Caught today fare evading London Victoria-Greenhithe

[caughttoday]

Dear everyone,

To my dismay, I got caught today fare evading.

This is the story. I normally travel from Greenhithe to London Victoria, and vice versa.

To save fares, I book return train tickets from “Lewisham-Victoria” (this is the cheapest via paper ticket). I use these tickets to get in and out of Victoria barriers.

I leave early in the morning from Greenhithe, so gates are open with no guards. I also return late in the evening, so by the time I arrive in Greenhithe gates are again open.

Today, I went back early, and when I stepped out of the train, saw that the gates are guarded. I went to a corner and planned my way out.

So to produce a travel ticket to show to them, I bought a ticket “originating” from “Stone Crossing” (a stop away) online. Confident that I had a ticket, I approached the barriers, but only to realise that they have handheld scanners, that actually can discover if a train ticket is “dodgy”.

So they questioned me if where did I travel from, to which I answered Stone Crossing. But then the guy said, “no, you did not travel from there, you only bought this ticket a few minutes ago” - to which he accompanied me to one of his colleagues at the corner of the station.

I was asked a series of questions, with a bodycam on. I admitted that I did this to save and that I am sorry. I said that I only have a ticket from Stone Crossing to Greenhithe, and said that I traveled from Victoria. I said that the barrier was open in Victoria and I went in. I was already clouded with shame and embarrassment, that I failed to mention that I actually went through Victoria with a ticket valid only to Lewisham.

He was writing all these answers in a notebook, and at the end asked me to verify what he has written and requested me to sign it. He also took my personal details.

He then told me that I will receive a letter about this, and that I need to respond to it.

My worry is, will they find out that I actually used a ticket from Victoria to Lewisham?

I was already in a state of panic so I foolishly mentioned that the Victoria gate was open, when in reality I actually had a ticket but only for a short journey.

I have been doing this since March, I never thought today is going to be the day. I am really stressed about it.

How likely is it that they will also check my travel history because of this event today?

Please don’t judge me on this. I know this is wrong. I am here to ask for support. This is only due to the increasing cost of living today, but still I know it’s not an excuse.

All I want is for this to not be a criminal record, and to settle the penalty.

Does anyone have any similar experience?

Thank you in advance.

I saw this forum as soon as I searched google about my problem.

 

[WesternLancer]

Dear everyone,

To my dismay, I got caught today fare evading.

This is the story. I normally travel from Greenhithe to London Victoria, and vice versa.

To save fares, I book return train tickets from “Lewisham-Victoria” (this is the cheapest via paper ticket). I use these tickets to get in and out of Victoria barriers.

I leave early in the morning from Greenhithe, so gates are open with no guards. I also return late in the evening, so by the time I arrive in Greenhithe gates are again open.

Today, I went back early, and when I stepped out of the train, saw that the gates are guarded. I went to a corner and planned my way out.

So to produce a travel ticket to show to them, I bought a ticket “originating” from “Stone Crossing” (a stop away) online. Confident that I had a ticket, I approached the barriers, but only to realise that they have handheld scanners, that actually can discover if a train ticket is “dodgy”.

So they questioned me if where did I travel from, to which I answered Stone Crossing. But then the guy said, “no, you did not travel from there, you only bought this ticket a few minutes ago” - to which he accompanied me to one of his colleagues at the corner of the station.

I was asked a series of questions, with a bodycam on. I admitted that I did this to save and that I am sorry. I said that I only have a ticket from Stone Crossing to Greenhithe, and said that I traveled from Victoria. I said that the barrier was open in Victoria and I went in. I was already clouded with shame and embarrassment, that I failed to mention that I actually went through Victoria with a ticket valid only to Lewisham.

He was writing all these answers in a notebook, and at the end asked me to verify what he has written and requested me to sign it. He also took my personal details.

He then told me that I will receive a letter about this, and that I need to respond to it.

My worry is, will they find out that I actually used a ticket from Victoria to Lewisham?

I was already in a state of panic so I foolishly mentioned that the Victoria gate was open, when in reality I actually had a ticket but only for a short journey.

I have been doing this since March, I never thought today is going to be the day. I am really stressed about it.

How likely is it that they will also check my travel history because of this event today?

Please don’t judge me on this. I know this is wrong. I am here to ask for support. This is only due to the increasing cost of living today, but still I know it’s not an excuse.

All I want is for this to not be a criminal record, and to settle the penalty.

Does anyone have any similar experience?

