Do I have a criminal record

Pickle49

Wonder if any of you knowledgeable lot can help me....... I have been offered a new job, of which I am very excited about. At the moment, I have a formal offer of employment but it is dependant on a satisfactory reference from my current employer ( who is devastated that I'm leaving and is being very frosty towards me, I'm hoping that he will do the right thing and provide me with a good honest reference ) and a criminal records check.

I don't think I have a criminal record, but 30 years ago I skipped a train fare and got caught. I don't remember police being involved but a railway official said I had broken some railway byelaw and that I would get a letter with a court date. I got the letter sometime later saying that I could turn up at a particular magistrates court on a particular date and time or I could just pay a fine ( at the same magistrates court ) within 21 days or some other time scale like that. I obviously can't remember all the details as it was so long ago but I'm now really worried that if I don't declare it to my prospective new employers it will make me look like a liar if it shows up or am I alerting them to something that needs not to be brought to their attention.

This job involves working with the elderly so I believe that they are entitled to look into my background in this way. I know it all seems a bit ridiculous but I'm so worried that this job offer may be retracted and I have handed in my notice at work and don't want to be out of work as I have debts to pay ( that's another forum:) ). I know I made a good impression at the interview and I know they liked me ( they said so, it's not me being big headed ) but I feel like I'm in a permanent state of worry that my boss may be vindictive and write a not very good reference or that this criminal records check will throw a spanner in the works. I'm not normally a worrier but this has got my head in a spin.

Any advice ? ......please xx

GillyR-J

You need to calm down and try to stop worrying.Because the job involves working with the elderly you need a CRB check. The convictions they are interested are criminal. No conviction is ever spent if you work with children or the elderly. The incident you describe may show on your CRB but is highly unlikely to affect your job offer. To put your mind at rest go and look at the web-site for CRB checks and look at the form you will have to complete.The check they will do is an Enhanced CRB .(Criminal records bureau). I hope this puts your mind at rest.

gibson123

If you have a conviction it is spent, as there was no violence, sexual offence or other similar conviction it would be very unusual to get excluded for this

simpywimpy

I agree, I think you will be fine. It doesnt sound like an actual conviction if you could have just paid a fine wthout attending court

browneyedbazzi

It doesn't sound like a conviction to me, it sounds more like a fixed penalty - fixed penalties don't usually show up on CRB (now called DBS) checks. If you want to reassure yourself, you could do a subject access request to the police asking for a PNC printout of everything they have on you. More will show up on a PNC print than on a DBS check so if it isn't on the PNC print it won't be on the check.

Pickle49

Thank you all for your replies. I have looked at the sites and for the info you have all suggested. I don't think I will ask for a PNC printout as it seems to take about 4 weeks to get it and by then my new employers should have done all their checks anyway as my start date is on the 15th of next month.
I guess if something does show up I can say that I didn't know I had a criminal record.....which is the truth.....and hope that they agree that not paying your train fare once 30 years ago has no relevance or bearing on the job I'm going for or the person I am today.
Do I tick the I have nothing to declare box and risk looking like a fibber or come clean and risk alerting them to something that may not even exsist ?
I have never had a situation like this before. I have been in constant employment for the past 35 years and had half a dozen or so jobs. All my previous employers have just taken me on in good faith and although I have supplied references, I don't think anyone has ever actually asked for one. This job is working for a big company so I suppose they do things a little differently to all the small ones that I have worked for previously.
I'm trying to not let it worry me but if everything fell through I don't think my current boss would give me my job back...not that I want it and how could you carry on working together with you both knowing that you really don't want to be there.
Sorry for the long winded post..:o

maninthestreet

Were there fixed penalty notices 30 years ago?

Pickle49

maninthestreet Were there fixed penalty notices 30 years ago?


No,I don't think there was. I can hardly remember it. I know I never saw a policeman. I admitted the offence. I didn't have to turn up to the magistrates court. I got a letter saying that I had been fined in my absence ( can't remember how much..£20 or something similar) and I had a certain amount of time to pay it and I paid it straight away......I'm a good girl really..:T

browneyedbazzi

maninthestreet wrote: »

Were there fixed penalty notices 30 years ago?

Fixed penalties for traffic/parking matters have been around since the 50s. I don't know when penalty fares for fare dodging started to be used though (which this case could also be).

The Fixed Penalty Notices for Disorder that are used now for a range of non-traffic offences relatively new (since 2003 I think).

HappyMJ

I wouldn't worry about it. Even if you did not declare it then it shouldn't make any difference whatsoever.

DCFC79

As for the reference, the employer has to give a factual 1.