I recieved a Single Justice Notice

[poo]

Hello,

I have just been sent a single justice Notice from the magistrate by GTR for a ticket evasion offence which i commited last year november 2024. Previouly, i was sent a letter by GTR stating that they will be taking it to court, but before then i neeed to explain my part of the story of which i admitted to the offence, i pleaded with them to forgive my actions and settle it out of court. But i have just recieved a letter from the Magistrate court to plead guilty or not guilty. I checked online that this can be registered as a criminal record, and also affect my enhanced DBS. My question is can I reverse this conviction via a Statutory declaration process, it showed me online during my research that I can get an out of court settlement through a solicitor. I really do not want to get a criminal record for this.

Please help

 

[simonw]

Hello,

I have just been sent a single justice Notice from the magistrate by GTR for a ticket evasion offence which i commited last year november 2024. Previouly, i was sent a letter by GTR stating that they will be taking it to court, but before then i neeed to explain my part of the story of which i admitted to the offence, i pleaded with them to forgive my actions and settle it out of court. But i have just recieved a letter from the Magistrate court to plead guilty or not guilty. I checked online that this can be registered as a criminal record, and also affect my enhanced DBS. My question is can I reverse this conviction via a Statutory declaration process, it showed me online during my research that I can get an out of court settlement through a solicitor. I really do not want to get a criminal record for this.

Please help

At present you haven't been convicted so no you can't use the statutory declaration process.

Please post a copy of all the correspondence received with any personal details removed so that we can see what it is you are accused of and how you responded.

 

[ikcdab]

As above, we need to see the documentation with identifying names etc obscured.
It looks as if they have decided to prosecute you. We have seen that engaging a solicitor can change the outcome and a reversion to a settlement but this is not guaranteed and comes at a price of between £500 and £1000. It depends how important it is to you to avoid a conviction. It might be worth talking to your trade union in the first instance.

 

[WesternLancer]

Hello,

I have just been sent a single justice Notice from the magistrate by GTR for a ticket evasion offence which i commited last year november 2024. Previouly, i was sent a letter by GTR stating that they will be taking it to court, but before then i neeed to explain my part of the story of which i admitted to the offence, i pleaded with them to forgive my actions and settle it out of court. But i have just recieved a letter from the Magistrate court to plead guilty or not guilty. I checked online that this can be registered as a criminal record, and also affect my enhanced DBS. My question is can I reverse this conviction via a Statutory declaration process, it showed me online during my research that I can get an out of court settlement through a solicitor. I really do not want to get a criminal record for this.

Please help

Do you have any evidence that they actually received the reply you sent before that you mention you sent in response to their first letter?

How did you send it? By post? if so did you get the post tracked so you can prove delivery

if you sent it by e-mail they will not usually accept e-mail mitigation responses so they may have ignored it

It may be that this got lost - so you could use the time between now and when you have to send the court papers back to the court with aother request to settle it out of court.

But as others have said please start by posting copies of all the paperwork received now, and before if you keep copies, and what you sent back before if you kept a copy - with your personal detail blanked out on every page

Then people can advise you on what best to do next

 

[poo]

Hello,

Thank you everyone for the feed back so far, I really do appreciate them. As requested, attached are the letters that was sent to me previously and my response, and the letter from the magistrate court i receieved yesterday.

 

[30907]

1. Please re-upload the documents with the case reference obscured for your privacy.

2. You haven't explained WHY you failed to accomplish your ticket purchase on the train - but even if you had, it would still have been invalid as you are required to buy before you board.

3. It is very unusual for GTR to go for prosecution when someone has engaged with them.
Could you confirm that you sent the handwritten letter, signed and dated? If so, your best step is to contact GTR urgently to see whether they actually received it.

Failing that, re-send it by tracked delivery with a covering note repeating your story and explaining point 2 and asking politely (you are the "beggar" here) if they would consider withdrawing the case and offering to settle out of court.

 

[Pushpit]

GTR normally settles these cases out of court, and cases far, far worse than this. So I think your reply has been lost or misfiled.

