Caught short fare ticket, interview under caution - PLEASE HELP

[deedeetrains]

Hi guys,
Please be kind to me - I understand what I’ve done is completely wrong and won’t ever be doing it again. I know the severity but I’m wondering what’s the likelyhood of GWR agreeing to settle with me.

I have been short faring for a few months now - I know this is bad. Usually from reading to Paddington, and Paddington to reading via Reading - reading west, and hopping off at platform 1. I used to do this via Trainline.

yesterday, an inspector caught me using a short fare ticket using my reading west - reading, (i had come from Paddington), and interviewed me under caution explaining my rights etc. He gave me the option to answer questions or leave and I will receive a letter from prosecutions department, I chose to leave and wait for the letter as I panicked. He let me through.

He took details of my ticket, he didn’t see I’ve done this before, and I also told him it was my first time as I was in a rush etc (I just didn’t want to incriminate myself further).

What’s the likelihood of me being able to settle this out of court, and GWR not looking through my trainline history? I’m so scared and will never be doing this again! Please save the grace of telling me what I did was a criminal offence etc - I know the severity hence why I’m so scared.

@Hadders @Haywain please if you can give me some advice I’d appreciate it a lot

Or if anyone has had a similar situation, please let me know!! I’m dying over here

 

[ohnoes]

They’ll look through your trainline history as a matter of course.

They will base any settlement offer on an Anytime Single fare rate for the travel - which is the most expensive fare. A there and back (return trip) would be 2 x the Anytime Single Fare. Which would be £64 per journey.

So you should prepare yourself for what that looks like with the number of times you’ve done this journey, plus an admin/investigation fee of approx £150 on top.

 

[Titfield]

GWR will almost certainly look through your Trainline history. Having said that there is a very good chance of settling out of court providing that 1 you are cooperative and contrite 2 you have not abused or assaulted a GWR member of staff.

You will need to wait for the letter before communicating with GWR. Please post a draft response here before sending so that forum members may comment.

Go on the GWR website and read their revenue protection / prosecutions policy as this will help inform you.

In the meantime try not to stress as this will almost certainly be resolved out of court albeit at a cost.

 

[deedeetrains]

I’m prepared to pay whatever it takes as long as it’s settled out of court and it’s a BIG lesson I’ve learnt and will certainly never be doing again! I’m killing myself over stress. will definitely post the letter and seek advice! Am I expecting 3-4w wait for it?

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum!

It sounds to me as though you've been doughnutting - travelling from Reding to Paddington using a Reading West to Reading ticket to get through the barriers at Reading but how were you getting through the barriers at Paddington?

GWR are entitled to prosecute you in the Magistrates Court of they want to but they will norally offer an out of court settlement to people who co-operate with them, and who haven't come to their attention before. The will ask you to pay the cost of the fare avoided at the full Anytime rate with no credit given for invalid tickets you did purchase. In addition they will charge an admin fee, typically £150. They will also search your online ticket purchasing history and will factor in the cost of any other invalid tickets into the settlement cost.

GWR will write to you in the next few weeks. When their letter arrives post a redacted copy of it in this thread along with your draft reply and forum members will proof read it for you.

 

[Pushpit]

I’m prepared to pay whatever it takes as long as it’s settled out of court and it’s a BIG lesson I’ve learnt and will certainly never be doing again! I’m killing myself over stress. will definitely post the letter and seek advice! Am I expecting 3-4w wait for it?

I know it's easy to say, but try not to let the stress get to you. GWR sometimes take much longer than 4 weeks to contact you, I suspect it depends on how complex it is to unravel your case, and all you can do is wait. It is not usual for this process to take 4 months from beginning to end, and hopefully you can appreciate that being consumed with stress for that period of time is unhelpful and unhealthy. Yes, you do need to resolve this, if you engage with GWR - one of the better rail companies in this area, but not one of the fastest - then you won't go to court, yes it is serious; but equally in terms of criminal endeavour this is at the lower end of the spectrum. It will be resolved, but it will take a bit of time. If the anxiety really is getting to you, have a look at this area. It looks fairly simplistic, but if you work through some of the suggestions it may help.

Get help with stress

Read practical tips and advice on what to do if you're struggling with stress.

www.nhs.uk

Get help with anxiety, fear or panic

Read practical tips and advice on what to do if you're struggling with anxiety, fear or panic

www.nhs.uk

 

[John R]

Is the email address on your Trainline account the one you normally use? You need to look out for their letter, either by email or post, and make sure you don’t miss it. As whilst this situation is manageable, albeit at what is likely to be a very high cost as you have been doing this regularly, it will be more difficult if you miss the communication, as in the absence of any response GWR will proceed to prosecution.

So make sure you check spam folders regularly, and wherever your post gets delivered to you check it every couple of days for any letter from them.

 

[deedeetrains]

Yes, I used the same email address. I’m happy to pay the costs as long as I’m avoiding court. In terms of cooperation, when the letter comes asking me to explain - should I confess to all the other times being done, or should I focus on the time I was caught?

I’ll wait for the letter regardless, but I’m just worried I’m going to taken to court without even the chance of settlement.

 

[Pushpit]

Yes, I used the same email address. I’m happy to pay the costs as long as I’m avoiding court. In terms of cooperation, when the letter comes asking me to explain - should I confess to all the other times being done, or should I focus on the time I was caught?

I’ll wait for the letter regardless, but I’m just worried I’m going to taken to court without even the chance of settlement.

So long as you co-operate fully, it's most unlikely to go to court, there is a vested interest in the rail company reaching a direct settlement with you - more money sooner and with fewer complications.

For the reply, it's important to run the text of that letter in this forum first, along with your proposed draft. There are slight differences in letter styles which would give different answers, depending on the precise details, and that precision tends to be easy to miss.

 

[Hadders]

Yes, I used the same email address. I’m happy to pay the costs as long as I’m avoiding court. In terms of cooperation, when the letter comes asking me to explain - should I confess to all the other times being done, or should I focus on the time I was caught?

I’ll wait for the letter regardless, but I’m just worried I’m going to taken to court without even the chance of settlement.

You need to see what the letter asks and reply to the specific questions they ask. This is why it's not a good idea to reach out to a train company before their letter arrives because you can inadvertently incriminate yourself when you don't need to.

It's unlikely you'll be prosecuted as long as you co-operate with them.