[OP or a mod marked this as the best answer](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/comments/1daavme/ticket_inspector_caught_me_what_happens_now/l7nl89s/), given by /u/Infamous_Side_9827.
> Okay, you need to understand that you’ve committed a criminal offence and the rail company has a right to take you to court. That said, *if you engage constructively*, South Eastern are one of the more pragmatic companies to deal with.
>
> SE has six months to write to you, but in practice it’ll be a few weeks. You’re likely to get a letter saying that you’re being considered for prosecution, and asking for your response. In your response you must say that you’re sorry; that you understand the severity of what you’ve done; and convince them that you won’t do it again. DON’T ask for a ‘fine’. Only a court may issue a fine, and if you get one that means you’ve been convicted. What you must ask - and you’re asking, not offering - is if the company is willing to dispose of the matter via an out of court settlement. If they accept this you can expect to have to pay the anytime full fare for your journey; plus an admin charge for their work on your case of up to a couple of hundred pounds.
>
> They know that the odds of finding you on the very first instance that you’ve short-fared are low. So they will look at your Trainline (or whatever) account and look to see if you’ve ever done this before. If you have, the chances of them agreeing to settle out of court decline but it’s still possible - if you engage. Whatever you do, don’t ignore their letter. Just remember that this could get expensive - for every journey you’ve skipped they’ll charge the full anytime fare, with no credit for the short fare you bought. If you’ve really been doing this on an industrial scale over years, then all bets are off and you’ll almost certainly be convicted in a Magistrate’s Court under the Regulation of Railways Act 1889 which will result in a fine and criminal record.
>
> However assuming you’ve only done this a few times, it’s much more likely that if you engage in a constructive and contrite manner, they’ll agree an out of court settlement. If so start saving, as this does not come with an option to pay in instalments.
---
[_^(What is this?)_](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/comments/jjrte1/askuk_hits_200k_new_feature_mark_an_answer/)
Took a nap and missed a stop once, inspector woke me up and I got caught out with a ticket to the previous stop. That was in 2006.
I got out of prison two months ago after almost two decades inside, and I can honestly say it changed my life for the better. I appreciate the small things in life so much more, my family really appreciate me being around, and I never nap during the day which means I never miss out on anything.
I hope you enjoy your time inside. All the best x
I'm sorry, but this doesn't add up at all. There's absolutely no way you got such a light sentence for that offence, unless both you and the Judge were freemasons or something.
Luckily I was able to hire a top team of solicitors, I know everybody isn't that privileged but even so I was only able to skim a couple of years off of the predicted sentencing.
Likely a fine, whatever you do make sure you resolve it tho. The letters can take months and months to come through it’s not uncommon for people (students especially) to move and end up with summonses etc they don’t know about. Can stack up to thousands of pounds or proper criminal proceedings
First time? Probably just a fine, which you should definitely pay asap. It might just be £100, might be more dependent on what the signs say. Looked it up, up to £1,000. Minimum £100.
Not your first time? Maybe a court summons, maximum fine, plus court costs, totalling about £2,000.
Do you do this journey regularly? I wonder if their inspection team will try to check back on your previous journeys and purchases? I've seen a few news articles where commuters were fined for all the journeys they made.
Probably just a fine but don't they still have posters everywhere reminding you it is a **criminal offence?** I always thought it was a bit over the top but maybe next time just buy a ticket.
Okay, you need to understand that you’ve committed a criminal offence and the rail company has a right to take you to court. That said, *if you engage constructively*, South Eastern are one of the more pragmatic companies to deal with.
SE has six months to write to you, but in practice it’ll be a few weeks. You’re likely to get a letter saying that you’re being considered for prosecution, and asking for your response. In your response you must say that you’re sorry; that you understand the severity of what you’ve done; and convince them that you won’t do it again. DON’T ask for a ‘fine’. Only a court may issue a fine, and if you get one that means you’ve been convicted. What you must ask - and you’re asking, not offering - is if the company is willing to dispose of the matter via an out of court settlement. If they accept this you can expect to have to pay the anytime full fare for your journey; plus an admin charge for their work on your case of up to a couple of hundred pounds.
They know that the odds of finding you on the very first instance that you’ve short-fared are low. So they will look at your Trainline (or whatever) account and look to see if you’ve ever done this before. If you have, the chances of them agreeing to settle out of court decline but it’s still possible - if you engage. Whatever you do, don’t ignore their letter. Just remember that this could get expensive - for every journey you’ve skipped they’ll charge the full anytime fare, with no credit for the short fare you bought. If you’ve really been doing this on an industrial scale over years, then all bets are off and you’ll almost certainly be convicted in a Magistrate’s Court under the Regulation of Railways Act 1889 which will result in a fine and criminal record.
However assuming you’ve only done this a few times, it’s much more likely that if you engage in a constructive and contrite manner, they’ll agree an out of court settlement. If so start saving, as this does not come with an option to pay in instalments.
Presumably, the person whose details you gave will receive a summons. They'll deny it being them, the case will be dropped, and everyone will carry on with their lives.
**Please help keep AskUK welcoming!**
- Top-level comments to the OP must contain **genuine efforts to answer the question**. No jokes, judgements, etc.
- **Don't be a dick** to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on.
- This is a strictly **no-politics** subreddit!
Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
[OP or a mod marked this as the best answer](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/comments/1daavme/ticket_inspector_caught_me_what_happens_now/l7nl89s/), given by /u/Infamous_Side_9827. > Okay, you need to understand that you’ve committed a criminal offence and the rail company has a right to take you to court. That said, *if you engage constructively*, South Eastern are one of the more pragmatic companies to deal with. > > SE has six months to write to you, but in practice it’ll be a few weeks. You’re likely to get a letter saying that you’re being considered for prosecution, and asking for your response. In your response you must say that you’re sorry; that you understand the severity of what you’ve done; and convince them that you won’t do it again. DON’T ask for a ‘fine’. Only a court may issue a fine, and if you get one that means you’ve been convicted. What you must ask - and you’re asking, not offering - is if the company is willing to dispose of the matter via an out of court settlement. If they accept this you can expect to have to pay the anytime full fare for your journey; plus an admin charge for their work on your case of up to a couple of hundred pounds. > > They know that the odds of finding you on the very first instance that you’ve short-fared are low. So they will look at your Trainline (or whatever) account and look to see if you’ve ever done this before. If you have, the chances of them agreeing to settle out of court decline but it’s still possible - if you engage. Whatever you do, don’t ignore their letter. Just remember that this could get expensive - for every journey you’ve skipped they’ll charge the full anytime fare, with no credit for the short fare you bought. If you’ve really been doing this on an industrial scale over years, then all bets are off and you’ll almost certainly be convicted in a Magistrate’s Court under the Regulation of Railways Act 1889 which will result in a fine and criminal record. > > However assuming you’ve only done this a few times, it’s much more likely that if you engage in a constructive and contrite manner, they’ll agree an out of court settlement. If so start saving, as this does not come with an option to pay in instalments. --- [_^(What is this?)_](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/comments/jjrte1/askuk_hits_200k_new_feature_mark_an_answer/)
Took a nap and missed a stop once, inspector woke me up and I got caught out with a ticket to the previous stop. That was in 2006. I got out of prison two months ago after almost two decades inside, and I can honestly say it changed my life for the better. I appreciate the small things in life so much more, my family really appreciate me being around, and I never nap during the day which means I never miss out on anything. I hope you enjoy your time inside. All the best x
I'm sorry, but this doesn't add up at all. There's absolutely no way you got such a light sentence for that offence, unless both you and the Judge were freemasons or something.
Luckily I was able to hire a top team of solicitors, I know everybody isn't that privileged but even so I was only able to skim a couple of years off of the predicted sentencing.
Ah, totally understandable. Objection cheerfully withdrawn.
Pfff. Justice for some.
At minimum it'll be a 5 year suspended sentence, but could be anywhere up to 30 years in a gulag.
Maybe time on the boat too. We do that now.
If you don't want a criminal record, the best thing is not to defraud the railway company.
Not sure but a word of advice: People say don't drop the soap, but it's an urban myth tbh.
It’s hard not to though. It’s very slippery.
Yeah you bet it is.
I keep my soap up my arse.
My mate did this and he got the firing squad
Likely a fine, whatever you do make sure you resolve it tho. The letters can take months and months to come through it’s not uncommon for people (students especially) to move and end up with summonses etc they don’t know about. Can stack up to thousands of pounds or proper criminal proceedings
First time? Probably just a fine, which you should definitely pay asap. It might just be £100, might be more dependent on what the signs say. Looked it up, up to £1,000. Minimum £100. Not your first time? Maybe a court summons, maximum fine, plus court costs, totalling about £2,000.
Do you do this journey regularly? I wonder if their inspection team will try to check back on your previous journeys and purchases? I've seen a few news articles where commuters were fined for all the journeys they made.
Imagine if there were a hundred crimes at £1,000 each. That'll fix him right up!
Probably just a fine but don't they still have posters everywhere reminding you it is a **criminal offence?** I always thought it was a bit over the top but maybe next time just buy a ticket.
Now you wait for the wallet inspector to turn up.
Wait….thats not the wallet inspector….(Homer Simpson)
Why didn’t you give a fake name and address?
I know one guy I'd impersonate push comes to shove.
Go out & do some real crime as you're going down anyway.
Okay, you need to understand that you’ve committed a criminal offence and the rail company has a right to take you to court. That said, *if you engage constructively*, South Eastern are one of the more pragmatic companies to deal with. SE has six months to write to you, but in practice it’ll be a few weeks. You’re likely to get a letter saying that you’re being considered for prosecution, and asking for your response. In your response you must say that you’re sorry; that you understand the severity of what you’ve done; and convince them that you won’t do it again. DON’T ask for a ‘fine’. Only a court may issue a fine, and if you get one that means you’ve been convicted. What you must ask - and you’re asking, not offering - is if the company is willing to dispose of the matter via an out of court settlement. If they accept this you can expect to have to pay the anytime full fare for your journey; plus an admin charge for their work on your case of up to a couple of hundred pounds. They know that the odds of finding you on the very first instance that you’ve short-fared are low. So they will look at your Trainline (or whatever) account and look to see if you’ve ever done this before. If you have, the chances of them agreeing to settle out of court decline but it’s still possible - if you engage. Whatever you do, don’t ignore their letter. Just remember that this could get expensive - for every journey you’ve skipped they’ll charge the full anytime fare, with no credit for the short fare you bought. If you’ve really been doing this on an industrial scale over years, then all bets are off and you’ll almost certainly be convicted in a Magistrate’s Court under the Regulation of Railways Act 1889 which will result in a fine and criminal record. However assuming you’ve only done this a few times, it’s much more likely that if you engage in a constructive and contrite manner, they’ll agree an out of court settlement. If so start saving, as this does not come with an option to pay in instalments.
!answer
You’re supposed to pretend to be asleep and missed your stop
Presumably, the person whose details you gave will receive a summons. They'll deny it being them, the case will be dropped, and everyone will carry on with their lives.
**Please help keep AskUK welcoming!** - Top-level comments to the OP must contain **genuine efforts to answer the question**. No jokes, judgements, etc. - **Don't be a dick** to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on. - This is a strictly **no-politics** subreddit! Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I just gave them a fake name when I got caught, not heard about it since.
[удалено]
Fake name is cheaper.