Help - issue statement letter

[leoheatt]

Hello,

As per other people, I am stressing out about receive a witness ticket yesterday coming from Stevenage into King’s Cross.

I will be completely honest, and I know I am wrong I have a few times had shortened my destinations which is on my train line app.
When I got stopped yesterday I was fully cooperative and was expecting a fine but was told it would go to prosecutions.
They did the whole thing on ‘anything you may do maybe given in evidence’ which freaked me out.

For peace of mind, what would be the outcome ? As said before I would be 100% accountable for my actions. But would like to know outcomes from this.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Hello,

As per other people, I am stressing out about receive a witness ticket yesterday coming from Stevenage into King’s Cross.

I will be completely honest, and I know I am wrong I have a few times had shortened my destinations which is on my train line app.
When I got stopped yesterday I was fully cooperative and was expecting a fine but was told it would go to prosecutions.
They did the whole thing on ‘anything you may do maybe given in evidence’ which freaked me out.

For peace of mind, what would be the outcome ? As said before I would be 100% accountable for my actions. But would like to know outcomes from this.

Welcome to the forum!

The worst possible outcome is that the railway do take you to court and you are convicted. But the punishment will be a fine - you won't be sent to prison. This punishment can cause problems in certain jobs, and might mean that you need to go to the embassy to get a visa for (e.g.) the USA, but mainly it will be costly and a bit embarrassing.

A more likely outcome is that if you fully co-operate with the railway, they will let you settle out of court by paying the fares you should have paid plus an admin fee. Still costly but cheaper (and with fewer consequences) than being convicted in court.

Most likely, you will get a letter from the railway in the next few days/weeks/months. It's important not to ignore it: we often suggest coming back to us when you get it, and we can give help if you want in drafting an effective reply.

 

[leoheatt]

Welcome to the forum!

The worst possible outcome is that the railway do take you to court and you are convicted. But the punishment will be a fine - you won't be sent to prison. This punishment can cause problems in certain jobs, and might mean that you need to go to the embassy to get a visa for (e.g.) the USA, but mainly it will be costly and a bit embarrassing.

A more likely outcome is that if you fully co-operate with the railway, they will let you settle out of court by paying the fares you should have paid plus an admin fee. Still costly but cheaper (and with fewer consequences) than being convicted in court.

Most likely, you will get a letter from the railway in the next few days/weeks/months. It's important not to ignore it: we often suggest coming back to us when you get it, and we can give help if you want in drafting an effective reply.

Thankyou so much for your reply.

 

[WesternLancer]

Thankyou so much for your reply.

Be aware they will probably now investigate your previous ticket buying patterns to look for other suspicious tickets / suspected evasion. They can access information from all retailers. You will have left digital fingerprints.

They may ask you about this when they write.

If you were expecting a Penalty Fare it will be because they suspect deliberate evasion that you were not issued with one so they can investigate your actions.

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum!

You're in a spot of bother here! I'm going to guess you're using Stevenage to Knebworth and Finsbury Park to Kings Cross tickets to get through the barriers at both ends but leaving a huge gap in the middle.

It's a criminal offence to board a train without a ticket for your journey, it's not the same as a parking ticket and Govia Thameslink Railway are entitled to prosecute you in the Magistrates Court if they want to. The good news for you is that GTR are one of the more pragmatic train companies at dealing with matters like this.

What happens next is GTR will write a threatening letter to you in the next few weeks saying that they have received a report, are considering prosecuting you but asking for your version of events before they decide how to proceed. It is very important that you reply to this letter. I suggest a short, concise reply mentioning the following points:

- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident
- That you are keen to settle the matter without the need for court action
- Offer to pay the outstanding fare and the train company's administrative costs in dealing with the matter

GTR are normally prepared to offer an out of court settlement to people who co-operate with them and who haven't come to their attention before. Expect to have to pay the cost of the fares avoided at the full Anytime rate with no credit given for the invalid tickets you did purchase plus an admin fee, typically £150. They will likely audit your online ticket purchasing history and if this indicates you have done this before they will want to factor the cost of these journeys into the settlement cost. You will need to be in a position to pay the settlement in full within a few days of it being offered - payment in installments isn't allowed.

