My exact situation is this; I got the fine and left the country having not dealt with it. When they contacted my parents with the final notice I contacted them asking what the fine was for. They didnt tell me. As it was 450 pounds I didnt know what it was for. I told them I was most likely out the country and appealed because I didnt have the specific details and didnt receive any letters. Then, when they emailed me yesterday they said it was for a fine for a train leaving from (named the station). This wasnt the station I was fined at, it is where I began my journey. I then realised that I was in the country and it was issued to me. I havent admitted that to them yet. They said they are applying for a reopen on Monday.

Also, at the moment I have not admitted guilt. I only found out the details of what the fine was for yesterday.

Thank you again for your help. Just wondering; what is the significance of the conviction? How will it impact me? And do you think I will have a chance to settle for less than the full amount? Also, if I am going to have the fine and the conviction anyway what is my incentive to pay now? Am I correct in thinking that if it catches up with me later I still have the same fine and conviction anyway?

Really appreciated. The case is said to be opened again on Monday. I think I should email them before to say I accept the charge. It took ages for them to tell me what it was for and my main grounds of appeal was not knowing why they had fined me. I am thinking of emailing this weekend and saying I now know what is for, i am sorry, i recognise my mistakes and am willing to cooperate to get it dealt with. Part of me was tempted to say 'prove it was me' but I really don't want to get a criminal record over something like this. I have already let it go too far so just want to deal with it and get it over with. I don't want any future trip back to the UK to be under a cloud. I appreciate all your help with this and I think I will try to make a decision by Sunday.

Does it matter that I only received the final steps notice and no other? Besides the original paper for the fine I have been out the country when all the other letters were sent. The dilemma I face is what to do next really. Until now I didnt know what the fine was for so appealed it. Now it will re-open. Should I tell them the story as I have you guys or try and wait it out. They have my name and date of birth but I have no residence in the UK. I may return for holiday but won't be living there for a while. However, I would much rather sort it out in a way that doesnt require me to pay 450 pounds

Hi all. I have a problem. Last September I was fined 20 pounds on the train. I had an Oyster Card for zones 1-6 but the station I went to, whilst inside the M25, is not in the Oyster Zone (I didn’t know this at the time). I offered to pay the fare of a single journey or take a train back to a station in the zone but was fined. I didn’t pay it on the spot as I had no money. I now realize I am wrong with this, but originally I thought I needed to wait for an appeal letter to come in the post. In the meantime I found a new job in Asia. I spent the next few weeks following the fine organizing this- visa, medical, relocation etc. and within a few weeks had left the UK. I am still in Asia now and will be for the foreseeable future. Basically I forgot about the fine. Letters were sent to my former address (a shared bedsit) when I was away in Asia but of course I didn’t receive them. A final steps notice was then sent to my parent’s address where my parents informed me of the situation. The fine is around 450 pounds. Not originally knowing what the fine was for I immediately contacted them and appealed it, asked for details and asked them to stop sending to my parents address as I didn’t live there. I gave them my contact details in Asia as I have no UK place of residence. I received an email from them today saying that next week the case will go to the court to be reopened under section 142. In that letter, and for the first time in our correspondence, they told me it was for a train fine and gave the date. I now realize what it is about and that I am in fact guilty. So my issue is what to do next? On the one hand I don’t live in the UK anymore. I don’t have a UK address, and I have no possessions in the UK. I also cannot afford to come back, so I am wondering what can they do? On the other hand, should I just tell them the full story and what do you think would be the likely outcome of this? I cannot afford to pay 450 pounds as that is a lot more money in Asia than it is the UK. I am really unsure of what to do and of course my biggest fear is a criminal record. I feel out of my depth on this and am worried. I never received the letters but then again I now know that I should have acted on the piece of paper issued to me. What is your advice? Thank you