Ticket fine

[Rt2024]

Today I received a letter stating I owe 816 pounds and need to pay after calling them they told me about a ticket fare the only time I gave my info to a ticket inspector was more than a year ago and I didn’t show a ticket and wasn’t able to pay for a fine on spot due to phone was out of charge never heard about it again until today didn’t get contacted before today to pay a fine

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Jul 2024 ==

Today I received a letter stating I owe 816 pounds and need to pay after calling them they told me about a ticket fare the only time I gave my info to a ticket inspector was more than a year ago and I didn’t show a ticket and wasn’t able to pay for a fine on spot due to phone was out of charge never heard about it again until today didn’t get contacted before today to pay a fine

Is there a solution to lower the fine as it is really high

 

[notmyrealname]

Hi.

Could you post the letter that you've had onto this thread please, so we can see what you're dealing with? Cover up your name, address and their reference number.

 

[AlterEgo]

Today I received a letter stating I owe 816 pounds and need to pay after calling them they told me about a ticket fare the only time I gave my info to a ticket inspector was more than a year ago and I didn’t show a ticket and wasn’t able to pay for a fine on spot due to phone was out of charge never heard about it again until today didn’t get contacted before today to pay a fine

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Jul 2024 ==


Is there a solution to lower the fine as it is really high

We’re going to need a lot more details to help. Tell us exactly who you’re dealing with, what has happened, and how many times you have evaded the fare. Plus, as @notmyrealname suggests, please post a copy of the correspondence you’ve received here so we can see what we are dealing with.

 

[Rt2024]

Today I received a letter stating I owe 816 pounds and need to pay after calling them they told me about a ticket fare the only time I gave my info to a ticket inspector was more than a year ago and I didn’t show a ticket and wasn’t able to pay for a fine on spot due to phone was out of charge never heard about it again until today didn’t get contacted before today to pay a fine

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Jul 2024 ==


Is there a solution to lower the fine as it is really high

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Jul 2024 ==

I had a trip to Nottingham I payed for the train going there then in the return my phone was out of charge and I needed to take the train so I hoped on and hoped there won’t be a ticket inspector

The ticket inspector came I told her the truth and that I need a charger and I can pay for fine or any ticket she didn’t care and gave me the receipt


when the ticket inspector took my details I told her I’m travling the day after I’m a student and I didn’t know yet my new address where will it be so I told her that I won’t be in the country when I was giving her my name and address and she told me to not worry she needs my detail to put it in the system to give me a receipt so I won’t be asked about a ticket when I arrive in the station

 

[John R]

Do you remember what journey you were on (ie from where to where), did you have to give a name and address, and did you give a false address. Clearly they had enough info for the baliffs to find you, but not enough for the train company to contact you prior to prosecution and conviction, which appears to be what has happened here.

 

[Gloster]

It says Warrant of Control/Clamping Order, so is this to do with a motor vehicle and not the railway?

 

[methecooldude]

It says Warrant of Control/Clamping Order, so is this to do with a motor vehicle and not the railway?

It also says 'Delete as appropriate', which hasn't been done.

A Warrant of Control can be issued if a court order is ignored

 

[Rt2024]

Do you remember what journey you were on (ie from where to where), did you have to give a name and address, and did you give a false address. Clearly they had enough info for the baliffs to find you, but not enough for the train company to contact you prior to prosecution and conviction, which appears to be what has happened here.

I gave her the correct address but I was traveling the day after outside the uk for three to four months and needed a new address for the new academic year

 

[island]

Today I received a letter stating I owe 816 pounds and need to pay after calling them they told me about a ticket fare the only time I gave my info to a ticket inspector was more than a year ago and I didn’t show a ticket and wasn’t able to pay for a fine on spot due to phone was out of charge never heard about it again until today didn’t get contacted before today to pay a fine

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Jul 2024 ==


Is there a solution to lower the fine as it is really high

So you've been convicted of a criminal offence of fare evasion.

You now have the following broad options:

1. Pay the sum demanded
2. Accept that you are guilty of the offence and request a reduction in the fine if you have low income, and/or more time to pay
3. Say that you are not guilty of the offence and ask for a court hearing about it.

Please let us know which of these you would prefer and we will say how to go about it.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Presumably CDER Group have added on their fees which will have significantly bumped up the amount due?

 

[AlterEgo]

So you've been convicted of a criminal offence of fare evasion.

You now have the following broad options:

1. Pay the sum demanded
2. Accept that you are guilty of the offence and request a reduction in the fine if you have low income, and/or more time to pay
3. Say that you are not guilty of the offence and ask for a court hearing about it.

Please let us know which of these you would prefer and we will say how to go about it.

