HELP! Responding to SWR prosecution letter - can someone help to read my draft

[applekim87654]

Hi, I am writing to seek advice on how to respond to this letter by SWR.

In March, I travelled on SWR without a valid railcard to Egham. I boarded the overground in Hackney Central (which I have tapped in) to Richmond (which I have also tapped in). My journey continued from Richmond (which I have tapped in) to Egham (I brought a 16-17 ticket from Staines to Egham (one station) to exit instead of tapping out). I was questioned by a revenue protection staff at Egham station and was issued a 'Report for Prosecution' on the spot.

Fastforward to today, I received the letter (please see attached) from SWR inviting me to respond and explain any mitigating factors that might influence their decision.

I feel genuinely sorry for what has happened and am ready to take full accountability for what has happened as long as this issue does not escalate to court. I am a university student and this incident have been keeping me under immense stressed for 4 months - I am almost relieved to have received this letter today.

However, I am not sure what this letter means - whether they are ready to offer an out of court settlement + fine as stated 'if we do write to you again, we may seek a contribution to our costs of recovering the amount owed', OR, will they escalate this issue to court as stated 'all the evidence available is being considered as to whether legal proceedings are appropriate'.

I REALLY do not wish for this issue to be escalated to court as this will massively impact my future and my life. I am ready to take full accountability to pay the fine and write to them about the incident.

I would really appreciate for your advice on how to approach this letter and write to them expressing how I genuinely regretted my decision. Thank you in advance.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

To be clear, did you tap in at Hackney Central, travel on the Overground to Richmond and tap out before changing trains to Egham?

Did you have a valid ticket between Richmond and Egham or did you board the train (at Richmond) and buy a ticket from Staines to Egham?

If so, this is known as doughnutting and the experts will be along soon to advise on the next course of action

 

[applekim87654]

Hi, I tapped in at Hackney Central, travelled on the Overground to Richmond (tapped out at Richmond). I was going to tapped out at Egham to exit, but instead bought a ticket from Staines to Egham to exit [I can proof that they charged me on my contactless]. This is completely my fault since I forgot to tapped out at Egham.

I feel horrible as to what has happened and it was never my intention to do such a thing, I am prepare to write to them how I regret my actions and fully co-operate with them to avoid any in-court procedure.

Should I respond to them via email or post? Should I give them a call asking if they have received my email/ post after I have sent them, so the 21 days deadline will be met? Could I post my email here for review? Many thanks in advance.

 

[methecooldude]

And more so, are you eligible for, and do you hold, a 16-17 saver?

 

[applekim87654]

I am not eligible for a 16-17 saver nor do I hold one. After the incident I have bought the correct tickets at full fare every single time as I have learnt the seriousness of my actions.

 

[WesternLancer]

Should I respond to them via email or post?

Either or both

Should I give them a call asking if they have received my email/ post after I have sent them,

Do not ring them (either rely an an auto receipt message from an e-mail you send or use a tracked postal service to know if it has been received)

so the 21 days deadline will be met?

Do not miss that deadline, but it is some time off as yet so you can get your reply drafted up and checked before sending it.

Could I post my email here for review? Many thanks in advance.

Very good idea that you do that so people here can check it and help you with getting the response as good as it can be - see other threads for ideas of what to say in a written response

However, I am not sure what this letter means - whether they are ready to offer an out of court settlement + fine as stated 'if we do write to you again, we may seek a contribution to our costs of recovering the amount owed', OR, will they escalate this issue to court as stated 'all the evidence available is being considered as to whether legal proceedings are appropriate'.

Confusingly it's not really either of those things but depending on what happens those could be the outcomes.... treat it as if it's an opportunity to explain what happened from your point of view, apologise for anything you did that was wrong, and if you did do something wrong to ask them if they would be kind enough to resolve the matter without involving court (ie offer you an out of court settlement) - but this is why people are asking you some follow up questions that may seem a bit specific but that is people here trying to check if you did or do not actually do anything wrong...

But you will get good advice from here on how to get the least worst outcome achievable.

 

[applekim87654]

Hi all, after reviewing previous threads, I have drafted a response. I would be grateful if you could review/ amend this for me.

Dear Prosecutions Team,
Ref: SWREMGXXXXXXX

I am writing in response to your letter dated 03 July 2025 regarding the incident on 10 March 2025.

I sincerely apologise for the incident that happened and immensely regret my actions. I fully appreciate the seriousness of this matter, and will actively ensure this will never ever happen again.