Thank you in advance.

I saw this forum as soon as I searched google about my problem.

Hi - you will get good advice here.

I am sure that people will be along to help advise you on your best next steps - but on your specific question it will be routine for them to now check your travel history in terms of looking at any on line ticketing purchases you do via any / all ticket retailers. This is because many people who evade fares do it more than once and it is statistically unlikely that they get caught the very first time.

They would do this for anyone who they stop and find suspicious ticketing evidence (and your buying form the nearest station is such an obvious evasion technique that it will have triggered thir suspicions).

People will still be able to advise you on how best to try to avoid a criminal prosecution and with luck obtain a settlement out of court, but you do need to appreciate that the prospects of this are reduced by habitual fare evading behavior. But that does not make it impossible.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Welcome to the forum!

It may reassure you to know that even if this does go to court, you won’t go to prison - the rules that the courts work under don’t allow that.

And we find that a lot of railway companies are prepared to let you settle this out of court by paying the train fare that you should have paid plus an ‘admin fee’ of maybe a couple of hundred pounds. It’s up to the railway company if they will let you do this, but essentially you need to convince them that you won’t fare dodge again. There should be people along soon who know what your local railway company are like for this.

So try not to worry too much.

 

[caughttoday]

Hi - you will get good advice here.

I am sure that people will be along to help advise you on your best next steps - but on your specific question it will be routine for them to now check your travel history in terms of looking at any on line ticketing purchases you do via any / all ticket retailers. This is because many people who evade fares do it more than once and it is statistically unlikely that they get caught the very first time.

They would do this for anyone who they stop and find suspicious ticketing evidence (and your buying form the nearest station is such an obvious evasion technique that it will have triggered thir suspicions).

People will still be able to advise you on how best to try to avoid a criminal prosecution and with luck obtain a settlement out of court, but you do need to appreciate that the prospects of this are reduced by habitual fare evading behavior. But that does not make it impossible.

Thank you for the response. I have never been this stressed (not even at work), so I really don’t know how to react or handle my emotion right now. Reading some of the posts here saying that the letter can take up to 6 months to arrive just adds to my anxiety.

 

[caughttoday]

Welcome to the forum!

It may reassure you to know that even if this does go to court, you won’t go to prison - the rules that the courts work under don’t allow that.

And we find that a lot of railway companies are prepared to let you settle this out of court by paying the train fare that you should have paid plus an ‘admin fee’ of maybe a couple of hundred pounds. It’s up to the railway company if they will let you do this, but essentially you need to convince them that you won’t fare dodge again. There should be people along soon who know what your local railway company are like for this.

So try not to worry too much.

Thank you for welcoming me. At the end of the day, I would be happier to just settle this out of court than having a criminal record.

And yes, with this amount of stress it’s a lesson for me to not repeat this anymore.

And also, when the letter arrives which asks for my side of the story, should I tell them the truth that I actually used a ticket valid to Lewisham only from Victoria? Because this will not match my initial statement that I entered via opened gates at Victoria.

I am so confused right now. As to whether keep my initial statement, or to admit that I had a ticket to different station. I wouldn’t want to incriminate myself even more.

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum!

We are seeing quite a few cases like this recently. Which train company are you dealing with? I suspect it's Southeastern but could be Govia Thameslink Railway.

As for what happens next you'll be sent a letter from the train company that is dealing with your case which will typically takes 2-4 weeks to arrive. It could be sooner but shouldn't take longer than six months. The letter will say that they have received a report, are considering prosecuting you and asking for your version of events. It is important that you engage with and reply to this letter. You might want to include the following in your reply:

- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident
- That you are keen to settle the matter without the need for court action
- Offer to pay the outstanding fare and the train company's administrative costs in dealing with the matter

Make sure your reply is short and concise, don't give a sob story - they've heard it all before. Most train companies are usually prepared to offer an administrative settlement (commonly known as an out of court settlement) for people who engage with the process and who haven't come to their attention before. There is no guarantee of this and they could decide to prosecute you in the magistrates court if they wanted to.

An aggravating factor in your case is that you have done this on an industrial scale over the past few months. This makes it more likely that your case will be sent to the Magistrates Court, although based on some of the cases we've seen on here I still think you have a chance of negotiating a settlement. If you do manage to negotiate a settlement you do have to wonder how serious the level of fare evasion needs to be to get prosecuted.

