Caught without ticket by fraud inspection officer? Medical Student

[Tjmann1]

I was recently caught by a fraud inspection officer after travelling without a ticket from Witham to Stratford. I had used the train the day before the incident, 12 days before the incident and before that over a month before the incident. The month before however I had been using the train about 3 times a week. T

They said they would check CCTV to see how often I had been using the train. Will they have access to CCTV for the whole period of many months or just 30 days?

Also they asked if I had been previously caught for fare avoidance, I said no. I have been caught approximately 4 and a half years ago, but at the time gave them my middle name rather than full name as Ive given this time. I also lived at a different address at the time than now. Will they be still have my details from this incident and would they be able to tally up that both incidents are the same person and me?

I am a 4th medical student so am of course worried that it will affect my enrolment at the university as the GMC take dishonesty very seriously

Any help and advice offered is greatly appreciated

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Welcome to the forum.

I share your understanding that the GMC take dishonesty very seriously. In choosing your course of action, you need to bear in mind that you currently face two issues
- any avoiding of train fares that you may have done
- any steps that you may take to conceal the avoidance of train fares.

In the general course of events, an individual instance of failing to pay a train fare is not seen as particularly serious - it can be a mistake (either because someone hasn't understood what steps they should take to make sure they pay the proper fare, or because they wrongly assessed their chances of getting away with it). Repeated occurrences obviously make the matter more serious, particularly if someone could reasonably be expected to understand the need to buy a ticket. But it seems to me that to conceal a history of not paying a fare - whether by actively denying what has happened, or by failing to mention it when you had the opportunity to be fully open and honest - is a very aggravating circumstance. And should this aggravating circumstance come to the attention of the railway, it will encourage them to resolve the matter by prosecution. Should the aggravating circumstance come to the attention of the GMC, I would expect them to consider it as a serious issue: put bluntly, not only do you commit low-level crime, but then you try to hide from your responsibility of having done it.

So practically speaking, where does this leave you? I would suggest that you need to now work on the assumption that the railway have full knowledge of what you have done. It is possible that even in this circumstance, they will be prepared to settle out of court rather than prosecuting you (essentially, you pay them the outstanding fares plus the costs they have incurred, which may be around a hundred pounds or so). But if the matter does move to prosecution, you need to co-operate with the railway and the court to make sure that any charge is accurate, and you plead guilty to it at the earliest stage possible. I do not know but I think it is highly likely that the GMC and your institution will need you to tell them as soon as you are prosecuted - and you will want to show that you are dealing with the matter responsibly.

If you want a hand thinking about how you should put your point across to the railway, there are people here who can give good advice on how to explain your side of the matter - just post a draft of what you're planning to send (anonymised so that your details aren't out here on the web) and I'm sure there will be help.

 

[cakefiend]

Let's break this down.

I was recently caught by a fraud inspection officer after travelling without a ticket from Witham to Stratford. I had used the train the day before the incident, 12 days before the incident and before that over a month before the incident. The month before however I had been using the train about 3 times a week. T

On how many of these occasions did you avoid paying the correct fare for your journey?

They said they would check CCTV to see how often I had been using the train. Will they have access to CCTV for the whole period of many months or just 30 days?

They may well, it would be unwise to assume to the contrary.

Also they asked if I had been previously caught for fare avoidance, I said no. I have been caught approximately 4 and a half years ago, but at the time gave them my middle name rather than full name as Ive given this time. I also lived at a different address at the time than now. Will they be still have my details from this incident and would they be able to tally up that both incidents are the same person and me?

It seems likely - a credit history search may throw this up. Although they probably couldn't be certain as to whether you're the same person initially, I imagine they would look to clarify that. Regardless, what happened in that incident? What had you done, and what was the final outcome?

My final advice to you is that you've posted this on a public forum and have probably provided enough details to positively identify yourself. You may wish to consider whether you want to keep this post up.

 

[30907]

Also they asked if I had been previously caught for fare avoidance, I said no. I have been caught approximately 4 and a half years ago.

What happened as a result? Did you pay a Penalty Fare, did you settle out of court, were you convicted in a court of law (and if so, for what offence)?

 

[skyhigh]

I believe Stratford has ticket barriers - did you hold no ticket at all, or did you buy a shorter ticket than the journey you took so that you could get through the barriers at Stratford? If it's the second option that's a clear attempt to avoid paying your fare and a pretty open goal at prosecution under the Regulation of Railways Act 1889. If it was definitely a fraud investigation officer who stopped you, and you've been making this journey before without paying, it's worth assuming they know what you've been doing. If you've been travelling without paying 3 times a week for a month, they will be less likely to want to settle outside of court. If it's the first time you've done this, they may be more likely to come to an agreement with you.

Your best option is wait until the company contacts you, then engage with them fully. Come back and post here when you hear from the company and people will be able to advise the best route to take.