Also, as the OP apparently was not aware of the court case, I assume 3) will come with making a Statutory Declaration?

 

[Rt2024]

So you've been convicted of a criminal offence of fare evasion.

You now have the following broad options:

1. Pay the sum demanded
2. Accept that you are guilty of the offence and request a reduction in the fine if you have low income, and/or more time to pay
3. Say that you are not guilty of the offence and ask for a court hearing about it.

Please let us know which of these you would prefer and we will say how to go about it.

Option 2 or 3
I won’t be able to pay the whole amount
I called the number on the letter all he is stating that I can’t contact the train company and get more info about it and my only option is to pay the whole fine

btw I still don’t know what ticket fine they are accusing me of I’m assuming is this one because other than that situation that I gave my info to an inspector

I have evidence that i traveled the day after and made a rental agreement for a new address after this situation 2 months after

I’m just stating everything that might help

 

[30907]

I presume you don't have the document you were given by the ticket inspector?

 

[Rt2024]

I presume you don't have the document you were given by the ticket inspector?

No unfortunately

 

[island]

Also, as the OP apparently was not aware of the court case, I assume 3) will come with making a Statutory Declaration?

Indeed, but I've had feedback that my posts are "too technical" so am trying to make it as simple as possible before going into the detail.

Option 2 or 3
I won’t be able to pay the whole amount

Which of them are you going to choose?

If you accept you committed a ticketing offence but feel the fine was too high, such as because you have low or no weekly income, choose option 2.

If you do not accept you committed an offence, choose option 3.

You cannot do both.

I called the number on the letter all he is stating that I can’t contact the train company and get more info about it and my only option is to pay the whole fine

It's with the courts now. You seem to be quite sure about the issue you've been convicted for, why are you trying to "get more info"?

I have evidence that i traveled the day after and made a rental agreement for a new address after this situation 2 months after

This isn't relevant.

 

[Hadders]

It appears to me as though @Rt2024 has been prosecuted by the train company and convicted in their absence. Bailiffs are now trying to collect the fine.

If this is the first @Rt2024 knows of this then they should make a Statutory Declaration which has the effect of turning back the clock so that the case can be re-heard by the court. Before the case is reheard @Rt2024 should then engage with the Prosecutions Department of the train company to see if they would agree an out of court settlement in return for dropping the case. If the case ends up in court the @Rt2024 would lose and they would be convicted again, albeit it they would probably have a lower fine.

 

[Rt2024]

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Jul 2024 ==

It appears to me as though @Rt2024 has been prosecuted by the train company and convicted in their absence. Bailiffs are now trying to collect the fine.

If this is the first @Rt2024 knows of this then they should make a Statutory Declaration which has the effect of turning back the clock so that the case can be re-heard by the court. Before the case is reheard @Rt2024 should then engage with the Prosecutions Department of the train company to see if they would agree an out of court settlement in return for dropping the case. If the case ends up in court the @Rt2024 would lose and they would be convicted again, albeit it they would probably have a lower fine.

It’s my first

How can I make statutory declaration

Would anyone know how to contact cross countries prosecutions department

 

[Rt2024]

Indeed, but I've had feedback that my posts are "too technical" so am trying to make it as simple as possible before going into the detail.

Which of them are you going to choose?

If you accept you committed a ticketing offence but feel the fine was too high, such as because you have low or no weekly income, choose option 2.

If you do not accept you committed an offence, choose option 3.

You cannot do both.

It's with the courts now. You seem to be quite sure about the issue you've been convicted for, why are you trying to "get more info"?

This isn't relevant.

I’ll go with option 3

 

[John R]

I’ll go with option 3

So going back to the instance where you gave your details to an inspector, maybe give a bit more detail as to why they were taken. You say you were unable to pay a fine on the spot as your phone was out of charge, but why were you being fined?

You need to appreciate that not being able to show a valid ticket is an offence, regardless of the reason, so if it was also because your phone was out of charge then unfortunately that doesn't mean that you are not guilty.

 

[WesternLancer]

If the option that OP wishes to use is the Statutory Deceleration (SD) option it may be that they would be advised to seek a solicitors help with this (just doing the SD part of this - not necessarily the next task after that which is to try to negotiate the matter with the railway company once the SD is done)

 

[Haywain]

If the option that OP wishes to use is the Statutory Deceleration (SD) option it may be that they would be advised to seek a solicitors help with this (just doing the SD part of this - not necessarily the next task after that which is to try to negotiate the matter with the railway company once the SD is done)

Nice typo! The OP will need to establish some detail of the conviction before completing the SD, I believe, such as which court and what offence. The Enforcement Agents should be able to provide these details if the OP calls their office.

