Hmmmm... they may still choose to prosecute, leaving a stain on your record. These are of older folks, but they were really taking the piss:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/ne...
*Jonathan Burrows*
Millionaire city executive Jonathan Burrows was labelled the biggest fare dodger in history after agreeing to pay £43,000 to Southeastern trains in an out-of-court settlement.
He lost his job at asset manager BlackRock and was banned from working in the City for life when the five-year scam came to light, although he avoided prosecution. He insists that the true value of the fares he avoided runs to hundreds, not thousands, of pounds.
*Dr Peter Barnett*
International lawyer Dr Peter Barnett received a 16-week suspended sentence after admitting to a two-year scam in which he tapped-out his Oyster card at London’s Marylebone station, without having tapped-in, thereby incurring the maximum London Underground fare, rather than the true cost of commuting from his Oxfordshire home.
Chiltern Railways said that he had avoided £20,000 in fares, but the solicitor successfully argued that the true cost was only £6,000, which he paid back in full.
*Simon King*
City banker Simon King admitted an £8,000 two-year fraud in which he returned his annual season ticket for a refund, but not before he had photocopied it.
He then used the crude forgery to commute from his West Sussex home to London Bridge station, only being caught after a member of staff told him to insert the fake ticket into an electronic barrier. He received a community punishment.