Nathan Seymour-Hyde

Nathan is a true nationwide leading expert in this area and has appeared on TV and radio to provide commentary. Since establishing his practice in 2015, he has settled hundreds of fare evasions cases out of court, preventing serious consequences on behalf of his clients. He understands what is at stake and the level of anxiety that people feel when facing legal proceedings for the first time. Given this, he is regularly instructed to seek proactive settlements, even before the train company has sent out the initial letter.

Nathan has vast experience in dealing with the various train operators, including Chiltern Railways, TFL, Govia Thameslink, Northern Rail, West Midlands Trains, South Western Railways, Southeastern trains, Greater Anglia, Cross Country, TransPennine Express, Transport (Wales Digital Fraud Team), Great Western Railways and others.

• TFL cases – Nathan has had consistent success in persuading TFL to issue Formal Warning letters in lieu of prosecutions. Notable recent examples include clients accused of misusing Freedom passes and 60+ passes over an extended period.

• Chiltern Railway – Nathan has secured numerous out of court settlements, involving a wide variety of cases, including ‘short tickets’, ‘sandwich tickets’, expired railcards and doctored railcards. He has been successful in getting cases withdrawn from court, even after a court summons has been issued.

• Govia Thameslink – Nathan is regularly instructed by clients who have received the Notice of Intention to Prosecute letter or a Single Justice court summons. He is regularly instructed to proactively contact the prosecutor prior to any correspondence being received and has an excellent track record of success in securing out of court settlements.

• Northern Rail – Nathan has represented many clients who have received the initial letter, requesting a voluntary interview to ask questions about ‘suspicious ticket activity’. He has been able to get the interview process cancelled and secure out of court settlements after submitting representations.

• Southeastern trains – Nathan has secured out of court settlements, even in some of the most serious cases, involving over 100 ticket offences. He has been successful in getting prosecutions withdrawn from Bexley, Bromley and Medway Magistrates’ Court.
• South Western Railway – Nathan is often instructed to proactively seek out of court settlements for those who do not want to wait several months for initial contact by the fraud team. He also intervenes on behalf of clients when they have received an initial email from an investigator or a court summons.

Nathan has represented hundreds of clients in voluntary interviews under caution and has written the firm’s comprehensive legal guide for this area. He has advised high-profile professionals, where discretion is paramount. He recognises the critical importance of preparing fully and seeking detailed disclosure from the interviewer prior to the interview taking place.

He regularly provides representation at voluntary interviews conducted by the council, including benefit fraud, health and safety as well as environmental matters. He is also instructed to represent NHS staff, who have been accused of work-related offences, such as fraud.

NHS v J – advised a nurse accused of falsifying prescriptions over a two-year period. After making representations, the matter was resolved via an out of court disposal.

NHS v H – represented a nurse accused of fraudulently working a bank shift whilst on sick leave. Successfully prevented a criminal prosecution.

R v M – provided detailed written representations to the police in connection with a serious sexual and coercive control allegation, analysing over one thousand pages of text message evidence as well as video evidence. The case was dropped after a full review by the CPS.

R v B – Defended a high-profile suspect accused of international historic sex offences against dozens of complainants. After submitting representations, the charges were ultimately dropped.

R v H – successfully submitted written representations to the CPS to takeover and discontinue a private prosecution in connection with a neighbour dispute.

Chiltern Railways v B – successful persuaded Chiltern Railways to withdraw a Single Justice Procedure court summons and a proposed voluntary interview in favour of an out of court settlement. This was one of many successful examples in this particular area of work.

Nathan has extensive experience representing clients accused of serious sexual offences, including possession of indecent images, rape, and allegations of sexual communication with children. He understands the profound personal and professional impact these allegations can have and represents clients with clarity, care, and a forensic focus on evidential weaknesses and lines of defence.

He is regularly instructed at the pre-charge stage, seeking wherever possible to identify defence evidence early and to influence charging decisions through detailed written representations to the police or CPS.

Where the evidence is strong and a guilty plea is likely to be advised, Nathan focuses on careful case analysis, meticulous preparation of supporting material, and the presentation of persuasive mitigation to achieve the best possible outcome.

R v A

Represented a professional accused of rape arising from contested family law proceedings. At the pre-charge stage, Nathan represented the client across multiple police interviews and submitted detailed written representations to the officer in charge. These set out relevant case law undermining the basis for a charge, together with careful analysis of the background and timing of the allegation as potential motive. The matter concluded with no further action.

R v G

Nathan represented a client accused of possession of Category A indecent images. He prepared extensive mitigation and provided advice on practical steps the client could take, on their own initiative, to demonstrate insight, responsibility, and positive change. As a result, the court departed from the usual sentencing approach and imposed a non-custodial sentence.

R v P

The defendant was accused of sexual communication with a child. Nathan submitted detailed written representations highlighting weaknesses in the evidence and the lack of clarity as to whether the legal elements of the offence were made out. He also addressed evidential and contextual issues arising from the communications relied upon by the prosecution. Following these representations, the proposed charges were dropped.