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Hi all,
I nearly suffered a heart attack about a month ago when I received a letter from the HM Historic Debt Team informing me I owed around £600 for two historic debts, dating back to 2010.
In one case, I owe around £15 for riding through a red light on my bicycle. This debt I totally accept and will duly repay.
In the other, it is alleged I owe the remaining sum for travelling on the London Underground without a ticket. I have successfully secured a statutory declaration to have this claim reheard in a court, which is scheduled for the latter half of next week.
Now, while the latter debt dates back to seven years ago, and my memories of even what I did seven days ago are fairly hazy, I am close to 100% positive I absolutely didn't bunk the tube on that stated day, much less get caught for doing so (obviously). The date in question was a Monday evening, and at that point I was preparing for my Uni finals in Canterbury. It was a rare thing indeed I even went home at the weekend in third year, so it's inconceivable to me that on weekday - when it's likely I'll have been in a lecture (I have requested my timetable from the student records office to confirm) - I would've been in London. Moreover, being almost 7 foot tall, it's rare I ever take the tube for any reason, and the stated journey was between two central London stations about 40 mins walk from one another - today, as then, I would've walked it, even if I was in a hurry. Moreover, I bunked a couple of tubes when I was 16, got caught on the second occasion and fined close to £100. That's not an experience I've ever wished to repeat, which has only added to my dislike of using the tube.
What's concerning, of course, is proving it wasn't me. As you've probably already deduced, my alleged debt is so high because I missed a county court case on the charge, and was automatically assigned a "not guilty" plea, which increased the fine significantly - and I missed the county court case because the individual caught by revenue inspectors provided an old address of mine, where at that point I hadn't lived for almost three years. All correspondence was sent there.
I am particularly worried on this point as when I sought the declaration, the Magistrate was particularly unsympathetic, and suggested that as the details provided did apply to me (admittedly not at that point in time), this was effective proof of my own culpability. Obviously, if I plead guilty just to keep the fine down, I'm still looking at a totally unnecessary £200+ burden which hasn't arisen from anything I've done. Conversely, if I plead innocent and the accuracy of the details are used to convict me, I could face additional fines (presumably) for offering incorrect address info. I'm not sure what case TFL would or could offer in their favour - will I be able to see this before pleading?
Any help on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I nearly suffered a heart attack about a month ago when I received a letter from the HM Historic Debt Team informing me I owed around £600 for two historic debts, dating back to 2010.
In one case, I owe around £15 for riding through a red light on my bicycle. This debt I totally accept and will duly repay.
In the other, it is alleged I owe the remaining sum for travelling on the London Underground without a ticket. I have successfully secured a statutory declaration to have this claim reheard in a court, which is scheduled for the latter half of next week.
Now, while the latter debt dates back to seven years ago, and my memories of even what I did seven days ago are fairly hazy, I am close to 100% positive I absolutely didn't bunk the tube on that stated day, much less get caught for doing so (obviously). The date in question was a Monday evening, and at that point I was preparing for my Uni finals in Canterbury. It was a rare thing indeed I even went home at the weekend in third year, so it's inconceivable to me that on weekday - when it's likely I'll have been in a lecture (I have requested my timetable from the student records office to confirm) - I would've been in London. Moreover, being almost 7 foot tall, it's rare I ever take the tube for any reason, and the stated journey was between two central London stations about 40 mins walk from one another - today, as then, I would've walked it, even if I was in a hurry. Moreover, I bunked a couple of tubes when I was 16, got caught on the second occasion and fined close to £100. That's not an experience I've ever wished to repeat, which has only added to my dislike of using the tube.
What's concerning, of course, is proving it wasn't me. As you've probably already deduced, my alleged debt is so high because I missed a county court case on the charge, and was automatically assigned a "not guilty" plea, which increased the fine significantly - and I missed the county court case because the individual caught by revenue inspectors provided an old address of mine, where at that point I hadn't lived for almost three years. All correspondence was sent there.
I am particularly worried on this point as when I sought the declaration, the Magistrate was particularly unsympathetic, and suggested that as the details provided did apply to me (admittedly not at that point in time), this was effective proof of my own culpability. Obviously, if I plead guilty just to keep the fine down, I'm still looking at a totally unnecessary £200+ burden which hasn't arisen from anything I've done. Conversely, if I plead innocent and the accuracy of the details are used to convict me, I could face additional fines (presumably) for offering incorrect address info. I'm not sure what case TFL would or could offer in their favour - will I be able to see this before pleading?
Any help on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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