I have learnt from my actions and would like to offer my full apologise for what has happened. I have learnt a serious lesson and will not be ever doing this again. I am grateful for the service you offered. I am prepared to pay the outstanding fare and the administrative costs in dealing with this matter.

I would be grateful if this matter can be settled with an administrative settlement. I sincerely regret what has happened and would be grateful if you could consider allowing me to resolve the matter without the need for court action. I am prepared to pay any fare that I owe with the costs in investigating this matter.

I am happy to take any necessary steps to resolve this matter promptly, I genuinely want to make amends to avoid court proceedings if you would be sympathetic enough to allow that. I am prepared to actively engage with this process and therefore to avoid any further escalation.

Sincerely,
NAME, ADDRESS, EMAIL ADDRESS

Questions:
1. Should I be addressing this to Susan Gray directly or the prosecution department?
2. Do I expressly mentioned what has happened, since the letter does not specifically state to address that?
3. Do I mention the action taken (i.e. that I have paid in full fare in all future journey and promise to continue to do that?)
4. Provided the letter they sent me, what further actions are SWR likely to take from here? Is a court order likely to be a course of action (previous threads have said that engaging with them means a court order will be unlikely?
5. I realise that I have done something horribly wrong here but am not sure whether to outwardly 'admitting' it in my response?

Very good idea that you do that so people here can check it and help you with getting the response as good as it can be - see other threads for ideas of what to say in a written response

Confusingly it's not really either of those things but depending on what happens those could be the outcomes.... treat it as if it's an opportunity to explain what happened from your point of view, apologise for anything you did that was wrong, and if you did do something wrong to ask them if they would be kind enough to resolve the matter without involving court (ie offer you an out of court settlement) - but this is why people are asking you some follow up questions that may seem a bit specific but that is people here trying to check if you did or do not actually do anything wrong...

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 7 Jul 2025 ==

Questions:
5. I realise that I have done something horribly wrong here but am not sure whether to outwardly 'admitting' it in my response?

Regarding question 5 (to explain what I have done wrong), I travelled on the Overground with TFL, I just tapped in and did not use Trainline for this. Should I be mentioning the full story, or just apologise for what has happened - would mentioning this help my case?

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Firstly I would remove the word "immensely" from your second paragraph. There's no need to "flower up" your response. You can shorten your draft further and take out the "I am prepared to" from your third paragraph and "I am happy to" in your last paragraph.

Basically, your letter needs to be short and convincing (that you have learnt your lesson and won't be doing this again). Don't add anything else that might incriminate you further.

 

[applekim87654]

Please advise. Draft 2

Dear Prosecutions Team,
Ref: SWREMGXXXXXXX

I am writing in response to your letter dated 03 July 2025 regarding the incident on 10 March 2025.

I sincerely apologise for the incident that happened and I regret my actions. I fully appreciate the seriousness of this matter, and will actively ensure this will never ever happen again. I have learnt from my actions and would like to offer my full apologise for what has happened. I have learnt a serious lesson and will not be ever doing this again. I am grateful for the service you are offering.

I would be grateful if this matter can be settled with an administrative settlement. I sincerely regret what has happened and would be grateful if you could consider allowing me to resolve the matter without the need for court action. I am prepared to pay any fare I owed with the costs in investigating this matter. I will take any necessary steps to resolve this matter promptly, I genuinely want to make amends to avoid court proceedings if you would be sympathetic enough to allow that. I am prepared to actively engage with this process and therefore to avoid any further escalation.

Sincerely,
NAME, ADDRESS, EMAIL ADDRESS

Firstly I would remove the word "immensely" from your second paragraph. There's no need to "flower up" your response. You can shorten your draft further and take out the "I am prepared to" from your third paragraph and "I am happy to" in your last paragraph.

Basically, your letter needs to be short and convincing (that you have learnt your lesson and won't be doing this again). Don't add anything else that might incriminate you further.

 

[AlterEgo]

incident that happened

my actions

this matter

my actions

what has happened.

will not be ever doing this again.

this matter

what has happened

the matter

this matter.

this process

You are actually allowed to say what you did - if you talk around the edges and are so indirect it doesn't appear like you learned anything at all, much less are sorry about it. How would you feel if you read this letter from someone who'd been ripping you off and was asking for your leniency?

