be allowed to settle out of court, and it is likely that his will be allowed, along with a contribution to the investigation by south eastern.
Again, as you work in a regulated industry it is vital
You check your terms and conditions of employment.

I am concerned as the police officer looked at my season ticket on Trainline and then wrote statements to confirm that I had bought a weekly ticket for Denmark hill to Victoria when I had travelled to swanley but he didn’t mention the couple of other times I evaded that were singles in the app . When I receive the letter Shall I mention the dates or is it best to apologise and not mention the other times as I don’t want to incriminate myself .

 

[tonycockram]

It depends what the letter says. You don’t have to incriminate yourself but if the letter mentions other journeys you need to explain them. If the letter just asks about the one incident, just discuss the one incident

 

[Grvrdvicdr]

Post 1 you say stopped by a southeastern officer. Post 4 you say police was making the statement, which was it? As if it was southeastern then there’s chances for this to be settled. If it’s become a police matter then it’s likely more serious?

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum!

It's highly unlikely you were questioned by the police. It's more likely to have been revenue protection officers who weasometimesr uniform that looks similar to police uniform.

You really need to wait for the letter from Southeastern to arrive and see exactly what it says before you can decide exactly what to say in your reply. When the letter arrives post a redacted copy in this thread along with your draft reply and we can assist with proof reading it for you.

 

[hamm1994]

This is the letter I received today . Sorry for the confusion it was the revenue protection officer that stopped me not the police .

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 Mar 2025 ==

Would this be a good response , I will email them on the email provided on the letter , would you suggest mailing it too ? -

Dear Fraud and Investigations Manager,


Thank you for your letter regarding the incident on 25th February 2025.


I offer my sincerest apologies for purchasing the incorrect ticket for my journey. I fully understand the seriousness of this matter and the impact fare evasion can have on the company, both in terms of lost revenue and the resources required to investigate such incidents.


I take full responsibility for the error and deeply regret the inconvenience caused to Southeastern. I understand that it is important to ensure that all passengers pay the correct fare for their journey, and I purchased the correct ticket since then and will continue to do so in future, and I can assure you that I will be diligent in the future. I was even stopped by the same prosecution officer two days later and both him and I were very happy that I had the correct ticket.

If possible, I would like to resolve this matter without court action and I am happy to settle the outstanding fare as well as any associated administrative costs. I hope that we can find a resolution.

I look forward to your guidance on how to proceed.

Yours sincerely,

 

[Fawkes Cat]

This is the letter I received today . Sorry for the confusion it was the revenue protection officer that stopped me not the police .

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 Mar 2025 ==

Would this be a good response , I will email them on the email provided on the letter , would you suggest mailing it too ? -

Dear Fraud and Investigations Manager,


Thank you for your letter regarding the incident on 25th February 2025.


I offer my sincerest apologies for purchasing the incorrect ticket for my journey. I fully understand the seriousness of this matter and the impact fare evasion can have on the company, both in terms of lost revenue and the resources required to investigate such incidents.


I take full responsibility for the error and deeply regret the inconvenience caused to Southeastern. I understand that it is important to ensure that all passengers pay the correct fare for their journey, and I purchased the correct ticket since then and will continue to do so in future, and I can assure you that I will be diligent in the future. I was even stopped by the same prosecution officer two days later and both him and I were very happy that I had the correct ticket.

If possible, I would like to resolve this matter without court action and I am happy to settle the outstanding fare as well as any associated administrative costs. I hope that we can find a resolution.

I look forward to your guidance on how to proceed.

Yours sincerely,

I think this looks fine. Get it off so that the railway can think about what they want to do next.

 

[hamm1994]

Thank you . I’ve sent them an email and have received this response , much quicker than I anticipated . Hope it means good news , I’m really nervous . Do you know anyone else who got this response or am I the first ?

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Thank you . I’ve sent them an email and have received this response , much quicker than I anticipated . Hope it means good news , I’m really nervous . Do you know anyone else who got this response or am I the first ?

That's essentially neutral. It means that Southeastern have got your email but it doesn't tell you anything about what their decision will be.

But do hang on to the confirmation email. Over the last few months, Southeastern have had a bit of a problem with losing incoming correspondence. If their next step is to tell you that they're taking you to court, you might want to point out that they confirmed that they had received your email, and ask if they have read it and considered it.

 

[hamm1994]

Thank you .

 

[arnah646372]

I was stopped today by Southern Eastern officer for having a season ticket from Denmark hill to Victoria when I had travelled to swanley . I admitted it after being pushed and they checked my Trainline app that I had bought tickets from 21st January and took a witness statement from me to admit that I bought season tickets from that day .this is the first time o have dare evaded and I realise it was very stupid of me to think I can save some money after my husband had lost his job in November ,and can just about pay bills and the mortgage . I work in finance and really don’t want this to affect my career .

Will they likely check my Trainline account as they took a picture of my ticket and gave me an MG11 witness statement .

I will post the letter here once I get it for advice on how to respond .

Thank you for taking the time to read this , really appreciate it .

Hey - not advice sorry. But is there any update on this?

 

[LCC106]

Edit: I see @arnah646372 has posted a new thread.