 

[Rt2024]

So going back to the instance where you gave your details to an inspector, maybe give a bit more detail as to why they were taken. You say you were unable to pay a fine on the spot as your phone was out of charge, but why were you being fined?

You need to appreciate that not being able to show a valid ticket is an offence, regardless of the reason, so if it was also because your phone was out of charge then unfortunately that doesn't mean that you are not guilty.

I understand

But my problem is that I never got contacted about any train fee and today the fine reach to 816 and they were able to reach me

I made it clear to the ticket inspector “ik it’s not his/her job” that I won’t be able to get in contact with me through the mail due to I’m traveling and when I come back to the uk i will be in a new address

And I never received any mail about the fine until it was reached to 816 that is a ridiculous amount

So if I go with option 2 will I be able to lower the fine because talking on the phone with the company that sent the mail he refused payment plans or anything he told me pay the whole fine and that’s it

 

[LYradial]

Is it possible that even if the stat.dec route is taken and it goes to a retrial the fine, victim surcharge, compensation and costs will still be approaching £600- 800, may not be worth the hassle.

 

[John R]

Is it possible that even if the stat.dec route is taken and it goes to a retrial the fine, victim surcharge, compensation and costs will still be approaching £600- 800, may not be worth the hassle.

One advantage of a Stat Dec is that it gives the OP the chance to ask the rail company nicely if it will consider a settlement offer, having explained why they didn't reply to any correspondence. If it does go to court and they plead guilty and pay the fine then the bailiff's expenses won't be added either.

 

[ainsworth74]

Is it possible that even if the stat.dec route is taken and it goes to a retrial the fine, victim surcharge, compensation and costs will still be approaching £600- 800, may not be worth the hassle.

It's possible that's the case though a reasonable chunk of the £816 is probably bailiff fees. I suspect they've completed the "compliance" stage (writing to you) which has a £75 fee and then the "enforcement" stage (visiting the property) which has a £235 fee so perhaps £310 of the total is bailiff fees. In which case the fine, compensation and so on was probably around was probably £500 which would probably be around the right sort of ballpark. Depending on the OPs financial circumstances it could be that the fine amount might be reduced as the court has presumably assumed a high income when calculating the fine amount.

 

[LYradial]

Looking on CDER website it emphasises the need to get get in touch with them, as they contract out to local agents maybe the phone no. on the letter is that of the agent, should the OP contact them direct using the contact details on their website, as he will need to do this anyway to get the court details and location as he will need these to do the stat dec himself.

 

[WesternLancer]

So if I go with option 2 will I be able to lower the fine because talking on the phone with the company that sent the mail he refused payment plans or anything he told me pay the whole fine and that’s it

No - you won't be able to lower the fine by talking to anyone on the phone now. But you should be able to find out the info needed as per post #21 from @Haywain which will be important to obtain.

You then do the Statutory Declaration which starts the process again from scratch, and provides the chance to negotiate a lower financial settlement with the Railway company if they are prepared to withdraw the prosecution and allow you to settle the matter out of court in exchange for paying them the sum owed for the fare not paid and a sum to cover their administration of all this as per post #24

If they are not prepared to withdraw the prosecution it gives you the chance to give your income details to the court which could possibly result in a lower fine, and an ability to pay that fine before Bailiffs get involved and add their fees as explained in post #25

 

[Rt2024]

does anyone know how to contact Nottingham court for cases like this because the phone I got from cder was incorrect

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Jul 2024 ==

No - you won't be able to lower the fine by talking to anyone on the phone now. But you should be able to find out the info needed as per post #21 from @Haywain which will be important to obtain.

You then do the Statutory Declaration which starts the process again from scratch, and provides the chance to negotiate a lower financial settlement with the Railway company if they are prepared to withdraw the prosecution and allow you to settle the matter out of court in exchange for paying them the sum owed for the fare not paid and a sum to cover their administration of all this as per post #24

If they are not prepared to withdraw the prosecution it gives you the chance to give your income details to the court which could possibly result in a lower fine, and an ability to pay that fine before Bailiffs get involved and add their fees as explained in post #25

Thank you

 

[WesternLancer]

does anyone know how to contact Nottingham court for cases like this because the phone I got from cder was incorrect

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Jul 2024 ==


Thank you

This is what the gov UK site says with various contact details for that court, different phone numbers lower down the page

Nottingham Magistrates' Court - Find a Court or Tribunal - GOV.UK

Nottingham Magistrates' Court - Find contact details, opening times, how to get to here, types of cases managed, disabled access to the building

www.find-court-tribunal.service.gov.uk

 

[Rt2024]

If I go to court will I have a criminal record