Its not only 'senators' who can't produce their train tickets.....

Ghandee

Well I never.

RTE star Katherine Lynch said she has been "humiliated" after ending up in court on charges of evading a train fare.

Ms Lynch avoided a conviction for train fare evasion on the Dublin to Sligo train.

The comedienne - who hosts ‘Katherine Lynch’s Big Fat Breakfast Show’ on RTE Two - paid €100 to charity after a court heard allegations that she failed to pay her €32 train fare.

Lynch denied the allegations at Dublin District Court but agreed to pay a €100 donation to Temple Street Children’s Hospital.

Judge John Lindsay then struck out the case against her.

Iarnrod Eireann inspector Eric Quinn told the court that he boarded the Dublin to Sligo train at Maynooth on November 10, 2011. He came across Ms Lynch and asked for her ticket. He told the court she explained she had got on the train at Connolly Station after a staff member at the barrier let her through owing to her being late.

He issued her a fixed-penalty fine of €100 as there had been facilities for her at Connolly Station to buy a ticket.

He then advised her that her story would be “looked into”.

Ms Lynch would not give her name initially and said she did not have ID, Mr Quinn said.

When he said he would have to call the Gardai, she said she was Katherine Lynch with an address at RTE, Donnybrook, Dublin 4.

Mr Quinn said she also give a French address.

He advised her she had 21 days to pay the fine.

Mr Quinn denied he had been rude to the RTE star. He told the court he spoke to her in a “low, calm voice” and claimed that she was “talking very loudly”.

He advised her she could appeal the decision and she rang one of his colleagues, Eugene O’Carroll.

She then left her seat and went to another carriage.

When cross examined by Ms Lynch, Mr Quinn accepted that he had a facility to sell her a ticket on the train and she asked to buy one but he refused.

Ms Lynch said she had “only good experiences with CIE” having travelled on the train in question since she was 17.

Eugene O’Carroll said Ms Lynch had told him she had been left through the barrier at Connolly.

However, when he watched CCTV from Connolly Station, he did not see her come through that day at all.

He said it was possible to come through the Dart platforms without crossing the barrier.

He said he contacted her mobile number twice and she did not call him back.

Ms Lynch had maintained Iarnród Éireann did not get back to her and RTE had not passed the reminder letter on to her.

She said she gave French address as that was where she had been moving to.

“I wasn’t being smart, I gave the RTE address as it was the only address I had at that time,” she said.

She told the court the first she heard about the prosecution was when a journalist phoned her yesterday and she felt “humiliated”.

She insisted that she had told a “tall guy” in Connolly Station that she needed to do a show that night and he told her to “run, you can get a ticket on the train”.

She estimated she had spent probably €100,000 on the train over the years and insisted she had no reason to evade the fare.

“Why would I do that? I have a name in RTE, why would I [evade the fare] for €40.”

“I do not mind paying money to charity, I don’t want to be fined for something I didn’t do,” she said.

Judge Lindsay then said “we can circumvent all this” he asked her to make the charity payment and she left court, and then returned with the €100 which was paid over.

Genuine oversight, or genuine arm chancer?:cool:

hatrickpatrick

Iarnrod Eireann are ridiculous. They have unstaffed stations, too view vending machines which are either out of order a lot of the time and won't accept small change.

In my view they make it so appealing to just board without a ticket in the hopes of raising extra money by fining people. I've queued for 10 minutes at the one working vending machine in Sandycove and watched my train zip by more times than I can count. I'd say they're raging about leap cards since it's now so easy to avoid that kind of situation and thus avoid paying them a hundred quid!

humanji

The article is confusing. It mentions both Katherine Lynch and also a comedienne. Which one was fined?

SEPT 23 1989

the fcuking audacity of the woman pulling a stunt like that

joydivision

Inspector sounds like a nob in fairness . Checking the cctv like . Get over it .

snubbleste

You can't do this to me..I'm Katherine Lynch!

Dempsey

When cross examined by Ms Lynch, Mr Quinn accepted that he had a facility to sell her a ticket on the train and she asked to buy one but he refused.

I think Iarnrod Eireann did themselves no favours in this situation. The inspector was being an ass

pickarooney

Who is Eugene O'Carroll in the story?

Notch000

so she acts as a traveller and behaves like a traveller ?
Is she actually one ?

