Ladywell doesnt have barriers. At London bridge I didnt need to leave the station and only change the platform to goto Luton same on my way back. I realise that it wasnt the wisest decision and I made multiple wrong decisions that day by not paying the correct fare from the beginning.
Would you say my response is good to post? I work in finance and as per information shared by everyone here getting a criminal record will get on the DBS and have further implications.
So, are you essentially confirming that you didn't have any tickets between Luton Airport Parkway and Ladywell? Just how many times have you made the trip without having valid tickets for the entirety of your journey?
Indeed. You really don't want a court conviction. If the answer to the previous question (above) is quite a few, you may well now wish to seek out specialist legal representation. One way or the other, this could prove quite expensive for you.
The onus would surely be on Thameslink to prove that these distant stations were involved in doughnutting. Difficult, unless they were to find short journey tickets to/from these places, that align with the Luton<>Luton Airport trips.
In this case full honesty is going to be the best policy. That means you doing a full audit of evasion and arriving at a figure. You definitely do not want a fraud conviction.
I disagree. The OP has been asked about the one occasion, and that is all they need to discuss in their response. They should not incriminate themselves by mentioning any other instance, as they have not been asked for it. However, they should not make statements to the effect that it was their first time evading the correct fare, as that would not be true.
I see this as akin to the ‘I’ve tapped in but not tapped-out’ scenario on TfL. (They don’t need to know which station you actually travelled to; the maximum fare that’s charged is in itself the deterrent).
I disagree. The letter from GTR refers to the specific incident on 15th October. It makes no mention of any other incidents nor does it ask @Rumi whether they have made other journeys with incorrect tickets. @Rumi must tell the truth in replying to the letter but they are not required to incriminate themselves either.
He said upthread that he changes trains at London Bridge, inside the gateline (that is, without passing through a barrier).
I can say that was me, seeing your thread you are in a very similar position but if you follow everyone’s advice here, no guarantee But they may offer OOC settlement like they did for me. Like me I never realised the gravity of situation also until it I got caught. They searched through all purchase history and as said by Brissle Girl charged me the full ticket from St Albans all the way to Norfolk even though I “short fared” to get into London and had a full valid ticket from London to Norfolk. Be truthful as people have mentioned and comply. I understand your situation but don’t worry it will eventually get sorted. Bear in mind I have done this on numerous occasions (more than 15-20 for sure) and so GTR searched and made me pay back everything even if I had full fare as mentioned by already. But I got an OOC and didn’t have to go court and didn’t get a criminal record. However I did have tk pay a hefty Out of Court Settlement with £250 administrative fees on top of that.
A strong word of advice. Make sure that you buy the correct tickets in future. You've had a warning. You likely won't get another but will be prosecuted.
They are not likely to be caught up in a prosecution scandal for not prosecuting someone.
The whole concept of private prosecutions is up in the air at the moment. The rail industry will undoubtedly wish to retain the right if possible.
