Fine issued to wrong address by the rail people

[rubyAamor]

Hi,

Some time ago I was fined for having a railcard ticket with no railcard on the way to Manchester from Sheffield. The ticket inspectors in Piccadilly caught me at the gate to platform 13. I gave correct address and name + contact details and they said to keep an eye on the post as it wasn’t 100% id get a fine or something like that. I never received a letter after that i just assumed it was because I did have a ticket just the wrong one so they couldn’t be bothered idk?
Anyways fast forward like a year and an address that I hadn’t lived at for a year prior to them taking my details (the incorrect address basically) finds me on facebook and send me a picture of a recovery letter from Marstom recovery basically saying I owe the Sheffield courts £750 even tho I didn’t receive any letters. Also has my name spelled wrong on it even tho it was hand delivered by an officer.

I just text the officers details on it and he said he delivered it then was told I didn’t live there and there’s a new address on the system which is the address I gave Sheffield rail initially? Really confusing and doesn’t make much sense?

Anyways how much legal standing do I have here. There’s absolutely no paper trail of this fine no emails, no phone calls, just this one debt recovery letter sent to an address I didn’t even live at at the time.

Pls help lol

EDIT: the debt collection officer said the ‘offence’ took place on a date I wasn’t even travelling - even more confused now

 

[AndroidBango]

I suppose it's safe to presume that, knowing you were going to get a letter, didn't set up a mail redirection to your new address. Unfortunately, it sounds like you have been convicted in your absence after failing to engage with the teain operating company and now they are after you - you are legally liable for this debt. This is a bit of a pickle you've got yourself into and it will need a bit of effort to sort it out now. You might be able to use a statutory declaration to 'restart the clock', though one of the experts will no doubt be along to explain that process.

 

[rubyAamor]

I suppose it's safe to presume that, knowing you were going to get a letter, didn't set up a mail redirection to your new address. Unfortunately, it sounds like you have been convicted in your absence after failing to engage with the teain operating company and now they are after you - you are legally liable for this debt. This is a bit of a pickle you've got yourself into and it will need a bit of effort to sort it out now. You might be able to use a statutory declaration to 'restart the clock', though one of the experts will no doubt be along to explain that process.

How does someone even redirect their mail? Like is this common knowledge? surely if I didn’t hear from the company even after they said it wasn’t definite I’d get a fine it’s safe to assume that I just wasn’t going to get it

 

[AndroidBango]

How does someone even redirect their mail? Like is this common knowledge? surely if I didn’t hear from the company even after they said it wasn’t definite I’d get a fine it’s safe to assume that I just wasn’t going to get it

It's a standard service from the Royal Mail: https://www.royalmail.com/personal/receiving-mail/redirection

 

[rubyAamor]

It's a standard service from the Royal Mail: https://www.royalmail.com/personal/receiving-mail/redirection

To be honest I don’t think the issue here is that I haven’t redirected my mail I think the issue is that the rail company has been either 1. Not sending letters or 2. Sending letter to an address I did not give them

Also it’s not like I got the fine and moved out a week later - I was there for 6 around months

 

[skyhigh]

I suspect what has happened is Marstons have traced you to a previous address given the non-payment of a court fine (via methods such as your credit record and electoral roll) and it's not an address that the railway has used.

The address you gave them - do you still live there now? If you moved out, how long after you gave details did you move?

 

[Elecman]

You need to make a Statutory Declaration regarding the conviction if you definitely didn’t get any other paperwork regarding the court case

 

[rubyAamor]

I suspect what has happened is Marstons have traced you to a previous address given the non-payment of a court fine (via methods such as your credit record and electoral roll) and it's not an address that the railway has used.

The address you gave them - do you still live there now? If you moved out, how long after you gave details did you move?

i lived there for around 5/6 months - if I’d have just up and left after the fine then this conviction wouldn’t have been a surprise to me but this is genuinely the first ive heard

You need to make a Statutory Declaration regarding the conviction if you definitely didn’t get any other paperwork regarding the court case

Do I need a lawyer to do this?

 

[alxndr]

Just to clear up any confusion, is this what happened?

- You move from address A for address B
- Around a year passes
- You got stopped and gave address B when asked for your details
- Around 6 months passes
- You move from address B for address C
- Someone from address A tracks you down and tells you about the fine

 

[rubyAamor]

Just to clear up any confusion, is this what happened?

- You move from address A for address B
- Around a year passes
- You got stopped and gave address B when asked for your details
- Around 6 months passes
- You move from address B for address C
- Someone from address A tracks you down and tells you about the fine

- address a I lived in 2022
- address b I lived in 2023
- when issued the fine I lived in address b and that was the address I gave them
- 6 months later I move to address C
- get text of people that letters are being handed from officer to address A

 

[30907]

Do I need a lawyer to do this?

You can either do this at court or get a solicitor to witness it, which costs something like £10. Either way you will then need to contact the train company quickly.

However, if the court papers refer to a date when you were definitely not travelling (and ideally if you can prove that) then another possibility is that someone has given your details when they were stopped.

But either way, contacting the court about needing to make a SD is your first step.

 

[Haywain]

then another possibility is that someone has given your details when they were stopped.

The odds of that must be pretty slim when the OP was already expecting to be contacted for a fare evasion case.

 

[simonw]

- address a I lived in 2022
- address b I lived in 2023
- when issued the fine I lived in address b and that was the address I gave them
- 6 months later I move to address C
- get text of people that letters are being handed from officer to address A

So you moved out of b and we can reasonably assume the railway company wrote to you at b after You moved,out

You didn't have mail redirect in place and no one at b forwarded your mail.

The case then went to court and you were found guilty

As you didn't pay your fine Marstons became involved

They have found an old address for you and have tried to contact you there (as well as at b, I expect).

You can try and get the court case reset if you engage with them, but you will still very likely end up being fined.

 

[WesternLancer]

i lived there for around 5/6 months - if I’d have just up and left after the fine then this conviction wouldn’t have been a surprise to me but this is genuinely the first ive heard


Do I need a lawyer to do this?

Post above talks about how to do a Statutory Declaration - I think there is also a time limit to doing one (21 days? but not sure) from the point you heard about having been taken to court without knowing it - so that would have been when you saw the papers sent to the old address - you may need to act quickly to prevent missing this deadline.

 

[island]

Post above talks about how to do a Statutory Declaration - I think there is also a time limit to doing one (21 days? but not sure) from the point you heard about having been taken to court without knowing it - so that would have been when you saw the papers sent to the old address - you may need to act quickly to prevent missing this deadline.

You are quite correct.