I’m not sure, I’m just going by what they’ve said to my dad but I can confirm what sort of case it is later. Yes my main concern and worry is whether it is a recordable conviction that will turn up on my DBS.

Just here with an update... My dad managed to get in contact with the tfl prosecutor dealing with my case, however because she could only disclose details of the case with me she passed on her number. I’m due to contact her this afternoon to discuss if there’s a possibility of an OOC. One thing she did mention to my dad, is that this is not a criminal case and the conviction (if I’m convicted) isn’t likely to come up on my DBS. I’m going to double check today anyways to see if this is correct. Is there anything else I should mention that would help my case? Apart from the possibility of me losing my job as it is still considered as a criminal offence. Thank you again!

I understand you’ve answered it but you didn’t make it clear, did you mean the tfl prosecutors win the case? Or the defendant? I’ve read the first post regarding misuse of an 18+ student card, but his case didn’t go to court so there’s not much I can compare with. I’ll definitely send a pdf of the documents I received this afternoon. Thank you for the help

Sorry for the dumb question about CAG. Does it normally mean the prosecutors have won? If you don’t hear back from other people. But it also has personal info regarding where I got caught and it might make it obvious that it’s me to others including tfl (I don’t know if they really go on this site much) I know, I used to for my last week at work and I was unemployed going to job interviews and the library etc. My area doesn’t have many train stations resulting in me having to take the bus everywhere and I think that’s what is adding up. I will upload the documents later today, thank you for your support. Realistically speaking I’d just like to know the likelihood of me getting a criminal record just so I can mentally prepare for this and it isn’t a shock on the day. Also, can you please send me the link to the two cases where excessive use got OOC? I’m yet to find these particular cases.

I have been reading up on threads with similar cases, unfortunately I can't go off any of them as no on has mentioned the outcome of their court case. There are solicitors that specialise in fare evasion cases that I've been in contact with and are willing to help. Money isn't an issue as I'm willing to spend to receive the help I need to get me out of this mess. As much as I'd love to scan the info here, parts of it do include personal information that I don't wish to share on a public platform. What the letter includes is a description of where and when I was caught, a statement from the inspector, and the following sentence: "Analysis of card usage showed that in the previous two months the card had been used for 251 journeys, totalling unpaid fares of £526.95". "An application will be made in court for a £338 contribution towards the costs of TFL. There was also be an application for compensation of £1.50 fare in the fare avoided. Further costs may be incurred if additional documentation is required or if the matter is not resolved at the earliest opportunity" What's CAG if you don't mind me asking? As advised, I've read around the fare evasion cases that have reached a court summons, and it seems like an OOC seems unlikely for 251 uses. Previous successful OOC's have mentioned calling Tfl directly and using my case number to reach the prosecutor to explain my mitigating circumstances. Does this work? I'm not all bothered of the fines my main worry is getting a criminal record, which I feel will happen if I appear in court and plead guilty even to the one offence. As I mentioned in my letter I work in the NHS and my contract states it can be immediately terminated if I commit a criminal offence. if I appear to court in May and I'm convicted that will risk me losing my job. My family are very reliant on me so having no job will make it extremely hard to get by. I've been nothing but anxious about this for the past few months and I'm running out of options. Now you've mentioned how solicitors can't help I'm becoming hopeless and don't know what to do.

Hi Everyone, as expected, Tfl have gotten back to me with a court date in May where I'm being displaying an oyster card I was not entitled to (they only found 2 months of use, 251 uses). However I've also been asked to plead guilty/not guilty. I'm a little confused here as I've already pleaded guilty in my previous letter. What will happen if I appear in court and I plead guilty? Also there is another form attached titled 'offences taken into consideration', mentioning that if I admit the 251 suspected uses were me and I compensate for those (worth around £500), I won't be prosecuted for these either. However the catch is I need to admit this in person on my court date. I'm planning to see a lawyer this week to go through the paperwork with me and see if I can possibly get an OCC. Based on previous similar cases, what do you think the likelihood of getting an OCC is looking like? Also, what would you advise that I do next? Should I write again to tfl or the court? Thank you for your help!

Thank you dx100k for your feedback. Could you please inform me on the purpose of rejigging the letter? Would it simply read better or does it now come across as more convincing, etc.? Also, what are your thoughts on the evidence I've decided to also include (receipt of monthly travel card, grandma medical records and evidence of money transfer? Do you feel it is necessary? Thank you again for your help.

Okay thank you dx100k, look forward to hearing from you.