There is this email address, which is not to be used generally, but is specifically mentioned on the Thameslink website for letters that go missing.
gtr.prosecutions@gtrailway.com

I would also - as belt and braces - send a postal version to the Kings Cross office. I would tell them that you have been in touch previously, here is a copy, and would they kindly consider an out of court settlement here.

Staff from GTR are known to consult this website, so hopefully someone is looking into this.

 

[poo]

Hello,

I reaaly appreciate your advice so far. I am sorry for the late reply. I have been able to draft a letter to send back to GTR. can you kindly look through and share your tought and advice and aslo what shall i write as a tittle for the letter? please read below






To The Prosecutions Department
Eastside offices
King’s Cross Railway Station
London N1C 4AX


To Whom It May Concern,

My name is xxxxxxxx, I leave in the address that i have mentioned above.
I am writing this letter in respect to a train evasion offence i committed on the xxxx of Nov 2024. I have just received a single justice notice from the magistrate that i have been charged for a fare evasion.

I have previously received a letter from GTR with Reference number GTRxxxxxxxx informing me of a notice of intention to prosecute me but first giving me an opportunity to explain my part of the story. On the letter i explained my situation and admitted my offence. I was rushing to get the train in order not to get late at work and i noticed that the barrier was opened from Luton, and i decided to go in without a valid ticket. On arrival to Bedford which was my final destination, i noticed that the barrier was closed and I decided to buy a cheaper online ticket just to go through the gates. This is when I was caught by the ticket inspection officer. I deeply regret my bad decisions and lack of judgment in the situation, as I should have just bought a valid ticket for my journey from beginning.

Since I sent my reply at the beginning of march, I have changed my address of which i indicated on the letter, but i am not sure if any response letter was sent from your side to my previous address or my letter was lost through the post.

I once again express my sincere apology for the actions I took regarding the fare evasion. I accept that i was very wrong with my decisions and lack of judgement in the situation. I want to assure you that this action will not repeat it self again. I Kindly ask that you consider an out of court settlement, i am willing to pay any fine and any additional admin fee that i might have caused. I am also in the process of applying for my spouse visa and i’m scared going to court might affect my criminal record and influence the decision of my visa application.

I have also attached a picture of the previous letter i sent for your reference.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Yours Faithfully
xxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[WesternLancer]

Hello,

I reaaly appreciate your advice so far. I am sorry for the late reply. I have been able to draft a letter to send back to GTR. can you kindly look through and share your tought and advice and aslo what shall i write as a tittle for the letter? please read below






To The Prosecutions Department
Eastside offices
King’s Cross Railway Station
London N1C 4AX


To Whom It May Concern,

My name is xxxxxxxx, I leave in the address that i have mentioned above.
I am writing this letter in respect to a train evasion offence i committed on the xxxx of Nov 2024. I have just received a single justice notice from the magistrate that i have been charged for a fare evasion.

I have previously received a letter from GTR with Reference number GTRxxxxxxxx informing me of a notice of intention to prosecute me but first giving me an opportunity to explain my part of the story. On the letter i explained my situation and admitted my offence. I was rushing to get the train in order not to get late at work and i noticed that the barrier was opened from Luton, and i decided to go in without a valid ticket. On arrival to Bedford which was my final destination, i noticed that the barrier was closed and I decided to buy a cheaper online ticket just to go through the gates. This is when I was caught by the ticket inspection officer. I deeply regret my bad decisions and lack of judgment in the situation, as I should have just bought a valid ticket for my journey from beginning.

Since I sent my reply at the beginning of march, I have changed my address of which i indicated on the letter, but i am not sure if any response letter was sent from your side to my previous address or my letter was lost through the post.

I once again express my sincere apology for the actions I took regarding the fare evasion. I accept that i was very wrong with my decisions and lack of judgement in the situation. I want to assure you that this action will not repeat it self again. I Kindly ask that you consider an out of court settlement, i am willing to pay any fine and any additional admin fee that i might have caused. I am also in the process of applying for my spouse visa and i’m scared going to court might affect my criminal record and influence the decision of my visa application.