Be aware that the train company will be able to search your online ticket purchasing history and you will need to be careful how you reply to their letter. You should answer the questions they ask for truthfully but you are not required to incriminate yourself either.

If you are offered a settlementI would expect it to cost around £150 plus the outstanding fare. An out of court settlement might appear to be a fine, but it isn't and you won't have a criminal record as a result of accepting one.

Feel free to post a copy of the letter once it arrives (with personal details redacted) along with your draft reply in this thread and forum members will be happy to proof read it for you. Finally, and I realise it's easy to say this, but there's nothing you can do now until the letter arrives so try and put the matter to the back of your mind and get on with your life but do make sure you purchase the correct tickets for future rail travel.

 

[caughttoday]

Welcome to the forum!

We are seeing quite a few cases like this recently. Which train company are you dealing with? I suspect it's Southeastern but could be Govia Thameslink Railway.

As for what happens next you'll be sent a letter from the train company that is dealing with your case which will typically takes 2-4 weeks to arrive. It could be sooner but shouldn't take longer than six months. The letter will say that they have received a report, are considering prosecuting you and asking for your version of events. It is important that you engage with and reply to this letter. You might want to include the following in your reply:

- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident
- That you are keen to settle the matter without the need for court action
- Offer to pay the outstanding fare and the train company's administrative costs in dealing with the matter

Make sure your reply is short and concise, don't give a sob story - they've heard it all before. Most train companies are usually prepared to offer an administrative settlement (commonly known as an out of court settlement) for people who engage with the process and who haven't come to their attention before. There is no guarantee of this and they could decide to prosecute you in the magistrates court if they wanted to.

An aggravating factor in your case is that you have done this on an industrial scale over the past few months. This makes it more likely that your case will be sent to the Magistrates Court, although based on some of the cases we've seen on here I still think you have a chance of negotiating a settlement. If you do manage to negotiate a settlement you do have to wonder how serious the level of fare evasion needs to be to get prosecuted.

Be aware that the train company will be able to search your online ticket purchasing history and you will need to be careful how you reply to their letter. You should answer the questions they ask for truthfully but you are not required to incriminate yourself either.

If you are offered a settlementI would expect it to cost around £150 plus the outstanding fare. An out of court settlement might appear to be a fine, but it isn't and you won't have a criminal record as a result of accepting one.

Feel free to post a copy of the letter once it arrives (with personal details redacted) along with your draft reply in this thread and forum members will be happy to proof read it for you. Finally, and I realise it's easy to say this, but there's nothing you can do now until the letter arrives so try and put the matter to the back of your mind and get on with your life but do make sure you purchase the correct tickets for future rail travel.

Thank you so much for the advice.

It was with Southeastern.

Once I get the letter, I will post it here, along with my draft reply for proof reading.

I will do my best to try to set it aside and think of something else.

Lesson learned the hard way.

 

[AlterEgo]

Thank you for welcoming me. At the end of the day, I would be happier to just settle this out of court than having a criminal record.

And yes, with this amount of stress it’s a lesson for me to not repeat this anymore.

And also, when the letter arrives which asks for my side of the story, should I tell them the truth that I actually used a ticket valid to Lewisham only from Victoria? Because this will not match my initial statement that I entered via opened gates at Victoria.

I am so confused right now. As to whether keep my initial statement, or to admit that I had a ticket to different station. I wouldn’t want to incriminate myself even more.

How would you be incriminating yourself more? You have already admitted to the inspector that you travelled from Victoria. Why would you be concerned that they find you used a ticket to do that instead of your initial response that the gate was open?

 

[caughttoday]

How would you be incriminating yourself more? You have already admitted to the inspector that you travelled from Victoria. Why would you be concerned that they find you used a ticket to do that instead of your initial response that the gate was open?

I am just worried that I might make it worst when it comes to responding to them that I actually entered with a ticket valid only to Lewisham, contradicting my initial statement with the inspector that the gates were open (due to panic, those were the words that came out of my mouth).

 

[AlterEgo]

I am just worried that I might make it worst when it comes to responding to them that I actually entered with a ticket valid only to Lewisham, contradicting my initial statement with the inspector that the gates were open (due to panic, those were the words that came out of my mouth).

Don’t mention how you boarded the train. You don’t need to and it isn’t in your interests to provide this specific detail.

 

[caughttoday]

Don’t mention how you boarded the train. You don’t need to and it isn’t in your interests to provide this specific detail.

Okay will do this thank you.

