Wrong Name Given

[KingA]

Hi All, So I have been a idiot!

This morning i was on the train and completely forgot i had not got my ticket on me (in my other suit) I was then asked for me ticket and could not give one, So i was told i was being fined.

I then in a idiot attempt to keep my personal details out if gave a fake surname (and DOB) but i did give my address I had full intention to pay the fine but was worried about things being on my record. I was given my fine and off i got, Once i had got to work i logged on to the SW trains payment people's site and paid the £20 fine. the ticket had not even been registered yet but i paid it upfront as you can and it will pick the payment number when the ticket comes in (The lady did not fill in her details on the ticket so i could not match that to the fine but the ticket number was there) I filled in the fine details with the fake name in an attempt for it to just be paid and thats the end of it. But I cant help but think they will still look into my name and details as my phone number and card are registered to me.

I wanted to call some one to sort it out but after reading on line it looks like any one who has come forward and apologized has been a bad idea as people are admitting to doing wrong and then getting done for it. So much for being honest even if it was after doing wrong

So should i be worried? and what can i do?

thanks for help

From a very big idiot that regrets it big time.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Almost certainly you won't have a problem. So relax, but learn your lesson and do everything you can to avoid getting into trouble with the railways again.

In rather more detail:
What you were given on the train was not a fine, but a 'penalty fare': fines are issued by courts as part of the justice system when someone is found guilty of an offence, while penalty fares are given out by train companies to people who haven't got the right ticket and without considering why the people didn't have the right ticket.

It might sound as if I am being pedantic here, but the fact that you have been given a penalty fare means that the railway only has two interests in this matter: firstly that you pay the penalty fare (which you have done) and secondly that you don't make the same mistake again - which is why I advise avoiding trouble in future. They don't want to prosecute you, so your lie won't come out in court.

The railways aren't obliged to offer penalty fares, and if people make a habit of getting them, then prosecution will follow instead. This is one reason why the railway take your name and address - so that they can keep a record. It's also to send you a bill if you don't pay. But in practice, as you have paid promptly, you would have to be very unlucky for the railway to follow up your false name and real address. So you can be almost certain that you will be OK this time.

For the benefit of anyone who has stumbled across this forum if they have a similar problem, there are two further points I would add:
- it is specifically an offence to give a false name and address to the railway if you haven't paid your fare (section 5, Regulation of Railways Act 1889)
- train guards and revenue protection staff are very good at remembering faces, and are employed by each train company. So anyone who is in the habit of not paying their fare /giving a false name / whatever on trains run by a given company may well find themselves meeting the same ticket inspector time after time: the inspector may give you the benefit of the doubt once, but probably won't do so again.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Hi All, So I have been a idiot!

This morning i was on the train and completely forgot i had not got my ticket on me (in my other suit) I was then asked for me ticket and could not give one, So i was told i was being fined.

I then in a idiot attempt to keep my personal details out if gave a fake surname (and DOB) but i did give my address I had full intention to pay the fine but was worried about things being on my record. I was given my fine and off i got, Once i had got to work i logged on to the SW trains payment people's site and paid the £20 fine. the ticket had not even been registered yet but i paid it upfront as you can and it will pick the payment number when the ticket comes in (The lady did not fill in her details on the ticket so i could not match that to the fine but the ticket number was there) I filled in the fine details with the fake name in an attempt for it to just be paid and thats the end of it. But I cant help but think they will still look into my name and details as my phone number and card are registered to me.

I wanted to call some one to sort it out but after reading on line it looks like any one who has come forward and apologized has been a bad idea as people are admitting to doing wrong and then getting done for it. So much for being honest even if it was after doing wrong

So should i be worried? and what can i do?

thanks for help

From a very big idiot that regrets it big time.

What can you do?

Not a great deal - and if you have paid the Penalty Fare then there is not very much more to do. It seems unlikely that the Penalty Fare would be cancelled and refunded, and a prosecution initiated, unless they receive some kind of information to suggest that the Penalty Fare was perhaps too lenient of a disposal for the matter.

 

[furlong]

Was your forgotten ticket a season ticket? If so, had you been honest, there's a system for requesting a refund of any extra fare you paid (or you might have been given a different form basically agreeing you would produce your season ticket within so many days or else be prosecuted). Similarly if it was some other ticket unused, then (depending on the type) you might have been able to apply for a partial refund.

 

[KingA]

Thanks, I am not worried about getting a refund so it’s ok, my work pays my tickets so don’t have anything with a name on any ways, I will just have to wait and see it looks like.