I have also attached a picture of the previous letter i sent for your reference.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Yours Faithfully
xxxxxxxxxxxx

personally I would not end up with talking about your visa application (they won't really care) - I've made some other suggested corrections to typos etc (I should be in capitals not i when writing about yourself for example) and added a few words / one or two extra sentences which I hope you can see clearly below. Given you are up against a court papers date try to get this in the post today by about 4pm or Saturday by about 10am using 'guaranteed next day delivery' from a post office. Keep the tracking record the post office will give you and monitor the delivery
-------------------------------------------------------------

To The Prosecutions Department
Eastside offices
King’s Cross Railway Station
London N1C 4AX


To Whom It May Concern,

Your REf: [Insert their ref number]

My name is xxxxxxxx, I leave in live at the address that i have mentioned above.

I am writing this letter in respect to a train ticket evasion offence I committed on the xxxx of Nov 2024. I have just received a single justice notice from the court magistrate that I have been charged for a fare evasion.

I have previously received a letter from GTR with Reference number GTRxxxxxxxx informing me of a notice of intention to prosecute me but first giving me an opportunity to explain my part of the story. On the letter I i explained my situation and admitted my offence. I was rushing to get the train in order not to get late at work and I i noticed that the barrier was opened from Luton, and I i decided to go in without a valid ticket. On arrival to Bedford which was my final destination, I i noticed that the barrier was closed and I decided to buy a cheaper online ticket just to go through the gates. This is when I was caught by the ticket inspection officer. I deeply regret my bad decisions and lack of judgment in the situation, as I should have just bought a valid ticket for my journey from beginning before I got on the train.

Since I sent my reply at the beginning of March march, I have changed my address of which I i indicated on the letter, but I i am not sure if any response letter was sent from your side to my previous address or my letter was lost through the post.

I once again express my sincere apology for the actions I took regarding the fare evasion. I accept that I i was very wrong with my decisions and lack of judgement in the situation. I want to assure you that this action will not repeat it self again. I kindly Kindly ask if you would consider withdrawing the court action and if you could that you consider an out of court settlement offer to resolve this matter. I i am willing to pay any fare I owe fine and any additional admin fee that I i might have caused. I am also in the process of applying for my spouse visa and i’m scared going to court might affect my criminal record and influence the decision of my visa application.

I have also attached a picture of the previous letter I i sent for your reference.

I hope to hear from you soon and would be grateful for your sympathetic consideration of my request.

Yours Faithfully
xxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[poo]

personally I would not end up with talking about your visa application (they won't really care) - I've made some other suggested corrections to typos etc (I should be in capitals not i when writing about yourself for example) and added a few words / one or two extra sentences which I hope you can see clearly below. Given you are up against a court papers date try to get this in the post today by about 4pm or Saturday by about 10am using 'guaranteed next day delivery' from a post office. Keep the tracking record the post office will give you and monitor the delivery
-------------------------------------------------------------

To The Prosecutions Department
Eastside offices
King’s Cross Railway Station
London N1C 4AX


To Whom It May Concern,

Your REf: [Insert their ref number]

My name is xxxxxxxx, I leave in live at the address that i have mentioned above.

I am writing this letter in respect to a train ticket evasion offence I committed on the xxxx of Nov 2024. I have just received a single justice notice from the court magistrate that I have been charged for a fare evasion.

I have previously received a letter from GTR with Reference number GTRxxxxxxxx informing me of a notice of intention to prosecute me but first giving me an opportunity to explain my part of the story. On the letter I i explained my situation and admitted my offence. I was rushing to get the train in order not to get late at work and I i noticed that the barrier was opened from Luton, and I i decided to go in without a valid ticket. On arrival to Bedford which was my final destination, I i noticed that the barrier was closed and I decided to buy a cheaper online ticket just to go through the gates. This is when I was caught by the ticket inspection officer. I deeply regret my bad decisions and lack of judgment in the situation, as I should have just bought a valid ticket for my journey from beginning before I got on the train.

