Court summons for dodging train fare

Oh dear! I think the problem is that he tried to change the date on the ticket. if he'd just admitted that he didn't pay the fare they would have let him pay the fine on the spot.

A former colleague of mine did something like this and apparently got convicted of fraud. I think she tried to dispute it and made big fuss about things so that may have made it worse.

I think the best thing he can do is hold his hands up and say that he did something really stupid by changing the date and knows it was very, very wrong.

Stress that he has never done something like this before and certainly won't do it again.

Sorry that's not very encouraging. I hope it all works out for him.

Bloody hell, that seems excessive! What a worry, Pugsley!

I would call a solicitor. Most do a free half hour consultation so you should be able to see where you stand.

Thanks guys.

Yes, he's fully held his hands up to it, apologised profusely and has even gone so far as to stop buying those tickets so he can't make the mistake again (which costs him more in time and money) as he has to physically queue up each morning for a ticket.

I think a solicitor might be a good idea, thanks Kharv. I'm really worried about him landing a 1k or 2k fine as I think that's the max they offer. Not impressed with the criminal conviction either to be honest.

I just wish he hadn't panic written a date over the top as he definitely would have been in a better position if he hadn't. Oh poobum!

No advice as I'd never even heard of that type of ticket until I read this! Just wanted to say I hope you guys manage to get it sorted without a hefty fine and conviction.

Yea this seems a bit OTT and I imagine the court will probably share the same view. In my experience the courts generally prefer you to exhaust other enforcement avenues first (which in this case surely a fixed penalty notice would be more appropriate)

I doubt any fine issued would be too excessive although if the train company they are awarded costs these sometimes can be quite high but the courts generally don't make a habit of putting people into financial hardship.

It seems like your hubby has cooperated throughout the investigation and admitted he was at fault from the outset which will also work in his favour.

I don't necessarily feel you would need to fork out on a solicitor to represent hubby in court as this would be quite a straight forward case but it may be worth going to CAB to get some independent advice to prepare you.

You could also visit your local magistrates court and sit in the public gallery to get an idea of how things run.

Spoke to the prat just now and he's said he's going to give a solicitor which offers a free 30min consultation a call so see whether there is anything we can do.

Ideally we won't need to fork out for one but if we think it really would be worth it then we will.... anything to avoid a criminal conviction as it'll make it hard for him to enter the US which he has to do for work and also my bro lives there. I'd like to avoid spending a lot on something like that though as he'll almost definitely face a fine as it is and whilst we aren't hard up, the money could be better spent elsewhere rather than on a stupid mistake.

I've been to court before when someone smashed in to my car and then said it was my fault (I won). I'm hoping it'll be like this ie, just a room with us sitting round a table but as there could be a criminal conviction involved I doubt it. I might go to a public gallery to prepare myself, thanks for the advice and good idea Funky.

Hope your other half manages to get the information he needs from the solicitor. I am a solicitor, although not a criminal one, so not much help. I think I am right in saying that there is a Duty Solicitor generally available at Magistrates Courts that people can consult if you turn up without a solicitor on the day of the hearing. If your other half decides not to instruct the solicitor he is having a consultation with due to cost, could be worthwhile seeking out the Duty Solicitor on the day for a bit of support.

Hope this helps and good luck. I am sure he isn't the first to do something wrong in a panic and he won't be the last.

Thanks Helen. I didn't know about the duty solicitor.

I think he's kicking himself and punishing himself more than any other train company could right now. It's the fact he hadn't ever done it before & it was seriously bad luck that he'd run out of tickets as he's usually good at stocking up. Silly boy.

I had this a few years back. I wrote them a letter explaining (I thought I had my purse but didn't) and offered to pay the fine, cost of the ticket and any administration costs that my rule breaking may have caused. It never went to court in the end but I was being threatened with a £1000 fine or 3 months in jail.

I can't type long replies on this stupid wine soaked laptop but feel free to pm me if I can help any further. I was being charged with the same thing as I 'never intended to pay as I did not have any means to do so', even though a friend was going to meet me at the station with cash. It was a really stressful few months but it was all good in the end.

Fingers crossed it gets sorted outside of court.

ETA: I wrote said letter on the advice of CAB, who said they usually prefer to settle out of court.

Slightly off thread although still relevant.......If your ticket machine isn't working, it usually has a yellow flashing light. Our local machine is often broken and the ticket office lady advised me to always get a short video on your phone showing this whenever the ticket office is closed......This is accepted proof to any inspector on the train or when you arrive at your destination.

Likewise, if the machine keeps spitting out your £10 note, video this as well...

As said, it doesn't help in this case although might be useful to others..........

Peter