Just like what @Hadders said, I will keep it short and concise, apologise, and offer to pay for the outstanding fare and admin costs.

I forgot to mention, the inspector gave me a MG11 paper at the end.

 

[Snow1964]

An MG11 is a witness statement, think of it as a legal receipt of what happened.

You have already said they recorded it with body camera, so will have full transcript avaliable.

If you haven't already, write down everything that you remember saying. When the letter arrives you need to be consistent and not start changing the story. It could be few weeks and it is easy to forget details, or accidentally use good advice here to try and distort facts, which could then get you in further mess. You don't want to start contradicting what is on the camera transcript as will just make it worse.

 

[caughttoday]

An MG11 is a witness statement, think of it as a legal receipt of what happened.

You have already said they recorded it with body camera, so will have full transcript avaliable.

If you haven't already, write down everything that you remember saying. When the letter arrives you need to be consistent and not start changing the story. It could be few weeks and it is easy to forget details, or accidentally use good advice here to try and distort facts, which could then get you in further mess. You don't want to start contradicting what is on the camera transcript as will just make it worse.

Thank you for the advice. Yes you are correct, which is why as much as I want to tell the truth (that I actually used a ticket to enter Victoria), I fear it might just make it worse because it will be different to what I first said. So should I stick to what I said that I “entered when the gates were open at Victoria” once I write my response to their letter?

Will they find that out? Will they check the cameras in Victoria to actually check me if it matches what I said? Will they know if whether the gates were actually open at a certain time period?

However, to my horror, I realised that I have been doing this tactic since November last year. I have been using the Southeastern app to buy single tickets to and from “Lewisham-Victoria”, with a break in December (I was off at work for a month), then again in January to May.

I travel about 2-3 times per week to London.

Will they ask me to pay for all of those days? Will they check my Southeastern account?

 

[Snow1964]

Almost certain to check the history of the App of the ticket you bought when you spotted them. Seems going back upto 12 months is common, but varies.

If you bought some tickets from different App, they are unlikely to know anything about it, unless you tell them, or a fraud scan matches up details (can I suggest your edit your post and remove details of other app, investigation teams might read this, and search that too).

 

[caughttoday]

Almost certain to check the history of the App of the ticket you bought when you spotted them. Seems going back upto 12 months is common, but varies.

If you bought some tickets from different App, they are unlikely to know anything about it, unless you tell them, or a fraud scan matches up details (can I suggest your edit your post and remove details of other app, investigation teams might read this, and search that too).

Edited - Thank you.

I didn’t know that investigation teams lurks in this forum.

How much details can I post here if I am seeking for support and advice?

 

[island]

I'm surprised it's taken this long to get caught if I'm honest; Greenhithe is a favourite haunt of Southeastern inspectors as they can pot the irregular passengers trying to go to Bluewater on an Oyster card.

Edited - Thank you.

I didn’t know that investigation teams lurks in this forum.

How much details can I post here if I am seeking for support and advice?

it is really up to yourself, though I think train company investigators look here far less than people think.

 

[caughttoday]

I'm surprised it's taken this long to get caught if I'm honest; Greenhithe is a favourite haunt of Southeastern inspectors as they can pot the irregular passengers trying to go to Bluewater on an Oyster card.

it is really up to yourself, though I think train company investigators look here far less than people think.

I leave for work really early and come back late, thus the gates have always been unguarded.

It happened yesterday that I got to go home early.

 

[WesternLancer]

Thank you for the advice. Yes you are correct, which is why as much as I want to tell the truth (that I actually used a ticket to enter Victoria), I fear it might just make it worse because it will be different to what I first said. So should I stick to what I said that I “entered when the gates were open at Victoria” once I write my response to their letter?

Well when you get the letter you can see what they ask you - but you could try to craft your reply in such a way that you do not actually mention it. -eg 'I am sorry for the fact that I did not have a ticket that was fully valid for the journey I undertook when I was stopped at....' for example

Will they find that out? Will they check the cameras in Victoria to actually check me if it matches what I said?

Almost certainly not - you have already admitted an offence that they can take you to court on if they wish, and win, they won't need to spend ages trawling CCTV from a busy station like Victoria IMHO

Will they know if whether the gates were actually open at a certain time period?

I wound think that they probably would as suspect the gates record their status automatically - but I am not sure about this.

However, to my horror, I realised that I have been doing this tactic since November last year. I have been using the Southeastern app to buy single tickets to and from “Lewisham-Victoria”, with a break in December (I was off at work for a month), then again in January to May.