Hi HB, thank you so much for getting back to me and providing your feedback. I do agree and I've taken your advice and adjusted the sentence accordingly. It now reads like this: "Therefore, to ensure you that I have learn my lesson and the same mistake will not be repeated, I have purchased a monthly travelcard that I will be using from now on." You mentioned that its a good start, but I'm assuming its not good enough. Is there anything else you could suggest that I could include? To support my statement, I'll be providing the receipts from my monthly travel card, and my grandma's medical records along with evidence of money transfer. Do you feel this would be necessary? Thank you again for your help.

Hi @honeybee13 @dx100uk I've uploaded my proposed letter above. Please feel free to provide me with your thoughts and any feedback, thank you!!

As promised, I've written my letter of plea below. I used some of the other mitigating letters that were settled out of court as a guide. Your feedback and comments would be highly appreciated. ***** I accept the offence and I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologise for my actions. I am deeply remorseful and cannot excuse my poor judgement in purchasing an oyster card that I was not eligible for, and I understand the severity of my actions as well as the impact it has on Transport for London’s services. Therefore, I would like to make it abundantly clear that I have purchased a monthly travelcard that I will be using from now on. I understand that I have made a very bad decision in purchasing and using this oyster card. This was primarily used to attend interviews (as I’ve only been able to work under temporary contracts this year) and commute to work. Being the eldest child, and my mother acting as a full-time carer to my younger sister who suffers from Autism and my younger brother who has been diagnosed with ADHD, there has been a financial pressure on me to support my family. My grandma who lives overseas suffered from a stroke last year, so I was also required to support her medical bills. Despite my situation, there is no excuse for my actions, and I can admit that what I did was wrong and unlawful. At the time of purchasing the oyster card, I was unemployed and searching for work, while still attaining the responsibilities of supporting my mother (who was completely unaware of this misuse of the 16+ oyster). I had come across an individual online who was able to arrange this oyster card, where I transferred him £65 in return for a valid 16+ oyster card which I received in the post. I’m not aware of how this person had arranged this to happen, but I’d be happy to aid you in finding this individual. I have no previous convictions and have lived as a productive member of society. I have recently accepted a new job offer where a criminal conviction may prevent me from being able to work and there is a possibility of the termination of my contract, due to the extensive DBS checks that they carry out. I also regularly volunteer as a tutor and mentor young adolescents in my local area and have been doing so for the past 2 years. A criminal record would not allow me to continue to contribute to my community in this manner. Lastly, I’d like to thank TFL for allowing me to write this letter of plea, and I appreciate how hard I am deeply remorseful for committing this offence and have deeply thought and regretted the decision I made in using this fake oyster card. I would be grateful if you could allow me to make the immediate payments to make up the costs in order to re compensate the financial burden that I have put on TFL in consequence of my actions. I’m also prepared to pay back any administrative costs that have resulted from my misconduct and would like to highlight that I have purchased a monthly travel card to ensure that I will not be repeating this offence. Thank you for taking the time to consider this letter. I’d like to apologise again for my wrongdoings, and I sincerely hope you can forgive me, and I hope I can rely on your leniency in this matter.

Thank you very much HB. I plan on writing this today and will post the proposed letter later on this afternoon.

It doesn't say that I've been charged with anything yet. Although it does mention that the 'facts of this incident are being considered and I must advise you that legal proceedings may be taken against you in accordance with Transport of London's prosecution policy" I'm assuming they're still investigating and want to hear my side of the story first before making a decision on whether to proceed with prosecuting me or not?

The black highlighted bit from the letter is the following: "In order for TfL to deal with this case correctly, please return the information requested on the reverse of this letter by email to IAP@tfl.gov.uk within 10 days, including the case number stated above. Alternatively, you can send the letter by post" Otherwise I'm not sure what other black bold/highlighted bit you are referring to? I've received the same letter as others in a similar situation.

Thank you for this. I've just received the letter from TFL asking me to explain the incident and accept/deny to committing the offence. I'm assuming this will require me to write a mitigating letter explaining my circumstances and how I resolved to purchasing this fake oyster. I've definitely done some deep thinking and feel remorseful for my actions. Some of the circumstances I was to include is the fact that at the time I was unemployed and searching for work. As the eldest in my family and with my mum being unemployed and acting as a carer for my sister (who's autistic) and brother (who has ADHD), she really relies on my financial support (bare in mind she was not aware of me using this 16+ oyster). My grandma who lives back home also had a stroke last summer. As there is no public health service I had been paying her medical bills. Do you feel this information is sufficient. Do you feel this information will be too much? I'll be drafting my letter shortly and send it here. Any feedback or comments would be appreciated.