Seedy Arling

Everybody else has to get a ticket before getting on a train. Seems fairly straight forward. Why should she be any different?

mardybumbum

Eugene O Carroll attempted and failed to con me out of €180. I talked to him on the phone once and could only surmise that he is a bit of a simpleton.

mardybumbum

pickarooney wrote: »

Who is Eugene O'Carroll in the story?

He works for the RPA.

joydivision

pickarooney wrote: »

Who is Eugene O'Carroll in the story?

She rang the inspectors colleague and not him to get in contact . Super inspector didnt like this because he was the one that refused to sell the ticket and sat up all night watching the cctv. He wanted to get a phonecall from the celebrity .

Thoie

Dempsey wrote: »

I think Iarnrod Eireann did themselves no favours in this situation. The inspector was being an ass

To be fair, if she was that eager to buy a ticket she could have tracked down a member of staff when she got on the train and asked how she'd buy a ticket, rather than waiting for an inspector to turn up.

It was the Connelly station master who checked the CCTV, after she called him. If one of his staff was leaving people through without tickets, he probably wanted to see who it was in order to have a word with them.

Frank Black

Seedy Arling wrote: »

Everybody else has to get a ticket before getting on a train. Seems fairly straight forward. Why should she be any different?

Bacause she has a 'name' in RTE.

Duggy747

This happened all the time when getting a train from my town due the fact that the station was never open to get a ticket.

Going anywhere was great because more often than not it was always a free ride and even the inspector came he'd give you a ticket (you'd just say you hopped on whatever the last stop was :pac:)

Wompa1

I was catching an early morning train from Galway to Dublin one morning. I collected my ticket the night before. Two tickets fell out of the machine, I looked at one and saw the info for the train in the morning. Anywho, got to the train in the morning and got refused because I only had the receipt, not the ticket. I watched as these two tickets fell out and the machine was back to a ready state. So basically what I got was 2 receipts, not a ticket.

gobnaitolunacy

Notch000 wrote: »

so she acts as a traveller and behaves like a traveller ?
Is she actually one ?

Dunno, she's just a head wrecking unfunny person.

If I was in the RPU I'd fine her for being a crap comedienne.

joydivision

Trains are too dear . Two stops on the dart return costs a fiver .

MagicSean

Sounds like she tried every trick she could think of in court. She got on a train with no ticket, didn't try to buy one when she got on, gave an address where she wouldn't get the ticket and didn't bother following it up. If she was a politician people would be looking for her to be hanged.

Plazaman

I can't understand Iarnrod Eireann as the inspector always carries around the machine that he can sell tickets on the train. If someone boards the train with the intention of buying a ticket onboard (or as previous poster says can't get one at the unmanned stations due to dodgy machines) why not sell it to them instead of all this hassle for everyone involved.

HondaSami

joydivision wrote: »

Inspector sounds like a nob in fairness . Checking the cctv like . Get over it .

Why? he is doing his job, if she lied it makes her look even worse, she comes across as ''I am an RTE star'', who gives a ****, she's not even funny.
Do you think everyone should travel without a ticket and get away with it?

Dempsey

Thoie wrote: »

To be fair, if she was that eager to buy a ticket she could have tracked down a member of staff when she got on the train and asked how she'd buy a ticket, rather than waiting for an inspector to turn up.

It was the Connelly station master who checked the CCTV, after she called him. If one of his staff was leaving people through without tickets, he probably wanted to see who it was in order to have a word with them.

That one admitted in court that he was suppose to sell her a ticket if she asked and she did but was refused for some reason and thats why it was struck out.

anncoates

Most normal people either get a ticket in advance or factor a bit of time in to buy at the station.

You get caught without a ticket, you suck it down and stfu, "celebrity" or not.

Boombastic

Travelling on the trains for years, spent over €10,000 on the train and yet still doesn't know where to buy a ticket...Nice touch giving the RTE address :pac:

krudler

humanji wrote: »

The article is confusing. It mentions both Katherine Lynch and also a comedienne. Which one was fined?

Internet high five for you good sir

flutered

Dempsey wrote: »

I think Iarnrod Eireann did themselves no favours in this situation. The inspector was being an ass

i came across one, who must have read for his training, extracts from the gestapo handbook on pr, they do not give one a chance to purchase a ticket on the train, they are also acompedied by another inspector, i have seem them inaction at thurles train station, where a guy was put off the train, first his bag flew throuh the air and landed on the platform, it was followed by its owner who luckly enough was adgile enough, he was escorted to a building by three i.e. employees, then more employees began running to that particular building with all the entuseim of u.s. marchalls. to me the employee who withnesses a no paying passenger makes contact with the train, as the inspector immediatly arrives at the carraige where the non payer is traveling.

