Travelling without a valid ticket and giving incorrect information

[charliep260]

Hi,

I recently got caught for not having a ticket. I had bought two tickets for the beginning and end part of my train journey (but not the middle bit). When I arrived at my stop the ticket machines had been deactivated and you had to have your ticket manually scanned by officers. When mine was scanned he saw the timestamp noticed the fact I had just bought it. He pulled me aside, asked me questions and took my details. Stupidly, I was in such a rush, rather than coming clean I continued with the lie (saying I boarded the train at the station referred to on my ticket). I regret saying it so much. He then gave me a witness statement receipt and said thameslink wil be in touch. I’m really panicking. Not only because I was recalling without a valid ticket but because I gave him incorrect details and didn’t own up. I’m kicking myself for not confessing instantly, I just panicked. I’ll happily pay any train fine etc but am really worried about the prospect of prosecution and a criminal record. I’m currently a student studying law and a criminal record would bar me from ever working as a lawyer. What should I do, how serious is the situation? Would appreciate any advice. Thanks

 

[John R]

If you have given incorrect details you should get in touch with them, at gtr.prosecutions@gtrailway.com to advise them of the correct details, making sure to give them the reference number. You should not enter into any discussions or pleadings as to why you were stopped, as the email may get ignored.

 

[SussexMan]

I gave him incorrect details and didn’t own up.

I’m kicking myself for not confessing instantly

1. Cooperate with Thameslink and it is almost a certainty that you will be able to resolve this without court action

2. You have an immediate problem in that you gave incorrect contact details. Not the end of the world (see post No 2). Many people do and then instantly regret it - but you need to get your correct details and hope they link them up. Do you have any means of access to the address you gave or was it random? They may spot your details are incorrect if they can trace you via the scanned ticket.

3. You should rightly be kicking yourself, not just for not confessing, but for fare evasion. Additionally you need to have a re-think about your actions and your career. If this does that, then this will have been a helpful lesson which you can hold onto for the rest of your life.

4. Is this a pattern of previous fare evasion? What website/app do you use for ticket purchases? Will they see this is a regular occurrence?

 

[furlong]

Firstly consider very hard whether you are really cut out for a legal career. The best spin you can put on this may be that you're gaining some first-hand experience of what it's like to be a real criminal and this might help you understand what goes through the heads of other criminals later in your career should you end up dealing with criminal law.

If you do need to email them to provide new contact details, you might as well also mention you are hoping to be able to settle the matter out of court. No need to go into any details, just say that. You might be lucky and get an email or letter straight back saying how much they think you owe them. Normally though there's a delay while they obtain and study records of ticket purchases to look for other potential offences then make an offer.

 

[charliep260]

Sorry, I don’t think I expressed myself very well. I gave the officer my correct personal details, address, identity etc. but instead of owning up I stuck with the lie and pretended I had boarded the train on the station stated on my ticket (in reality I boarded the train a number of stops earlier). Again, hugely regret doing that and am internally nervous I’ve made the situation much worse. Should I contact them now and correct my statement (confess completely) or wait until I receive an official correspondence which gives me an opportunity to corroborate fully.

 

[SussexMan]

I gave the officer my correct personal details, address, identity etc.

That is very different from my earlier interpretation! Cooperate and you will (based on all the experience here) be able to achieve an out of court settlement.

 

[Trainman40083]

I guess people can get caught out, if their ticket has not been scanned in at a "start" station. It screams fare evasion

 

[Titfield]

Sorry, I don’t think I expressed myself very well. I gave the officer my correct personal details, address, identity etc. but instead of owning up I stuck with the lie and pretended I had boarded the train on the station stated on my ticket (in reality I boarded the train a number of stops earlier). Again, hugely regret doing that and am internally nervous I’ve made the situation much worse. Should I contact them now and correct my statement (confess completely) or wait until I receive an official correspondence which gives me an opportunity to corroborate fully.

Wait for the letter to arrive and then post a draft response on here for comment before sending the reply to GTR.

 

[WesternLancer]

Sorry, I don’t think I expressed myself very well. I gave the officer my correct personal details, address, identity etc. but instead of owning up I stuck with the lie and pretended I had boarded the train on the station stated on my ticket (in reality I boarded the train a number of stops earlier). Again, hugely regret doing that and am internally nervous I’ve made the situation much worse. Should I contact them now and correct my statement (confess completely) or wait until I receive an official correspondence which gives me an opportunity to corroborate fully.

No. If you gave the correct details for them to contact you, which might take 4 to 8 weeks do NOT contact them at all until they contact you.

When they contact you come back here for advice on how best to reply before you send them anything.

If you are concerned about this for career reasons consider paying a solicitor to resolve this. We can give you details of specialists in this field who you could get quotes from. Likely to cost about £600 plus in solicitors fees.

If you have been doing this regularly be prepared to pay the railway for all that you have evaded. You will have left clear digital fingerprints.