They will easi;ly be able to trace your purchasing on this or any other ticket buying app. It's a digital fingerprint.

I travel about 2-3 times per week to London.

Will they ask me to pay for all of those days?

Potentially - but you will have to see what they say when they write to you

Will they check my Southeastern account?

Yes, you should assume they will.

On another matter if there is anything you can do to show you have immediately learned a lesson and taken steps to reduce your fares legally - then do so now as you can say that in your reply to SE Trains and helps you demonstrate to them you have learned a lesson. Even if not 100% to your financial advantage fares wise to do this it would be a good idea as a way to help avoid court action as it shows you have 'mended your ways' - eg buy a Railcard if you are entitled to one and that would help (eg Network Card perhaps?) or a flexi season ticket that would work for the days you go to work. An investment in that might help pay the dividend of avoiding prosecution (which will result in a penalty of at least several hundred pounds ands a criminal record so you can work out the pros and cons of that). I would certainly be doing this now if I were you given the travel and work pattern you have explained.

 

[Haywain]

I have been using the Southeastern app to buy single tickets to and from “Lewisham-Victoria”, with a break in December (I was off at work for a month), then again in January to May.

This is a red flag in itself - anyone genuinely making that journey would be using contactless or Oyster because it is cheaper than buying a paper ticket.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

On the point of claiming that the gates at (London) Victoria were open - I'm not familiar with that Victoria station but it seems to me fairly unlikely that the gates would routinely be left open. Whichever railway company you have to contact will also have a view on whether this is likely, and you probably don't want them questioning the truthfulness of your letter.

There's a moral argument about whether anything you send to the railway should be wholly true. But it's probably better to think about the practical one: if you say something that the railway knows to be untrue, this may lead to them not believing anything else that you say. And if they don't believe anything that you say, then they are free to substitute what they think is plausible. That's unlikely to be to your benefit!

As others have said above, you're not generally obliged to incriminate yourself by admitting to things that you haven't been asked about. But at the same time, in practice it's not a good idea to say anything that isn't true.

 

[island]

On the point of claiming that the gates at (London) Victoria were open - I'm not familiar with that Victoria station but it seems to me fairly unlikely that the gates would routinely be left open.

For what it's worth, I am familiar with London Victoria station and the relevant ticket gates are in operation at most times that trains are operating, though not absolutely all.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

For what it's worth, I am familiar with London Victoria station and the relevant ticket gates are in operation at most times that trains are operating, though not absolutely all.

Thanks for the confirmation. And since the OP stated in their first post

I normally travel from Greenhithe to London Victoria, and vice versa.

To save fares, I book return train tickets from “Lewisham-Victoria” (this is the cheapest via paper ticket). I use these tickets to get in and out of Victoria barriers.

I leave early in the morning from Greenhithe, so gates are open with no guards. I also return late in the evening, so by the time I arrive in Greenhithe gates are again open.

Today, I went back early, and when I stepped out of the train, saw that the gates are guarded. I went to a corner and planned my way out.

This says to me that the OP went early from Greenhithe and returned early from Victoria (that is, not late in the evening). Which means that they left Victoria at some point during the bulk of the day rather than (say) shortly before the end of service. So it's more likely than not that the gates at Victoria would be in operation - and that the railway company will know that.

 

[AlterEgo]

Thank you for the advice. Yes you are correct, which is why as much as I want to tell the truth (that I actually used a ticket to enter Victoria), I fear it might just make it worse because it will be different to what I first said. So should I stick to what I said that I “entered when the gates were open at Victoria” once I write my response to their letter?

No! Just don't talk about it at all. Do not mention the specific method of boarding the train at Victoria.

Will they check the cameras in Victoria to actually check me if it matches what I said?

Doubt it, it's not relevant, you got caught anyway, red handed.

Will they know if whether the gates were actually open at a certain time period?

Possibly but I doubt they'll care.

However, to my horror, I realised that I have been doing this tactic since November last year. I have been using the Southeastern app to buy single tickets to and from “Lewisham-Victoria”, with a break in December (I was off at work for a month), then again in January to May.

I travel about 2-3 times per week to London.

Will they ask me to pay for all of those days?

They might.

Will they check my Southeastern account?

They might.

Do not talk about any other tickets and when the letter comes make sure to specifically address ONLY the allegation levelled at you. Time to wise up.