HondaSami

MagicSean wrote: »

Sounds like she tried every trick she could think of in court. She got on a train with no ticket, didn't try to buy one when she got on, gave an address where she wouldn't get the ticket and didn't bother following it up. If she was a politician people would be looking for her to be hanged.

I like the address bit, she could have given her parents home address,she was uncooperative, simple as that.
If this was a public/civil servant there would be outrage.

gobnaitolunacy

Plazaman wrote: »

I can't understand Iarnrod Eireann as the inspector always carries around the machine that he can sell tickets on the train. If someone boards the train with the intention of buying a ticket onboard (or as previous poster says can't get one at the unmanned stations due to dodgy machines) why not sell it to them instead of all this hassle for everyone involved.

Thems the rules! If you have the facilites to buy a ticket at your location, use them! It's not that hard.

It's even easier than the Ryanair rules. *waits for an assault from the Michael O'Leary flagwavers.*

mitosis

Plazaman wrote: »

I can't understand Iarnrod Eireann as the inspector always carries around the machine that he can sell tickets on the train. If someone boards the train with the intention of buying a ticket onboard (or as previous poster says can't get one at the unmanned stations due to dodgy machines) why not sell it to them instead of all this hassle for everyone involved.

Maybe the customer should try to buy one. Remove the psychic element, if you will.

AnonoBoy

"FINE ME? I MADE THE BBC RTE!!!"

antodeco

Fine me, FINE ME! I MADE the RTE!

EDIT:

AnonoBoy wrote: »

"FINE ME? I MADE THE BBC RTE!!!"

Fu*k you!! :pac:

Seedy Arling

Boombastic wrote: »

Travelling on the trains for years, spent over €10,000 on the train and yet still doesn't know where to buy a ticket...Nice touch giving the RTE address :pac:

Definitely a jist of 'do you not know who i am' about that one.

omega666

In fairness if what she was telling was the truth then she didnt do much wrong.
She was late for the train and instead of missing the train and having to wait 2 hours for the next one she decided to just get on and buy the ticket onboard as she was told was ok. Anyone would have done the same thing.

The ticket inspector was being a bit of a knob, he could have sold her a ticket then and there.

corktina

people, it was CONNOLLY she got on at, not some halt in the deep countryside. There are plenty of facilities there to pay.

Zebra3

Boombastic wrote: »

Travelling on the trains for years, spent over €10,000 on the train and yet still doesn't know where to buy a ticket...Nice touch giving the RTE address :pac:

She actually claims to have spent a hundred grand on the train according to the article.

Is that a claim she made under oath? :eek:

AnonoBoy

Seedy Arling wrote: »

Definitely a jist of 'do you not know who i am' about that one.

I give out the RTE address all the time. That's just to show how much of a bigshot I am.














(I work in the canteen)

corktina

omega666 wrote: »

In fairness if what she was telling was the truth then she didnt do much wrong.
She was late for the train and instead of missing the train and having to wait 2 hours for the next one she decided to just get on and buy the ticket onboard as she was told was ok. Anyone would have done the same thing.

The ticket inspector was being a bit of a knob, he could have sold her a ticket then and there.

thats not the rules...the rules state quite clearly and posted up in many places that you MUST have a ticket to board the train unless there were no facilities to buy one...

HondaSami

omega666 wrote: »

In fairness if what she was telling was the truth then she didnt do much wrong.
She was late for the train and instead of missing the train and having to wait 2 hours for the next one she decided to just get on and buy the ticket onboard as she was told was ok. Anyone would have done the same thing.

The ticket inspector was being a bit of a knob, he could have sold her a ticket then and there.

Is she not obliged to seek out the ticket inspector to purchase the ticket rather that wait for him to find her?
Considering she uses this train so much she should be aware of the rules.

anncoates

omega666 wrote: »

She was late for the train and instead of missing the train and having to wait 2 hours for the next one she decided to just get on and buy the ticket onboard as she was told was ok. Anyone would have done the same thing.
.

If you do that, you go and look for somebody to buy a ticket from to cover your ass in case an inspector finds you first.

Instead she "waited" (read: I'll buy one if they come around and if nobody comes around: free fare).