 

[WesternLancer]

I was recently caught by a fraud inspection officer after travelling without a ticket from Witham to Stratford. I had used the train the day before the incident, 12 days before the incident and before that over a month before the incident. The month before however I had been using the train about 3 times a week. T

They said they would check CCTV to see how often I had been using the train. Will they have access to CCTV for the whole period of many months or just 30 days?

Also they asked if I had been previously caught for fare avoidance, I said no. I have been caught approximately 4 and a half years ago, but at the time gave them my middle name rather than full name as Ive given this time. I also lived at a different address at the time than now. Will they be still have my details from this incident and would they be able to tally up that both incidents are the same person and me?

I am a 4th medical student so am of course worried that it will affect my enrolment at the university as the GMC take dishonesty very seriously

Any help and advice offered is greatly appreciated

Don't wan to moralise but if you want to progress in medicine you really do need to stop doing this sort of thing IMHO, You have a lucrative career ahead of you I suspect - and an ability to earn more than a lot of other people. Don't mess that up. - end of lecture

Other Q's on here will help you respond if you clarify.

Also - seek advice from your student union at medical school.

You need to be honest with the railway, apologize, offer to pay settlement, promise not to do it again and stick to that promise.

 

[madjack]

I believe Stratford has ticket barriers - did you hold no ticket at all, or did you buy a shorter ticket than the journey you took so that you could get through the barriers at Stratford?

The OP probably shouldn't incriminate/identify themselves by responding on here but one obvious option would be to transfer to the DLR without barriers on entry or exit. As well known as it is, it's probably a fertile hunting ground for revenue protection officers.

 

[Kite159]

The OP probably shouldn't incriminate/identify themselves by responding on here but one obvious option would be to transfer to the DLR without barriers on entry or exit. As well known as it is, it's probably a fertile hunting ground for revenue protection officers.

Or tapping into/out of the oyster system using the platform side readers before carrying on to their final destination using TfL services. I've been at Stratford a couple years ago where RPIs had disabled the oyster pads on P9-10 and were challenging anybody they see attempting to use them to catch anybody attempting to touch out before carrying on to an unbarriered station without a ticket.

For the time being, wait until they write to you.

 

[Hadders]

I was recently caught by a fraud inspection officer after travelling without a ticket from Witham to Stratford. I had used the train the day before the incident, 12 days before the incident and before that over a month before the incident. The month before however I had been using the train about 3 times a week. T

They said they would check CCTV to see how often I had been using the train. Will they have access to CCTV for the whole period of many months or just 30 days?

Also they asked if I had been previously caught for fare avoidance, I said no. I have been caught approximately 4 and a half years ago, but at the time gave them my middle name rather than full name as Ive given this time. I also lived at a different address at the time than now. Will they be still have my details from this incident and would they be able to tally up that both incidents are the same person and me?

I am a 4th medical student so am of course worried that it will affect my enrolment at the university as the GMC take dishonesty very seriously

Any help and advice offered is greatly appreciated

Welcome to the forum.

You will receive a letter from Greater Anglia (or an investigation company acting on their behalf) which will probably take a few weeks to arrive saying 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 (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, they are within their rights to prosecute.

I doubt the train company will research CCTV to see how often you have traveled recently.

 

[AlterEgo]

I was recently caught by a fraud inspection officer after travelling without a ticket from Witham to Stratford. I had used the train the day before the incident, 12 days before the incident and before that over a month before the incident. The month before however I had been using the train about 3 times a week. T

They said they would check CCTV to see how often I had been using the train. Will they have access to CCTV for the whole period of many months or just 30 days?

Also they asked if I had been previously caught for fare avoidance, I said no. I have been caught approximately 4 and a half years ago, but at the time gave them my middle name rather than full name as Ive given this time. I also lived at a different address at the time than now. Will they be still have my details from this incident and would they be able to tally up that both incidents are the same person and me?

I am a 4th medical student so am of course worried that it will affect my enrolment at the university as the GMC take dishonesty very seriously

Any help and advice offered is greatly appreciated

They're unlikely to check CCTV, it's just a faff and to be honest won't necessarily prove anything.

Other advice posted by earlier posters is all sound - wait for the letter, apologise, reach a settlement.

My only other advice would be, if you are studying to be a doctor of medicine, cut out the dishonesty.

 

[30907]

I would like to take this post down, and delete my account, any advice on how to? For anybody wondering, was given a fine of ticket and administration charge and that is all?
Best regards

Thank you for coming back to us.
Do you mean you settled out of court?
If so, the matter is closed and the University/GMC have no need to take an interest in the case.
The railway will have your details on file, though, and a repeat offence may not be treated so leniently.

 

[Tjmann1]

Thank you for coming back to us.
Do you mean you settled out of court?
If so, the matter is closed and the University/GMC have no need to take an interest in the case.
The railway will have your details on file, though, and a repeat offence may not be treated so leniently.

Yeah the matter is closed as soon as I pay I understood from the email. I am very aware so will definitely not be doing it again.
Thanks to everybody for their help

 

[philthetube]

Unless your username is going to bring up this thread at the top of a google search you have nothig to concern yourself with.