Last October I was travelling home and sat in the first class carriage of the train because the regular class was packed. A lot of people do this, it's not a major trainline, a small local one. The carriage was full and we all got stopped by the inspector and given a fine which we had to pay online.
I totally utterly forgot about it and this happened in the week that I was moving house so I have never received any of the post because although I got my mail redelivered, they spelt my first name wrong and so the Royal Mail redelivery didn't pick up on it.
On Monday I had a text from the new owner of the house saying there was some post there with my surname but not my first name which they'd set aside, meaning to forward to me but they'd received a hand-delivered letter which worried them. I went over to pick it up and realise that I've missed a whole thing going on and the case has now gone to court, been heard and this was a debt collection agency coming to collect the fee, which was about 30 times greater than the original fine.
I've phoned the debt collection agency and paid the fine but I don't know what this means for the future? Will I have a criminal record now? I've been Googling it and it seems that there's a 'rehabilitation period' before it would clear from my record but I don't know how long and I don't know if I was supposed to do anything like community service because I didn't have a letter from the court saying the outcome of the case. I don't know which court it took place in. And I don't know if it will even show up on my record because they spelt my first name wrong.
I've never been in trouble with the law for anything at all in my life and this is really stressing me out so I'd appreciate any advice.
And yes, I should never have used the First Class carriage and I won't ever do it again!