Skipping a train fare is hardly crime of the century but if you get caught, just suck it down and pay the fine instead of making life difficult for the employees and ultimately, clogging up the courts with dumb, trivial cases.

pickarooney

HondaSami wrote: »

I like the address bit, she could have given her parents home address,she was uncooperative, simple as that.
If this was a public/civil servant there would be outrage.

How does it make sense to give your parents' home address, where you might go once a year, as opposed to your work address, where you go every day?

If she tried to buy a ticket from the inspector why didn't he sell her one?

Are there actually people claiming she used the 'do you know who I am?' approach at the same times as the 'refusing to identify yourself' tactic?

Dempsey

corktina wrote: »

thats not the rules...the rules state quite clearly and posted up in many places that you MUST have a ticket to board the train unless there were no facilities to buy one...

An employee told her it would be fine to buy one on the train and the ticket inspector admitted in court that he should have sold her one. It doesnt matter what a sign or rules says in this case.

Boombastic

Zebra3 wrote: »

She actually claims to have spent a hundred grand on the train according to the article.

Is that a claim she made under oath? :eek:

Ha and I though €10,000 was extraordinary!!

Did she buy her own train?

HondaSami

pickarooney wrote: »

How does it make sense to give your parents' home address, where you might go once a year, as opposed to your work address, where you go every day?

If she tried to buy a ticket from the inspector why didn't he sell her one?

Are there actually people claiming she used the 'do you know who I am?' approach at the same times as the 'refusing to identify yourself' tactic?

Home address makes more sense to me as i would be sure the parents would pass it on, in this situation she claims RTE did not pass on the reminder letter to her.

I don't know why he did not sell a ticket to her.

Yes Id say she did use the ''Do you know who I am card'' she was uncooperative.

pickarooney

HondaSami wrote: »

Home address makes more sense to me as i would be sure the parents would pass it on, in this situation she claims RTE did not pass on the reminder letter to her.

How can you be sure of any such thing? Do you even know if her parents are alive or how often she has contact with them?

Yes Id say she did use the ''Do you know who I am card'' she was uncooperative.

This is how you understand the following?

Ms Lynch would not give her name initially and said she did not have ID, Mr Quinn said.

You're kind of looking for something to hold against her, don't you think?

Sofiztikated

Is it my sleep deprived mind, or is the grammer and word choices poor in that article?

Being left through a gate?

Anyways, don't like the woman. Smacks of trying to talk her way out of it, Do you know who I am style.

Cienciano

joydivision wrote: »

She rang the inspectors colleague and not him to get in contact . Super inspector didnt like this because he was the one that refused to sell the ticket and sat up all night watching the cctv. He wanted to get a phonecall from the celebrity .

Sounds like the lamest super hero ever. He wears a grey cape and a train drivers hat. He special powers are knowing if the guy in the jacks has a valid ticket or not.

Boombastic

Sofiztikated wrote: »

Is it my sleep deprived mind, or is the grammer and word choices poor in that article?

Being left through a gate?

Anyways, don't like the woman. Smacks of trying to talk her way out of it, Do you know who I am style.

Most likely the author is from Tipperary...Leave them off:D

HondaSami

pickarooney wrote: »

How can you be sure of any such thing? Do you even know if her parents are alive or how often she has contact with them?

NO and neither do i care as i was talking about my parents passing on a letter to me.

This is how you understand the following?

You're kind of looking for something to hold against her, don't you think?

No but you are looking for something to argue with me about don't you think?

I am the only one who thinks she used the ''Im a star card'' NOT

omega666

anncoates wrote: »

If you do that, you go and look for somebody to buy a ticket from to cover your ass in case an inspector finds you first.

Instead she "waited" (read: I'll buy one if they come around and if nobody comes around: free fare).

Skipping a train fare is hardly crime of the century but if you get caught, just suck it down and pay the fine instead of making life difficult for the employees and ultimately, clogging up the courts with dumb, trivial cases.

the inspector got on a maynooth which is the first stop after connolly so she was on the train for about 20 mins, very possibly she didnt see any officals to ask until then.

MagicSean

pickarooney wrote: »

How does it make sense to give your parents' home address, where you might go once a year, as opposed to your work address, where you go every day?

If she tried to buy a ticket from the inspector why didn't he sell her one?

Are there actually people claiming she used the 'do you know who I am?' approach at the same times as the 'refusing to identify yourself' tactic?

If you catch someone stealing from you should they be able to just hand you back your stuff and say "ah well, you got me, you won't next time"