 

[caughttoday]

Well when you get the letter you can see what they ask you - but you could try to craft your reply in such a way that you do not actually mention it. -eg 'I am sorry for the fact that I did not have a ticket that was fully valid for the journey I undertook when I was stopped at....' for example


Almost certainly not - you have already admitted an offence that they can take you to court on if they wish, and win, they won't need to spend ages trawling CCTV from a busy station like Victoria IMHO


I wound think that they probably would as suspect the gates record their status automatically - but I am not sure about this.


They will easi;ly be able to trace your purchasing on this or any other ticket buying app. It's a digital fingerprint.


Potentially - but you will have to see what they say when they write to you


Yes, you should assume they will.

On another matter if there is anything you can do to show you have immediately learned a lesson and taken steps to reduce your fares legally - then do so now as you can say that in your reply to SE Trains and helps you demonstrate to them you have learned a lesson. Even if not 100% to your financial advantage fares wise to do this it would be a good idea as a way to help avoid court action as it shows you have 'mended your ways' - eg buy a Railcard if you are entitled to one and that would help (eg Network Card perhaps?) or a flexi season ticket that would work for the days you go to work. An investment in that might help pay the dividend of avoiding prosecution (which will result in a penalty of at least several hundred pounds ands a criminal record so you can work out the pros and cons of that). I would certainly be doing this now if I were you given the travel and work pattern you have explained.

Thank you for all the advices. I really appreciate it.

I think at the moment, the thing to do is just wait for the letter, and depending on the content of it, I will write my response accordingly (will post it here together with my draft reply).

I will try to distract myself for the time being, as it really is having a massive impact on my health. I wasn’t able to sleep last night due to this.

No! Just don't talk about it at all. Do not mention the specific method of boarding the train at Victoria.


Doubt it, it's not relevant, you got caught anyway, red handed.


Possibly but I doubt they'll care.


They might.


They might.

Do not talk about any other tickets and when the letter comes make sure to specifically address ONLY the allegation levelled at you. Time to wise up.

Thank you. I will keep this in mind once I get the letter and start writing my draft response.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

I will try to distract myself for the time being, as it really is having a massive impact on my health. I wasn’t able to sleep last night due to this.

If you possibly can, try and relax. We've told you the worst that can happen: it will almost certainly be expensive, and it could be embarrassing if you tell friends and employers. But essentially you've made a mistake. People aren't going to look at you and see a criminal - you're still you!

 

[Grvrdvicdr]

I think it would be best to honest and write to them what really happened and what tickets you had and how long you’ve been doing it? As i presume you were cautioned before being questioned? And if you were not fully honest, when it comes to them looking into your purchase histories and checking If gates were closed at Victoria which can be as easy as looking at the ‘station control unit’ data for the gates or even sending the manager an email, I imagine they are a lot less likely to settle out of court.
Anyone disagree?

 

[Haywain]

Anyone disagree?

Yes. Whilst it is important to be truthful it is also important not to incriminate oneself by providing information that has not been requested. I believe that this has also been set out by a couple of previous posters in this thread.

 

[AlterEgo]

I think it would be best to honest and write to them what really happened and what tickets you had and how long you’ve been doing it? As i presume you were cautioned before being questioned? And if you were not fully honest, when it comes to them looking into your purchase histories and checking If gates were closed at Victoria which can be as easy as looking at the ‘station control unit’ data for the gates or even sending the manager an email, I imagine they are a lot less likely to settle out of court.
Anyone disagree?

SouthEastern nearly always settle out of court. Your advice to wilfully incriminate oneself and provide answers to questions not asked is naive and counter to the OP's interests. There is almost nothing to be gained by this action and a great deal to lose.

 

[WesternLancer]

I think at the moment, the thing to do is just wait for the letter, and depending on the content of it, I will write my response accordingly (will post it here together with my draft reply).

I will try to distract myself for the time being, as it really is having a massive impact on my health. I wasn’t able to sleep last night due to this.


Thank you. I will keep this in mind once I get the letter and start writing my draft response.

Yes, this is exactly what would be good for you to try and do at the mo - a good plan. And don't forget - there will be plenty of good advice and help for you here on next steps as things develop.

 

[kkong]

However, to my horror, I realised that I have been doing this tactic since November last year. I have been using the Southeastern app to buy single tickets to and from “Lewisham-Victoria”, with a break in December (I was off at work for a month), then again in January to May.

Your original post says "I have been doing this since March".

Best to get everything clear in your head make sure what you say is consistent.