 

[applekim87654]

Please advise. Draft 3

Dear Prosecutions Team,
Ref: SWREMGXXXXXXX

I am writing in response to your letter dated 03 July 2025 regarding the incident on 10 March 2025.

I sincerely apologise for the incident that happened at Egham station and I deeply regret my actions when encountered with a member of SWR staff. I fully appreciate the seriousness of my mistakes and have actively ensured I travel with a valid ticket from then onwards - I am triple-checking to ensure I have a valid ticket before I travel onto your service. I have learnt from my actions and would like to offer my full apologise for travelling without a valid ticket. I have since learnt a serious lesson and I promise to never make this horrible mistakes again. I am very grateful for the service you are offering to me.

I would be grateful if my mistakes can be settled with an administrative settlement. I sincerely regret for my actions and would be grateful if you could consider allowing me to resolve my mistakes without the need for court action. I am prepared to pay any fare I owed with the costs in investigating this matter. I will take any necessary steps to resolve my mistakes promptly, I genuinely want to make amends to avoid court proceedings if you would be sympathetic enough to allow that. I am prepared to actively engage with this proceedings and therefore to avoid any further escalation. Once again, I sincerely apologise for my mistakes and am actively triple-checking for a valid ticket every time before using your service.

Sincerely,
NAME, ADDRESS, EMAIL ADDRESS

You are actually allowed to say what you did - if you talk around the edges and are so indirect it doesn't appear like you learned anything at all, much less are sorry about it. How would you feel if you read this letter from someone who'd been ripping you off and was asking for your leniency?

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Please advise. Draft 3

Dear Prosecutions Team,
Ref: SWREMGXXXXXXX

I am writing in response to your letter dated 03 July 2025 regarding the incident on 10 March 2025.

I sincerely apologise for the incident that happened at Egham station on 10th March 2025. and I deeply regret my actions when encountered with a member of SWR staff. I fully appreciate the seriousness of my mistakes and have actively ensured I travel with a valid ticket from then onwards - I am triple-checking to ensure I have a valid ticket before I travel onto your service. I have learnt from my actions and sincerely apologise would like to offer my full apologise for travelling without a valid ticket. I have since learnt a serious lesson and I promise to never make this horrible mistakes again. I am very grateful for the service you are offering to me.

I would be grateful if my mistakes can be settled with an administrative settlement. I sincerely regret for my actions and would be grateful if Please would you consider allowing me to resolve my mistakes without the need for court action?. I am prepared to pay any outstanding costs in investigating this matter. I will take any necessary steps to resolve my mistakes promptly, I genuinely want to make amends to avoid court proceedings if you would be sympathetic enough to allow that. I am prepared to actively engage with this proceedings and therefore to avoid any further escalation. Once again, I sincerely apologise for my error of judgement. mistakes and am actively triple-checking for a valid ticket every time before using your service.

Sincerely,
NAME, ADDRESS, EMAIL ADDRESS

Edited to avoid repetition.

 

[applekim87654]

Edited to avoid repetition

Would this be enough to express how sorry I truly feel? What is the typical length of an email like this?

 

[WesternLancer]

Would this be enough to express how sorry I truly feel? What is the typical length of an email like this?

It does not need to be long - remember the person who has to read these replies will have to go through a great many each working day - so it's just about making the key points effectively and make it clear to them you are keen to settle it by paying what you owe.

 

[applekim87654]

Thank you for your response.

Please advise. Draft 4
Dear Prosecutions Team,
Ref: SWREMGXXXXXXX

I am writing in response to your letter dated 03 July 2025 regarding the incident on 10 March 2025.

I sincerely apologise for the incident that happened at Egham station on the 10th March 2025. I fully appreciate the seriousness of my mistakes and have actively ensured I travel with a valid ticket before I travel onto your service. I have learnt a serious lesson from my actions and sincerely apologise for travelling without a valid ticket - I am triple-confirming to ensure I travel with a valid ticket.

Please would you consider allowing me to resolve my mistakes without the need for court action? I am prepared to pay any outstanding costs in investigating this matter. I genuinely want to make amends to avoid court proceedings if you would be sympathetic enough to allow that. I am prepared to actively engage with this proceedings and therefore to avoid any further escalation. Once again, I sincerely apologise for my error of judgement and I hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,
NAME, ADDRESS, EMAIL ADDRESS

It does not need to be long - remember the person who has to read these replies will have to go through a great many each working day - so it's just about making the key points effectively and make it clear to them you are keen to settle it by paying what you owe.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Thank you for your response.

