Yeah I thought that'd be the best option, thanks king12345. I'm just grateful I have the money to pay the fine! Also to the others asking, just because I want to work in politics doesn't mean I wish to be a politician in the public eye hahah. If I really was asked (however unlikely that may be), I'd probably just be honest and admit it but also express how admittedly stupid it was!

I was caught using a child's ticket by TFL (although my friend who is 2 years older wasn't stopped at the same station...) after received a letter about it, telling me to write back to them and tell my version of events. I wrote back a pathetically grovelling letter of apology and have received a letter in response telling me I will receive only a formal warning if I pay £254.90. An extortionate amount, but I can pay (thank you student loan) and my question is - would a formal warning show up on a criminal record? I study PPE and hope to possibly enter the realm of politics so that wouldn't bode well for me. if anyone could help and tell me whether this would show up on a check, that'd be great.