Paying an out of court settlement might feel like paying a fine but technically it isn't - only a court can impose a fine as a punishment upon conviction so you really don't want to pay a fine! You won't have a criminal conviction if you pay an out of court settlement.

When it arrives, post a copy of the letter from GTR in this thread along with your draft reply and forum members will proof read it for you. Do redact any personal details before uploading.

 

[leoheatt]

Hello all,

Thankyou for your help. Previously. I have had the letter sent through now, obviously I would love to be pay this and be done with it.

Please could someone assist with what they think the best reply would be?

 

[tonycockram]

So yeah. Look at Hadders advise above. This is a standard letter so if you just do a similar letter as discussed you should be offered a settlement. Gtr are usually very happy to offer an out of court settlement.

 

[notmyrealname]

Hi.

Do you have a draft for us to comment on? If not, Hadders gave you some pointers on what to say in post #5.

 

[leoheatt]

Hi there,

I’ve attempted my first draft. Please be honest, any help is very much appreciated. Thankyou.

——

I am writing in response to your Notice of Intention to Prosecute letter dated 19th February 2025. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to provide a response.

On Wednesday, 20th November 2024, at 8:01 my details were taken by a Revenue Protection Inspector at King’s Cross Station after I was unable to produce a valid ticket for my journey. I was caught not having a ticket at Potters Bar, having boarded at Biggleswade and purchasing a ticket for Biggleswade to London Kings Cross while already on the train.
I take full responsibility for this error of judgement and acknowledge that there is no excuse for my actions. I now fully understand the significant financial impact that fare evasion has on the rail industry, and I deeply regret my actions. I assure you that I will never repeat this behaviour and will always ensure that I pay the correct fare going forward.

I would be extremely grateful for the opportunity to settle this matter without court proceedings. I am willing to pay the outstanding fare together with any administrative costs incurred during this investigation.

Once again, I sincerely apologise for my wrongdoing. I deeply regret my actions and appreciate your consideration in allowing me to resolve this matter out of court

 

[High Dyke]

Hi there,

I’ve attempted my first draft. Please be honest, any help is very much appreciated. Thankyou.

——

I am writing in response to your Notice of Intention to Prosecute letter dated 19th February 2025. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to provide a response.

On Wednesday, 20th November 2024, at 8:01 my details were taken by a Revenue Protection Inspector at King’s Cross Station after I was unable to produce a valid ticket for my journey. I was caught not having a ticket at Potters Bar, having boarded at Biggleswade and purchasing a ticket for Biggleswade to London Kings Cross while already on the train.
I take full responsibility for this error of judgement and acknowledge that there is no excuse for my actions. I now fully understand the significant financial impact that fare evasion has on the rail industry, and I deeply regret my actions. I assure you that I will never repeat this behaviour and will always ensure that I pay the correct fare going forward.

I would be extremely grateful for the opportunity to settle this matter without court proceedings. I am willing to pay the outstanding fare together with any administrative costs incurred during this investigation.

Once again, I sincerely apologise for my wrongdoing. I deeply regret my actions and appreciate your consideration in allowing me to resolve this matter out of court

That looks fairly concise. Personally, I would omit the part that I've shown in red. However, that is your choice. Otherwise, you have addressed the main points in your response.

 

[tonycockram]

The letter looks good to me, should get the result needed without the need to proceed to court. Agree with high dyke re the red text, they already know that.

 

[leoheatt]

Thankyou both for your help

 

[leoheatt]

Hello all, I’ve just received an out of court settlement of £80.40. I am totally relieved by this and have learnt my lesson.
I want to Thank everyone for their advice and their help.
I’ve learnt my lesson now!

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Hello all, I’ve just received an out of court settlement of £80.40. I am totally relieved by this and have learnt my lesson.
I want to Thank everyone for their advice and their help.
I’ve learnt my lesson now!

That's a decent result - thanks for letting us know as it will help us to give good advice to other people.