Since I sent my reply at the beginning of March march, I have changed my address of which I i indicated on the letter, but I i am not sure if any response letter was sent from your side to my previous address or my letter was lost through the post.

I once again express my sincere apology for the actions I took regarding the fare evasion. I accept that I i was very wrong with my decisions and lack of judgement in the situation. I want to assure you that this action will not repeat it self again. I kindly Kindly ask if you would consider withdrawing the court action and if you could that you consider an out of court settlement offer to resolve this matter. I i am willing to pay any fare I owe fine and any additional admin fee that I i might have caused. I am also in the process of applying for my spouse visa and i’m scared going to court might affect my criminal record and influence the decision of my visa application.

I have also attached a picture of the previous letter I i sent for your reference.

I hope to hear from you soon and would be grateful for your sympathetic consideration of my request.

Yours Faithfully
xxxxxxxxxxxx

Thank you very much for the corrections and the advice. But generally, do you think is a good letter?

 

[WesternLancer]

Thank you very much for the corrections and the advice. But generally, do you think is a good letter?

Generally it’s fine as covers the key things you need to say to them I think.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 16 May 2025 ==

What is the date you must return the court papers by?

 

[poo]

Generally it’s fine as covers the key things you need to say to them I think.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 16 May 2025 ==

What is the date you must return the court papers by?

I got the papers this wednesday 14th may 2025 but its dated on the paper 12th may 2025 and i have 21days to give them a reply that is to plead guilty or not guilty.

 

[WesternLancer]

I got the papers this wednesday 14th may 2025 but its dated on the paper 12th may 2025 and i have 21days to give them a reply that is to plead guilty or not guilty.

So you must rtn that by Friday 30 may. But hold off sending it yet as this is the time window to get them to reply to what you are sending now.

 

[poo]

So you must rtn that by Friday 30 may. But hold off sending it yet as this is the time window to get them to reply to what you are sending now.

Thank you very much, I really appreciate your help so far. I have made the corrections and I am going to send it now and make sure it is priority delivery. I really hope they consider my request. one last thing, what do you think is the correct post code, as I can see two different post codes N1C 9AX and N1C 4AX

 

[WesternLancer]

With the court papers you must not miss the court deadline deadline for returning them to the court, but hold of posting for as long as you can but you would need to post them a couple of days before 30 May. If you have not heard from GTR in the run up to that date head back here for advice on how best to fill in the court papers.
It is often mentioned on here to consider the option of pleading 'not guilty' and opting for a trial date because it then takes a few weeks longer for the trial date to be arranged which gives you more weeks to try to get the out of court settlement sorted out. You can get advice from here on that nearer the time you need to return the court papers.

With the letter you need to send now, you need to get that to GTR as soon as possible, but no one will be there until Monday to read it so if you were to post it 'First Class with tracked delivery' this afternoon, from your local post office there is a strong chance this will get there on Monday. This would be a few £ cheaper than using Royal Mail 'Guaranteed Next Day Delivery' which would also get it there by Monday.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 16 May 2025 ==

one last thing, what do you think is the correct post code, as I can see two different post codes N1C 9AX and N1C 4AX

I think it is N1C 4AX as per the address printed on the original letter

This is confirmed here too if you put in that postcode:

https://www.royalmail.com/find-a-postcode

I think N1C 9AX is a mistake on the paperwork because that postcode does not seem to be recorded as a correct postcode for anywhere

When you take the letter to the post office and get the tracking they should check the postcode and address matches before giving you a slip with the tracking number. Make sure they do this check for you at the post office so you can be sure.

 

[poo]

With the court papers you must not miss the court deadline deadline for returning them to the court, but hold of posting for as long as you can but you would need to post them a couple of days before 30 May. If you have not heard from GTR in the run up to that date head back here for advice on how best to fill in the court papers.
It is often mentioned on here to consider the option of pleading 'not guilty' and opting for a trial date because it then takes a few weeks longer for the trial date to be arranged which gives you more weeks to try to get the out of court settlement sorted out. You can get advice from here on that nearer the time you need to return the court papers.

