Hi, Could someone tell me who I need to speak to, to rectify a wrong address I gave a fare officer.
Ouch... they may well decide to prosecute. There are two possible offences they could use, either a Byelaw 18 offence (which is not recordable but does not require intent to be proven) or a Regulation of Railways Act 1889 offence (which is recordable so will appear on CRB checks but does require intent to be proven).
I won't bore you with the details of why I received the fine, but he said I will receive a letter. Having just moved house I got thehouse number mixed up - genuine mistake and want to make sure the letter comes through, who do I ring??
If you want to ring them, call the Prosecutions Department for the Train Operating Company (TOC) in question.
However, a fine is by no means certain...
Also what letter will it be,
They will probably ask you for your version of events, then they will look at all the evidence and decide whether to prosecute, and if so which offence to prosecute you for.
will I have to go to court?
Not necessarily. An out of court settlement may well be possible to negotiate, especially if it's a first offence.
Even
if it does go to court, you need not actually
attend Court.
Pay a large fine based on an appeal??
If you are found guilty, the fine could be large, though the level of fine depends on the offence they use and whether or not you plead guilty. For example if you plead guilty and they use the Byelaw 18 offence, the fine will be much lower than if you are found guilty of a RoR 18 offence.
What's the usual outcome of this?
There are so many variables, it is difficult to say. Some TOCs are much more willing to settle out of court than others. Some TOCs never seem to use Byelaw 18 offences while others tend to use that as a matter of course.
However what I can say is that, of all the people who have offered an out of court settlement, the majority who have informed me of the outcome have had the settlement accepted. Some chose to make the outcome public, doing a search will find such examples. But each scenario is different, and we know nothing of your case!
Ideally you should consult a solicitor who can advise on whether you are best off fighting the case, or offering an out of court settlement.
A good solicitor can get someone out of a situation of giving a false address under certain circumstances, for example the infamous
Northern 10p Burley Park/Headingley prosecution. But not many people would have a good reason such as just moving house. As we know nothing of your situation it is impossible to advise what your best course of action is (and it may not be wise for you to reveal too much on here!)
