Hi all, this forum seems like a very helpful and useful place and I have been reading many cases here so far to gather an idea of what may happen to me next. Two days ago while I wasn't home (have seen it today) I received a Notice of Intention to Prosecute from Thameslink and would very much appreciate some advice on how to appeal this, my next steps, and likely outcomes. Thanks.
Essentially, I am 22 and I have had a valid 16-25 railcard for years, but I have very frequently purchased tickets and travelled with a 16-17 railcard over the past 7 months or so to save money. Of course, given the consequences I'm now facing I recognise this as a terrible mistake and feel awful over it (and immediately stopped using the 16-17 railcard after my encounter with the RPI officer). The truth is that I believe I initially did this unintentionally for the first couple of journeys, but then noticed how much cheaper the fares were and continued deliberately. Again, I see now that this has been a horrible idea, and I didn't even realize myself how long it had been going on for.
This letter follows on from an encounter on 20th Feb at City Thameslink station where I was stopped by a RPI offer at the gates. My return ticket for that day's work commute was from Tulse Hill to City Thameslink, with a 16-17 railcard, purchased via Trainline. He asked to see my railcard and when I produced the wrong one (my 16-25 railcard) he challenged me on this, so I then said I'd chosen the wrong railcard on the app by mistake, hoping to get out of it. He then asked to see my booking history on Trainline and stated that it can't be a mistake if I have been doing this repeatedly. This is when he said he would take my details as this was evidently a faredodging offence.
I became a bit panicked and in retrospect I regret not being more honest and co-operative at the time: however, I believe there may have been genuine misunderstandings which might have caused the officer to think I was trying to obscure my details. I am transgender and use a different name for my bank cards, professional life, online accounts etc than that which appears on my passport, and I have also moved to London very recently in October. Therefore, when he found my address he said there was no proof of me living there, despite the fact that I gave him the correct address and listed every name I could possibly be under. His confrontational tone caused me to become more panicked and defensive; I'm not asking for sympathy of course, just worried that these factors may have complicated the case as I wound up having to find a bank statement on my phone to get him to trust the address I provided. Perhaps this part isn't an issue, I don't know.
Either way I have enclosed photos of the letter I received and would very much appreciate advice on a response; from what I've read here the best shot is to aim for an out of court settlement or to offer to pay a fine which comprises the overall fares dodged and an admin fee for the company. I am absolutely terrified of receiving any kind of criminal record or even needing to go to court, the thought makes me feel sick with anxiety, especially as working with children is something I have done for years and hope to do more of in the future. However, I see that given the length of time I have been offending for, my case is not looking good to avoid prosecution; I'm just desperately hoping there's something I can do, I would happily pay fines instead. I feel like **** and know that I have nobody to blame but myself.
Would it be smarter to continue saying that these misuses of the railcard were all unintentional, or would it much better serve my case at this stage to own up to intentional wrongdoing and just plead forgiveness? I know they will have access to my booking history and it's quite incriminating especially as I switch between using the 16-17 saver and my actual railcard (16-25) on different journeys.
Moreover, I should be leaving the UK on Monday April 1st for 3 weeks until the 22nd. Therefore I absolutely need to send my response in the next three days. However, I'm scared I will receive a follow up letter from them while I'm away and miss something important/time-sensitive. Does anybody have any advice regarding how long it usually takes them to respond, and to settle a court date if necessary?
Thank you everyone. I really regret this.
Essentially, I am 22 and I have had a valid 16-25 railcard for years, but I have very frequently purchased tickets and travelled with a 16-17 railcard over the past 7 months or so to save money. Of course, given the consequences I'm now facing I recognise this as a terrible mistake and feel awful over it (and immediately stopped using the 16-17 railcard after my encounter with the RPI officer). The truth is that I believe I initially did this unintentionally for the first couple of journeys, but then noticed how much cheaper the fares were and continued deliberately. Again, I see now that this has been a horrible idea, and I didn't even realize myself how long it had been going on for.
This letter follows on from an encounter on 20th Feb at City Thameslink station where I was stopped by a RPI offer at the gates. My return ticket for that day's work commute was from Tulse Hill to City Thameslink, with a 16-17 railcard, purchased via Trainline. He asked to see my railcard and when I produced the wrong one (my 16-25 railcard) he challenged me on this, so I then said I'd chosen the wrong railcard on the app by mistake, hoping to get out of it. He then asked to see my booking history on Trainline and stated that it can't be a mistake if I have been doing this repeatedly. This is when he said he would take my details as this was evidently a faredodging offence.
I became a bit panicked and in retrospect I regret not being more honest and co-operative at the time: however, I believe there may have been genuine misunderstandings which might have caused the officer to think I was trying to obscure my details. I am transgender and use a different name for my bank cards, professional life, online accounts etc than that which appears on my passport, and I have also moved to London very recently in October. Therefore, when he found my address he said there was no proof of me living there, despite the fact that I gave him the correct address and listed every name I could possibly be under. His confrontational tone caused me to become more panicked and defensive; I'm not asking for sympathy of course, just worried that these factors may have complicated the case as I wound up having to find a bank statement on my phone to get him to trust the address I provided. Perhaps this part isn't an issue, I don't know.
Either way I have enclosed photos of the letter I received and would very much appreciate advice on a response; from what I've read here the best shot is to aim for an out of court settlement or to offer to pay a fine which comprises the overall fares dodged and an admin fee for the company. I am absolutely terrified of receiving any kind of criminal record or even needing to go to court, the thought makes me feel sick with anxiety, especially as working with children is something I have done for years and hope to do more of in the future. However, I see that given the length of time I have been offending for, my case is not looking good to avoid prosecution; I'm just desperately hoping there's something I can do, I would happily pay fines instead. I feel like **** and know that I have nobody to blame but myself.
Would it be smarter to continue saying that these misuses of the railcard were all unintentional, or would it much better serve my case at this stage to own up to intentional wrongdoing and just plead forgiveness? I know they will have access to my booking history and it's quite incriminating especially as I switch between using the 16-17 saver and my actual railcard (16-25) on different journeys.
Moreover, I should be leaving the UK on Monday April 1st for 3 weeks until the 22nd. Therefore I absolutely need to send my response in the next three days. However, I'm scared I will receive a follow up letter from them while I'm away and miss something important/time-sensitive. Does anybody have any advice regarding how long it usually takes them to respond, and to settle a court date if necessary?
Thank you everyone. I really regret this.