With the letter you need to send now, you need to get that to GTR as soon as possible, but no one will be there until Monday to read it so if you were to post it 'First Class with tracked delivery' this afternoon, from your local post office there is a strong chance this will get there on Monday. This would be a few £ cheaper than using Royal Mail 'Guaranteed Next Day Delivery' which would also get it there by Monday.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 16 May 2025 ==


I think it is N1C 4AX as per the address printed on the original letter

This is confirmed here too if you put in that postcode:

https://www.royalmail.com/find-a-postcode

I think N1C 9AX is a mistake on the paperwork because that postcode does not seem to be recorded as a correct postcode for anywhere

When you take the letter to the post office and get the tracking they should check the postcode and address matches before giving you a slip with the tracking number. Make sure they do this check for you at the post office so you can be sure.

Thank you for the clarification. one last thing please I need a suggestion on what to tittle the letter before I proceed in printing and post it

 

[WesternLancer]

Thank you for the clarification. one last thing please I need a suggestion on what to tittle the letter before I proceed in printing and post it

You probably don't need to but you could use this:

'Your Ref: [Insert their ref number] - related receipt of court paperwork'

 

[poo]

Hello,

I am yet to get any response from GTR following my appeal for an out of court settlement, any advice on what to do further?

Also, is there any number i could call to reach out to them?

A friend refered a number to me but wanted to seek your advice before calling.

 

[Hadders]

GTR Prosecutions Dep\rtment won't deal with any thing over the phone.

The letter was sent less than a week ago so I'm not surprosed you haven't heard anything yet.

 

[WesternLancer]

Hello,

I am yet to get any response from GTR following my appeal for an out of court settlement, any advice on what to do further?

Also, is there any number i could call to reach out to them?

A friend refered a number to me but wanted to seek your advice before calling.

So my advice is probably to be prepared to return the court papers with a not guilty plea and ask for it to be dealt with in court. That will take longer to arrange and thus create more time for GTR to reply with a possible settlement offer at which point the court case would be dropped.

If others think this is bad advice please say.

You still have a few days before you need to send the court papers but be mindful there will be no post collections on Monday.

 

[poo]

Hello,

I just reached out to the prosecuting department of GTR, they said they recieved my letter, but they are still going ahead with the prosecution.

Would it be too late to involve a solicitor or i just go ahead to plead guilty? I just have few days left to return the papers

 

[AlterEgo]

Hello,

I just reached out to the prosecuting department of GTR, they said they recieved my letter, but they are still going ahead with the prosecution.

Would it be too late to involve a solicitor or i just go ahead to plead guilty? I just have few days left to return the papers

Did you contact them by email? Please post the text of the email here so we can be sure exactly what is happening.

 

[poo]

Did you contact them by email? Please post the text of the email here so we can be sure exactly what is happening.

Yes i did contact them via email as well, but they did not respond to it.

 

[Titfield]

You can still involve a solicitor but time is not on your side.

You would have to plead not guilty on the SJPN to buy time for the solicitor to get involved and make contact with GTR.

If the solicitor was able to get an out of court settlement GTR would withdraw the case. If not you would have to consider changing your plea.

You would lose the discount for pleading guilty at the earliest opportunity but this may be worth it if the end result of the solcitior being involved is in your favour.

I am surprised that GTR are still proceeding. Are there other issues here?

EDIT

Have you previously avoided fares or been issued with a penalty fare notice?

 

[enyoueffsea]

It’s really not possible to provide any assistance with this case until the OP answers questions posed in post #24 as well as supplying the correspondence as requested in post #22.

 

[Hadders]

Did you co-operate with the inspector when you were stopped? Or was there any sort of altercation or threat of violence? Have you come to GTR's attention before? If so, this might be why they are insisting on proceeding to court.