I was caught dodging fare in London

Hi, so I’m a former student choosing a Master’s degree. Currently I work within the Civil Service. I’ve had to move back from Manchester to London due to a very sick parent who is on end of life care. I do not possess a wallet and I’m prone to losing things. So my mother had placed them in a card holder. This was my fathers freedom pass holder. His faded card was in there, to my surprise when I was passing through the barriers it’s been picked up I was using a fraudulent ticket (someone else’s freedom pass)

As soon as I was caught I complied with them and they informed me I will have to pay a fine and investigate further. I’m unsure how many times this has occurred. If I get fined I will have to pay a penalty. Even paying the penalty will gain a Criminal Record. I don’t know what to do. At this moment I’m using this job to help my family. I will lose this job if I get a criminal conviction. What can I do to fix this? I’m willing to pay any fine. This will end my life if I’m unable to find a way to not lose my job.

Reply 1

SEGuy

6

As a previous TFL inspector - they will try and prosecute you for this. It’s fraudulent use of a freedom pass and regardless of the long winded story at the end of the day it’s your responsibility to ensure you are using the correct pass.

Fraudulent use of a pass as an adult does not allow the option of a penalty fare.

If by some grace they offer you and out of court settlement I suggest you pay it and count your lucky stars. However, sorry to be the barer of bad news but you are likely to be taken to court.

Reply 2

DMCG1801

10

Original post by KaiusKazarian

Hi, so I’m a former student choosing a Master’s degree. Currently I work within the Civil Service. I’ve had to move back from Manchester to London due to a very sick parent who is on end of life care. I do not possess a wallet and I’m prone to losing things. So my mother had placed them in a card holder. This was my fathers freedom pass holder. His faded card was in there, to my surprise when I was passing through the barriers it’s been picked up I was using a fraudulent ticket (someone else’s freedom pass)

As soon as I was caught I complied with them and they informed me I will have to pay a fine and investigate further. I’m unsure how many times this has occurred. If I get fined I will have to pay a penalty. Even paying the penalty will gain a Criminal Record. I don’t know what to do. At this moment I’m using this job to help my family. I will lose this job if I get a criminal conviction. What can I do to fix this? I’m willing to pay any fine. This will end my life if I’m unable to find a way to not lose my job.

Hi there.

First of all, try not to panic. I understand that circumstances are difficult right now for you.

To try and outline what you can expect to happen:

TfL will likely write to you at some point (they have up to 6 months to initiate legal proceedings) asking for your side of the story.

You should respond to this letter in a constructive, apologetic manner. Keep it concise and apologise for the misuse of the pass, and offer to pay the unpaid fare as well as TfL’s costs in investigating the matter.

Unfortunately, TfL take the misuse of freedom passes extremely seriously and rarely ever offer out of court settlements for this sort of incident.

The most likely outcome is that you will be prosecuted under the TfL Byelaws. You can expect to pay the unpaid fare, a fine (imposed by the court), a victim surcharge and admin fees. This can range from anywhere between £200 up to £500.

I strongly recommend you create a thread on here:

https://www.railforums.co.uk/forums/disputes-prosecutions.152/

There are several people who are experts on the laws surrounding railway ticketing and fare evasion, and they would be best placed to help you draft the letter you need to send to TfL to maximise the chance of an out of court settlement.

Reply 3

DMCG1801

10

Original post by Mia9887

hi my friend was previously in your position, she had used her sisters freedom pass and was absolutely devastated. they took her name down, address and everything and was charged, she had to go to the cps I think it was which she did and balled her eyes out. but she did get out of it because at our school she was doing a dyslexia test and faked being dyslexic which then helped her out when talking to the cps and judges, and it was her first offence so she basically got let of because it was also her first time offending, you have to have some sort of excuse to why you did what you did and it has to make sense she also said that her sisters Oyster card had a purple cover and so did hers and she does not like reading due to being dyslexic so she just took an oyster thinking it was hers. they let her of under mitigations therefore if she offends again within a year she will be sent to court again (cps) she was just given a £20 fine and is all good, no criminal record. just have something solid to tell them and cry and be remorseful. gd luck

Sorry but as someone on the other side of the system, I strongly advise against taking this advice.

Faking a justification/condition is not the sensible, mature or honourable way to approach a situation like this. When something like this does happen, you need to own up to your mistake, accept and learn from the situation, and be willing to face the consequences of your choices.

If the court were to find out about you taking a story/justification, they are likely to look upon you much less favourably. I’m not saying this to make things harder for you, but trust me, this is the correct approach to take.

This applies to life in general, it’s generally very good to be accountable and it shows a degree of trustworthiness and humility that are respectable and admired in many fields.

I was caught dodging fare in London

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