South Western Railway Fare Evasion

[blurryberry]

Hello, this is my first time posting here
This morning I was travelling to my internship from Berrylands to Vauxhall as usual. To save some money, I have stupidly purchased ticket for a shorter journey. I know I have no excuse.

I was caught at the Vauxhall block and I provided all the information they needed.

Now I am waiting for the letter of prosecution and to be honest I am very worried, because I still want to apply for citizenship here in a few years.

Now I have a few questions:
1. Would it most likely be an out of court settlement? Or would they prosecute me for fraud (because I knowingly purchased a cheaper ticket).

2. I know they are entitled to check my online purchase record , and I would be happy to pay the fares. But how likely would they do it?

3. What should I include in the reply to their letter, and is there anything/ word that I can absolutely not use?

I will definitely not do it again, and I understand now the consequences of my actions. I am sincerely asking for advice for the best possible outcome for this.

Thank you very much!

 

[WesternLancer]

Hello, this is my first time posting here
This morning I was travelling to my internship from Berrylands to Vauxhall as usual. To save some money, I have stupidly purchased ticket for a shorter journey. I have done this several times before. I know I have no excuse.

I was caught at the Vauxhall block and I provided all the information they needed.

Now I am waiting for the letter of prosecution and to be honest I am very worried, because I still want to apply for citizenship here in a few years.

Now I have a few questions:
1. Would it most likely be an out of court settlement? Or would they prosecute me for fraud (because I knowingly purchased a cheaper ticket).

2. I know they are entitled to check my online purchase record because I have done it several times before, and I would be happy to pay the fares. But how likely would they do it, and in the letter in respond to them, should i voluntarily mention it, or treat it as a one off event?

3. What should I include in the reply to their letter, and is there anything/ word that I can absolutely not use?

I will definitely not do it again, and I understand now the consequences of my actions. I am sincerely asking for advice for the best possible outcome for this.

Thank you very much!

Hi and welcome - you will get some useful advice on here as to the way forward, although until you receive their letter there is not much you can do apart from immediately ensure every train journey you go on has correct tickets, as you are now on the radar and under investigation.

ref your questions

1. Would it most likely be an out of court settlement? Or would they prosecute me for fraud (because I knowingly purchased a cheaper ticket).

Prosecutions for fraud are rare. More likely is a prosecution for fare evasion under relevant laws. But if you engage with the railway there is a good chance you can persuade them to agree an Out of Court settlement - tho this can never be guaranteed.

2. I know they are entitled to check my online purchase record because I have done it several times before, and I would be happy to pay the fares. But how likely would they do it, and in the letter in respond to them, should i voluntarily mention it, or treat it as a one off event?

Very likely they will check it, but unless they ask about it when they write to you it is probably best not to mention it in an initial reply - but do not lie in anything you send to them or say to them

3. What should I include in the reply to their letter, and is there anything/ word that I can absolutely not use?

Have a look at other threads for examples of responses and have a look for posts by @Hadders who often posts a very helpful general response to advise people what to expect and how best to reply in order to try and get offered a settlement and avoid prosecution.

 

[blurryberry]

Hi and welcome - you will get some useful advice on here as to the way forward, although until you receive their letter there is not much you can do apart from immediately ensure every train journey you go on has correct tickets, as you are now on the radar and under investigation.

ref your questions

1. Would it most likely be an out of court settlement? Or would they prosecute me for fraud (because I knowingly purchased a cheaper ticket).

Prosecutions for fraud are rare. More likely is a prosecution for fare evasion under relevant laws. But if you engage with the railway there is a good chance you can persuade them to agree an Out of Court settlement - tho this can never be guaranteed.

2. I know they are entitled to check my online purchase record because I have done it several times before, and I would be happy to pay the fares. But how likely would they do it, and in the letter in respond to them, should i voluntarily mention it, or treat it as a one off event?

Very likely they will check it, but unless they ask about it when they write to you it is probably best not to mention it in an initial reply - but do not lie in anything you send to them or say to them

3. What should I include in the reply to their letter, and is there anything/ word that I can absolutely not use?

Have a look at other threads for examples of responses and have a look for posts by @Hadders who often posts a very helpful general response to advise people what to expect and how best to reply in order to try and get offered a settlement and avoid prosecution.

Thank you very much for your reply!

I will look into the threads and hopefully it will not be taken to the court

Another question, may I know if SWR is inclined to charge the full adult fare ticket, or the differences?