Please advise. Draft 4
Dear Prosecutions Team,
Ref: SWREMGXXXXXXX

I am writing in response to your letter dated 03 July 2025 regarding the incident on 10 March 2025.

I sincerely apologise for my error of judgement and appreciate the seriousness of my actions. I have learnt my lesson and ensure that I always have a valid ticket for the entirety of my journey. actively ensured I travel with a valid ticket before I travel onto your service. I have learnt a serious lesson from my actions and sincerely apologise for travelling without a valid ticket - I am triple-confirming to ensure I travel with a valid ticket.

Please would you consider allowing me to resolve my mistakes without the need for court action? I am prepared to pay your costs in investigating this matter. I genuinely want to make amends to avoid court proceedings. if you would be sympathetic enough to allow that. I am prepared to actively engage with this proceedings and therefore to avoid any further escalation. Once again, I sincerely apologise for my error of judgement. and I hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,
NAME, ADDRESS, EMAIL ADDRESS

 

[Skimpot flyer]

I think ‘seriousness of my actions’ is more appropriate.

The fact you are responding is, in itself, actively engaging. So I think that line is not needed.

 

[applekim87654]

After cutting it down, the writing seems very short and concise. I just want to once again make sure they can truly sense how sorry I am for this incident.

Please advise. Draft 5
Dear Prosecutions Team,
Ref: SWREMGXXXXXXX

I am writing in response to your letter dated 03 July 2025 regarding the incident on 10 March 2025.

I sincerely apologise for my error of judgement and the seriousness of my actions. I have learnt my lesson and ensure that I always have a valid ticket for the entirety of my journey. Please would you consider allowing me to resolve my mistakes without the need for court action? I am prepared to pay your costs in investigating this matter. I genuinely want to make amends to avoid court proceedings. Once again, I sincerely apologise for my error of judgement.

Sincerely,
NAME, ADDRESS, EMAIL ADDRESS

I think ‘seriousness of my actions’ is more appropriate.

The fact you are responding is, in itself, actively engaging. So I think that line is not needed.

 

[AlterEgo]

So we’re back to not mentioning anything that happened as if it’s verboten. edited to oblivion.

 

[applekim87654]

Thank you for all of your help. however, I am still extremely stressed about this, would anyone else be able to provide an input/ any previous threads may be helpful?

 

[John R]

It feels too short now, and I agree with @AlterEgo’s comment that you don’t actually spell out what you did, but skirt around it.

 

[WesternLancer]

It feels too short now, and I agree with @AlterEgo’s comment that you don’t actually spell out what you did, but skirt around it.

A suggestion that might help the op would be to perhaps add something like

‘It was a serious error of judgment on my part not to pay properly for my fare as a result of failing to……’

Tho of course spelling it out presumably adds to self incriminating which always gets mentioned as something not to do in advice given here.

 

[womble10]

You need to acknowledge your actions. E.g., "I am writing [...] on 10 March 2025, when I was stopped by a member of SWR staff whilst travelling from Richmond to Egham without a valid ticket."

In my opinion repeated use of "mistake" and "error of judgement" diminishes the credibility of your apology. This is because it is (perhaps unconsciously) a means to reduce your culpability. After the first use I would replace it with "conduct" which is neutral in this respect.

And ditto the advice above re restoring some of the earlier length.

 

[IanMac]

Or "behaviour", or "misbehaviour", or "failure to pay the proper amount".

 

[applekim87654]

also, the year of my birth given on the initial 'report for prosecution' was incorrect. They are asking me to respond to the letter (see above) with all the details (i.e. name, DOB, address etc.) completed.
Do I admit the year is wrong or just merely attach the correct details along with my response?

also, can I write to them under my personal email address (the ticket was bought on my work account), will this affect them investigating into my purchase history?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Jul 2025 ==

Following your advice, I have amended this. This is not my intention to 'skirt' around what has happened, I also do not want to incriminate myself. Thanks in advance,

Please advise. Draft 6

Dear Prosecutions Team,
Ref: SWREMGXXXXXXX

I am writing in response to your letter dated 03 July 2025 regarding the incident on 10 March 2025.

I sincerely apologise for the incident that happened at Egham station on the 10th of March. I apologise for my misconduct and have learnt the seriousness of my actions and deeply regret my misbehaviour.

