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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

DH in court over train ticket

263 replies

user1497444078 · 12/07/2017 11:54

Apologies is advance for an essay. More of a WWYD than an Aibu.

DH commutes to work via train daily. Train is at 6:15 so he always purchases a ticket off the conductor (no means of buying at station before 6:30) and always by card.

Several month ago the card machine wasn't working and the conductor told DH he would need to pay a fine for 'failure to buy a ticket'. He had no ID and was asks to write his name and address down (which he did), but after a month and no news we forgot all about it.

We then moved house.

On Monday this week we received a letter saying he failed to meet a court date for 'evasion and refusal to pay for a ticket' and now needs to pay £700. They must sent letters to previous address which we never received.

DH had to go to court today and was advised if he pleads not guilty to the evasion and refusal to pay charge he would have to go to court and pay court fees and most likely the refusal to pay charge. If he pleads guilty however he was told he would need to pay original ticket plus a small fine.

DH is fuming as he never refused to pay, the card machine wasn't working. He has proof money sufficient money was in the account on that day, and proof of change of address, but says he will have to plead guilty as it will be cheaper/less hassle. DH is also questioning why he was so honest to write to down his real name/address as it's given us unnecessary hassle.

At 19weeks into first pregnancy I can really do without this stress.

So WWYD in this situation? Is it worth contacting the papers to highlight the injustice? Maybe I'm just hormonal. I know some ppl will argue he should have bought ticket in advance, but he has done the same routine on daily commutes for 5years+.

OP posts:
BitOutOfPractice · 12/07/2017 17:41

So how did you get the letter on Monday OP?

AnchorDownDeepBreath · 12/07/2017 17:42

It's too late to do a statutory declaration if he's been to court, isn't it? He's already pleaded so he can't claim he didn't know about the prosecution.

Did he take any advice, OP? What's the situation now?

TshoTsho · 12/07/2017 17:45

It sounds like your OH was given very very poor advice at the court (or before, not clear from OP).
I really hope he didn't plead guilty (and if he did, I really hope that they are charging under the byelaws -not recordable-, and not under RoRA)
Honestly, ignore mumsnet (which is usually wonderful, but not for that), and go to railsforum.
I don't know whether you can do a statutory declaration after pleading guilty, the guys at railsforum might help with that.
Your OH needs to educate himself, and pretty quick, before he makes the situation worse (he might already have...)

SandyDenny · 12/07/2017 18:48

I was going to ask the same about how the letter this week got to you.

Did you redirect your mail? Is it possible that they didn't actually send any earlier letters? Might that be an option to look into

JessieMcJessie · 12/07/2017 19:16

Yes, didn't you set up mail redirection?

Floggingmolly · 12/07/2017 19:22

This reply has been deleted

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DoItTooJulia · 12/07/2017 19:23

I really love this thread

BambooSticks · 12/07/2017 19:37

I'm also interested to know how the letter on Monday came to be received but only out of idle curiosity; it's quite possible the court was able to track down the current address.

Giraffey1 · 12/07/2017 20:59

No need to be snippy, Purple, I read the thread and there was nothing to say he couldn't pay at the destination station in the OP. There was only one page of replies while I was typing my response and sadly I'm not clairvoyant so didn't know what else would be typed.

BitOutOfPractice · 12/07/2017 21:35

Sorry OP but your DH's story is leakier than a sieve!

SleepingTiger · 12/07/2017 21:47

Omg - the train manager wasn't Raj on the Virgin Train route on West Coast Main Line was it?

If so that would explain it - he should transfer to Virgin Money Giving. His skills for lifting money from honest travellers are legendary!

Lonelystarbuckslover · 12/07/2017 21:54

Contact Passenger Focus. They know that train companies are increasingly doing people for fare evasion unnecessarily. I was told the judges take a dim view of the companies for wasting their time instead of allowing passengers to settle the fare.

Dowser · 12/07/2017 22:12

I would have written a letter straightaway to CEO of train company when I got the summons.
My tenant paid for meal redirection...I'm still taking his mail to him and he left mid march

dollydaydream114 · 12/07/2017 22:54

I used to work in the transport industry and have seen about a billion fare-dodging cases investigated in my time. Everything about this to me suggests that OP's DH is a textbook serial fare-dodger, knows the train company has him bang to rights and is now spinning his missus a yarn so she's cross with the evil train company and not with him.

Tapandgo · 12/07/2017 23:38

There are stations with no ticket office, no barriers and no ticket machines.
It shocked me too having moved from the city to the countryside.
You need to buy tickets on line and show mobile phone evidence to the conductor if there is one (and hope the conductor accepts that) or print a ticket off when you arrive at your destination and before you go through their barrier.

Tapandgo · 12/07/2017 23:39

I should add, if you have no internet, you run the risk of being accused of fare dodging!

DarklyDreamingDexter · 12/07/2017 23:47

If you go to the papers to 'highlight the injustice' chances are they'll be every bit as suspicious of your husband's story as people are on here. Your husband pleaded guilty because he was guilty of not having the correct ticket to travel. No injustice there.

BitOutOfPractice · 13/07/2017 16:18

Did we find out how the summons managed to find its way to the OP's DH on Monday?

peachgreen · 13/07/2017 16:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SapphireStrange · 13/07/2017 16:53

peach, she says in her OP 'the card machine wasn't working'. Or are you differentiating between the payment card machine and the ticket machine? If you are, I'm not understanding to what end.

wonkylegs · 13/07/2017 16:55

Peachgreen - not all stations have the ability to buy tickets before you get on the train.
Our village station only gives you the ability to buy on the train and has notices directing you to do this. It's on one of the routes where they are mooting getting rid of the conductors so not sure what is going to happen then.

SoupDragon · 13/07/2017 17:16

OP still hasn't explained why her DH was unable to buy a ticket

Right there in the OP she says there is no means to buy a ticket at the station before 6:30M.

peachgreen · 13/07/2017 17:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

peachgreen · 13/07/2017 17:21

@SoupDragon Sorry, I misread - though I'm really surprised because I honestly didn't know there were stations that had an office but no self-service machine. (I'm obviously wrong though, not disputing OP's account.)

DontMentionTheWar · 13/07/2017 17:21

My local station doesn't have a ticket machine or a ticket office. For as long as I can remember, everyone who gets on the train pays the conductor.