Victoria1234
New Member
- Joined
- 11 Jun 2018
- Messages
- 4
Hi all,
I was caught on the bus for fare evasion today and was told I am going to receive a letter about potential prosecution, as it was the SECOND time getting caught in public transport.
I am obviously very distressed now, so I want to explain my situation to you and ask you what the gravity of my situation is. Any advice on how I should respond to the letter that I am about to receive would also be appreciated.
Earlier in October 2017 I was fined at the London UNDERGROUND for trying to get through the gates without paying. They gave me some sort of receipt on the spot which I lost. They then said they would send the fine to my home but it NEVER arrived so I never ended up paying it. I assumed it didn’t go through and never thought about it again…
Today, I hopped on the bus without checking in with my card (because I knew it has insufficient funds on my card but I had to get to work). Someone from TFL came up to me and asked me whether I could show him how I had checked in. I gave him my bank card and told him I had checked in with that card, but he verified it and found that it had insufficient funds. I acted as if I had not been aware of that and I hadn't realized the payment hadn't gone through (mind you, I did NOT actually try to check in with my bank card in the first place – can TFL see this?).
He then said he was going to fine me for fare evasion, but when he did a background check he found out I still had an unpaid fine from my incident in October 2017, which had now gone up to £120. I told him this previous fine never arrived at my home so I hadn’t had the chance to pay for it, and he did acknowledge that it had never been sent to my address. However, he told me I could have paid it on the spot with the payslip they gave me? However I don’t think they gave me a payslip at the time, they just issued me a ticket?
Anyway, he then said fining me was no longer necessary as this was the second incident in a year and that I would receive a letter at my home about possible prosecution and that I would have to respond to that.
I am extremely concerned now about prosecution and getting a criminal conviction. I’m a 25-year old expat from the Netherlands with a really good job here. I fear for my career as well as getting kicked out of the country following Brexit!!
What do you think my stand is in this situation? I haven't been involved in any other offenses.
Thanks for taking the time to help me out!
Victoria
I was caught on the bus for fare evasion today and was told I am going to receive a letter about potential prosecution, as it was the SECOND time getting caught in public transport.
I am obviously very distressed now, so I want to explain my situation to you and ask you what the gravity of my situation is. Any advice on how I should respond to the letter that I am about to receive would also be appreciated.
Earlier in October 2017 I was fined at the London UNDERGROUND for trying to get through the gates without paying. They gave me some sort of receipt on the spot which I lost. They then said they would send the fine to my home but it NEVER arrived so I never ended up paying it. I assumed it didn’t go through and never thought about it again…
Today, I hopped on the bus without checking in with my card (because I knew it has insufficient funds on my card but I had to get to work). Someone from TFL came up to me and asked me whether I could show him how I had checked in. I gave him my bank card and told him I had checked in with that card, but he verified it and found that it had insufficient funds. I acted as if I had not been aware of that and I hadn't realized the payment hadn't gone through (mind you, I did NOT actually try to check in with my bank card in the first place – can TFL see this?).
He then said he was going to fine me for fare evasion, but when he did a background check he found out I still had an unpaid fine from my incident in October 2017, which had now gone up to £120. I told him this previous fine never arrived at my home so I hadn’t had the chance to pay for it, and he did acknowledge that it had never been sent to my address. However, he told me I could have paid it on the spot with the payslip they gave me? However I don’t think they gave me a payslip at the time, they just issued me a ticket?
Anyway, he then said fining me was no longer necessary as this was the second incident in a year and that I would receive a letter at my home about possible prosecution and that I would have to respond to that.
I am extremely concerned now about prosecution and getting a criminal conviction. I’m a 25-year old expat from the Netherlands with a really good job here. I fear for my career as well as getting kicked out of the country following Brexit!!
What do you think my stand is in this situation? I haven't been involved in any other offenses.
Thanks for taking the time to help me out!
Victoria