I am trying to sum up and calculate the potential amount, so I can make financial plans

 

[WesternLancer]

I can’t recall what other SWR cases have been charged. But u could search the forum for some. You should allow a sum that covers the full ticket at the Anytime rate with no allowance for what you have paid. There is the need for an element of the punitive about evasion or people would just do it until they are caught and be no worse off than those who obey the rules after all.

 

[blurryberry]

I can’t recall what other SWR cases have been charged. But u could search the forum for some. You should allow a sum that covers the full ticket at the Anytime rate with no allowance for what you have paid. There is the need for an element of the punitive about evasion or people would just do it until they are caught and be no worse off than those who obey the rules after all.

Totally understand
I will keep posting about the updates and hopefully it will be a good reference point for other people having the same situation

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum!

To add to what's already been said, SWR will write to you in the next few weeks. The letter will use quite threatening language and say that they have received a report and have sufficient evidence to prosecute but asking for your version of events before they decide how to proceed. It is very important that you reply to this letter. You might want to mention the following points in your reply:

- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident
- That you are keen to settle the matter without the need for court action
- Offer to pay the outstanding fare and the train company's administrative costs in dealing with the matter

SWR are usually prepared to offer an administrative settlement (commonly known as an out of court settlement) for people who engage with the process and who haven't come to their attention before. We cannot guarantee this and SWR are within their rights to prosecute you in the magistrates court should they choose to do so.

An aggravating factor is that you have done this before. SWR will be able to search your purchase history and will likely ask you about these further instances.

If you are offered a settlement you will need to be prepared to pay the outstanding fares at the full Anytime rate with no credit for the tickets you did purchase. You will also need to pay an admin fee of at least £150. You will need to be in a position to pay the settlement in full within a few days of it being offered. An out of court settlement might appear to be a fine, but it isn't and you won't have a criminal record as a result of accepting one.

Feel free to post a copy of the letter once it arrives (with personal details redacted) along with your draft reply in this thread and forum members will be happy to proof read it for you.

 

[blurryberry]

Welcome to the forum!

To add to what's already been said, SWR will write to you in the next few weeks. The letter will use quite threatening language and say that they have received a report and have sufficient evidence to prosecute but asking for your version of events before they decide how to proceed. It is very important that you reply to this letter. You might want to mention the following points in your reply:

- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident
- That you are keen to settle the matter without the need for court action
- Offer to pay the outstanding fare and the train company's administrative costs in dealing with the matter

SWR are usually prepared to offer an administrative settlement (commonly known as an out of court settlement) for people who engage with the process and who haven't come to their attention before. We cannot guarantee this and SWR are within their rights to prosecute you in the magistrates court should they choose to do so.

An aggravating factor is that you have done this before. SWR will be able to search your purchase history and will likely ask you about these further instances.

If you are offered a settlement you will need to be prepared to pay the outstanding fares at the full Anytime rate with no credit for the tickets you did purchase. You will also need to pay an admin fee of at least £150. You will need to be in a position to pay the settlement in full within a few days of it being offered. An out of court settlement might appear to be a fine, but it isn't and you won't have a criminal record as a result of accepting one.

Feel free to post a copy of the letter once it arrives (with personal details redacted) along with your draft reply in this thread and forum members will be happy to proof read it for you.

Thank you very much! I will make sure to upload the letter here !

 

[ikcdab]

What should I include in the reply to their letter, and is there anything/ word that I can absolutely not use?

When you write your reply, do not use chatgpt or similar. The results are usually awful and overblown.
Just write it in your own words as if you were talking to the person in the room.

 

[blurryberry]

When you write your reply, do not use chatgpt or similar. The results are usually awful and overblown.
Just write it in your own words as if you were talking to the person in the room.

I will not use any AI it usually turns out horrible….
However, English is not my first language, so I might require a little help drafting the letter

 

[notmyrealname]

The best thing is for you to draft your reply because only you know the full story. Then people here will help with proofreading and suggestions.

 

[blurryberry]

The best thing is for you to draft your reply because only you know the full story. Then people here will help with proofreading and suggestions.

I will post the drafted reply once I receive the letter from them

I’m kind of anxious because it looks like SWR isn’t one of the most lenient company - they do invite people for interviews. And they charge full fares without taking into account what’s been paid.

But again it’s completely my fault