I failed to pay the proper amount, and I offer my full apologise for travelling without a valid ticket to Egham station. There is no excuse for my conduct, I acknowledge the seriousness of my actions and the potential consequences I may face. I am taking positive steps to ensure this will never happen again.

I would be incredibly grateful if you could allow me the opportunity to resolve this without court proceedings. I am willing to pay the outstanding fare and the administrative costs in dealing with this matter. I take positive steps to ensure this never ever happen again. I am prepared to actively engage with this process to avoid any further escalation.

Once again, I sincerely apologise for my misbehaviour. Thank you in advance.

Sincerely,
NAME, ADDRESS, EMAIL ADDRESS

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Jul 2025 ==

Hi, I would appreciate if anyone can help with my situation. I am incredibly stressed out from this and want to resolve this as soon as possible.

 

[applekim87654]

Hi, I would like to submit a draft for proof-reading before I write back to SWR prosecution department. The incident happened in March where I was caught using a 16-17 saver when I was not entitled to.

I received this letter in my mail but am considering writing back via email. Would email communication be quicker than post? When should I be expecting a response from them? Can I use my personal email (not the one connected to my Trainline account) for communication? How likely are they to offer an out-of-court settlement - I am a university student, a criminal conviction is the LAST thing I want. I am very anxious about this process, I would appreciate any help. Many thanks in advance.

Dear Prosecutions Team,
Ref: SWREMGXXXXXXX

I am writing in response to your letter dated XX July 2025 regarding the incident on XX March 2025.

I sincerely apologise for the incident that happened at Egham station on the XXth of March. I apologise for my misconduct and have learnt the seriousness of my actions and deeply regret my misbehaviour.

I failed to pay the proper amount, and I offer my full apologise for travelling without a valid ticket to Egham station. There is no excuse for my conduct, I acknowledge the seriousness of my actions and the potential consequences I may face. I ensure this will never happen again.

I would be incredibly grateful if you could allow me the opportunity to resolve this without court proceedings. I am willing to pay the outstanding fare and the administrative costs in dealing with this matter. I am prepared to actively engage with this process to avoid any further escalation.

Once again, I sincerely apologise for my misbehaviour. Thank you in advance.

Sincerely,
NAME, ADDRESS, EMAIL ADDRESS

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Hi, I would like to submit a draft for proof-reading before I write back to SWR prosecution department. The incident happened in March where I was caught using a 16-17 saver when I was not entitled to.

I received this letter in my mail but am considering writing back via email. Would email communication be quicker than post? When should I be expecting a response from them? Can I use my personal email (not the one connected to my Trainline account) for communication? How likely are they to offer an out-of-court settlement - I am a university student, a criminal conviction is the LAST thing I want. I am very anxious about this process, I would appreciate any help. Many thanks in advance.

Dear Prosecutions Team,
Ref: SWREMGXXXXXXX

I am writing in response to your letter dated XX July 2025 regarding the incident on XX March 2025.

I sincerely apologise for the incident that happened at Egham station on the XXth of March. I apologise for my misconduct and have learnt the seriousness of my actions and deeply regret my misbehaviour.

I failed to pay the proper amount, and I offer my full apologise for travelling without a valid ticket to Egham station. There is no excuse for my conduct, I acknowledge the seriousness of my actions and the potential consequences I may face. I ensure this will never happen again.

I would be incredibly grateful if you could allow me the opportunity to resolve this without court proceedings. I am willing to pay the outstanding fare and the administrative costs in dealing with this matter. I am prepared to actively engage with this process to avoid any further escalation.

Once again, I sincerely apologise for my misbehaviour. Thank you in advance.

Sincerely,
NAME, ADDRESS, EMAIL ADDRESS

Reads a lot better. But take out the word "incredibly"

 

[applekim87654]

Reads a lot better. But take out the word "incredibly"

Thank you so much for your help @Islineclear3_1. In regards to my other questions, should I communicate with them thru email and when should I be expecting to hear back?

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Thank you so much for your help @Islineclear3_1. In regards to my other questions, should I communicate with them thru email and when should I be expecting to hear back?

HTH. I think the usual advice here is to send a reply via email AND a hard copy in the post (registered/recorded; i.e. proof of delivery/receipt)

 

[Hadders]

I think you need to explain what your journey was. You were caught with a Staines to Egham ticket having boarded the train at Richmond (where you arrived after travelling from Hackney Central using contactless).

It's fine to send your reply by email.