Severe anxiety due to XC travel irregularity

[Nap2019]

Hi all, I'm hoping you'd be kind enough to share any advice on something for me. Last month I was interviewed under caution for a travel irregularity after a journey on a Cross Country train. I am awaiting the next steps of communication but I've not heard anything yet in nearly 4 weeks.

I've read a number threads and advice on here on how long it can take for TOC's to write to you but is there anything I can do in the mean time? I suffer with severe anxiety and as you can imagine, this incident has made it quite unbearable the last few weeks. My mental health is my main focus right now and if there is some way of trying to speed up the process I'd be hugely appreciative of avenues to try. I had considered contacting a fare evasion lawyer but they are very costly and not sure if I need to do that?

The thought of potentially waiting 6 months for the whole process is too much to bare, I'm really not sure I can cope for that long. I've been to the doctors 3 times in as many weeks and it's affecting my work and family life too. I'm sure the TOC's main priority is acting in their best interests but if anyone has any experience on how to contact them to resolve things a bit quicker then I'd be very thankful to know.

Much appreciated

 

[yorkie]

I had considered contacting a fare evasion lawyer but they are very costly and not sure if I need to do that?

With no information to go on, we couldn't possibly say.

If you were to say what happened, and what your priorities are (e.g. is it crucial to you that you avoid a potential criminal record, etc) we may be in a position to advise.

XC usually don't deal with prosecution cases themselves, but contract another company to do it. So I suspect XC won't agree to discuss the matter with you, at least not at the moment, though you could try.

The legal & disputes sections of our Fares & Ticketing Guide may be able to answer some questions you may have.

 

[Nap2019]

Thanks for coming back to me.

I do have a job in Finance that a criminal conviction could have consequence to my employment, but in all honesty right now my main focus is my mental health. 6 months of trying everything possible to get an out of court settlement to protect my career isn't as important to me as my mental health. I feel very close to being unable to cope and my health comes first.

Is it TIL Ltd who act on behalf of XC? I don't suppose they would embark on any communication with me until it had been passed on. I've tried to find contact details for XC for potential prosecutions but there's no obvious details to get in touch.

Thanks

 

[221129]

There is no way to speed the process up.

 

[SickyNicky]

Welcome to the forum. As Yorkie suggests, whilst you wait for the process, we might be able to give you some advice and/or comfort if we knew the facts. It's not unknown for train companies to make mistakes and you may not actually be guilty of anything. There's a deep and broad range of knowledge held by members of this forum, and we've seen most things!

Just don't post anything that might identify you.

 

[najaB]

I feel very close to being unable to cope and my health comes first.

If it helps stop your mind from racing to dark places, while the legislation does allow for a fine of up to £1,000 or a term of incarceration there is no realistic chance that either will happen.

It's difficult to comment without specifics, but assuming this was a one-off occurrence then, in the worst case, you'll be looking at a fine (typically less than £300) and a black mark on any DBS checks done for one year. An out of court settlement or a non-recordable conviction are more much more likely if it was a simple transgression (e.g. no fake details were provided).

 

[gray1404]

You need to tell us what actually happened on the day that caused this situation to play out. Once we have full details we can advise accordingly. There is a thread at the very top of this area of this forum entitled: Please read before posting in D&P that sets out what you should include.