Seeking advice following intention to prosecute notice.

[dm1491]

Hello,

I am looking to get some advice after receiving a notice of intention to prosecute which needs to be responded to by 12th Jan.

I was on a Govia Thameslink railway (operated by GTR I believe) and was attempting to use short tickets to get a cheaper fare when traveling from Kings Cross to Cambridge which I fully admit was a very stupid thing to do and massively regret having done so. I had a ticket from Kings cross to Finsbury park and then in a panic when I saw the inspector coming and bought a ticket from a nearby station to Cambridge. When the inspector assessed my tickets as invalid, I openly stated that I was attempting to use short tickets. Again, I am deeply regretful about my actions and would greatly appreciate any advice to help avoid potential criminal charges.

Under these circumstances is admission of guilt the best course of action as opposed to providing a vague response in addition to apologies i.e. I planned to only go as far as Finsbury Park but had a change of plans and thought I could buy my ticket on the train?

I have attached below a draft response to the alleged offence of not producing a valid ticket entitling travel that admits guilt to fare evasion, but will change this if a different course is more appropriate.

Dear Sir/Madam,


I am writing to you in response to a letter which I received from Govia Thameslink Railway dated the 29th December 2025. This was a Notice of Intention to Prosecute and I received it on Sunday 4th January 2026 and is in relation to an incident on the 14th September 2025. The letter has the reference number:

Firstly I want to say that I am deeply regretful for my actions of fare evasion relating to the incident in September. I take full accountability for my actions relating to fare evasion and I am willing to fully cooperate throughout this process. I understand the severity of my actions and appreciate that this is a major issue for Govia Thameslink Railways and other operators across the network and I apologise profusely for being a part of it.

I have learned from this experience and can say with certainty that I will not partake in fare evasion under any circumstances in my future travel with Govia Thameslink or any other operator. Since this offence I have not had any further incidents on Govia Thameslink services or any other line since. Having acknowledged the severity of my actions and the impact of fare evasion on train operators, I would like to reiterate that I am truly sorry for my offence and that I have learned from this incident and I will not repeat this offence again.

I take full responsibility for my actions and I would like to ask if you would be willing to settle this without the need for further court action? I am willing to pay the outstanding amount for the fare in question and any administrative costs which Govia Thameslink have incurred investigating this issue in order to rectify my wrong doings.

Please do not hesitate to get into contact with me.

I very much appreciate any support with this matter.

 

[z444z]

Does the letter say that they’ve identified that you’ve evaded fares on multiple occasions? Could you post a redacted image of what you’ve received so we have all the information to best advise?

 

[dm1491]

Does the letter say that they’ve identified that you’ve evaded fares on multiple occasions? Could you post a redacted image of what you’ve received so we have all the information to best advise?

No, I believe it states that it is just in relation to this singular offence. I have attached the redacted images. Thanks for your assistance

 

[Mattplans]

The good news is GTR are usually happy to settle out of court on these occasions.

I'm wondering if a more experienced member could comment on whether OP is at risk of GTR auditing their purchasing history? Is it possible the RPI has recorded OP as not having a ticket instead of having short-fared/doughnutted, and this is why this letter has been received instead of one that looks like this ....





Or are these letters only sent after the response to the initial letter that OP has already posted?



And perhaps OP can say whether they have suspicious looking purchases or have doughnutted in the past?

 

[z444z]

The good news is GTR are usually happy to settle out of court on these occasions.

I'm wondering if a more experienced member could comment on whether OP is at risk of GTR auditing their purchasing history? Is it possible the RPI has recorded OP as not having a ticket instead of having short-fared/doughnutted, and this is why this letter has been received instead of one that looks like this ....

I don’t think it matters, we have all the information we need and we know how to respond to the letter the OP has shown us. @dm1491 I’ll work on editing your draft this evening

 

[WesternLancer]

The good news is GTR are usually happy to settle out of court on these occasions.

I'm wondering if a more experienced member could comment on whether OP is at risk of GTR auditing their purchasing history? Is it possible the RPI has recorded OP as not having a ticket instead of having short-fared/doughnutted, and this is why this letter has been received instead of one that looks like this ....



View attachment 195397

Or are these letters only sent after the response to the initial letter that OP has already posted?



And perhaps OP can say whether they have suspicious looking purchases or have doughnutted in the past?

There is always a prospect of the rail company auditing past ticket purchases to check for other suspicious things. But they would ask about that now or later if they wish to.

Statistically unlikely this is the first time the op has done this. We know that so I would think the staff who deal with these cases know that too.

 

[z444z]

I’ve made some changes, see below:

REFERENCE: [INSERT REFERENCE]

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing in response to your letter dated 29th December 2025 in relation to the incident on 14th September 2025.

I am deeply sorry for my actions. I take full responsibility for not holding a valid ticket. I now understand the severity of this - I appreciate that it is a major issue for GTR and I apologise profusely for being a part of it. I have learned from this experience and can say with certainty that I will always ensure I have a valid ticket before boarding any train in the future.

I would be very grateful if you would consider settling this matter without court action. I am ready to pay the outstanding amount for the fare in question and any administrative costs which you have incurred investigating this issue.

[FORMAL SIGN OFF]

 

[dm1491]

Thank you all for your comments and particularly to @z444z for your edits to my draft it is greatly appreciated. I have previously shorted tickets twice before this incident but no more times and definitely not in a sustained pattern - in light of this do you think it is then best to send the above response?

 

[z444z]

I have previously shorted tickets twice before this incident but no more times and definitely not in a sustained pattern - in light of this do you think it is then best to send the above response?

They haven’t asked, the advice given here is always that there’s no need to give them information they haven’t asked for.

Do wait and see if other forum members have suggestions or advice, but you don’t have loads of time if they want your response by the 12th. I’d suggest sending it via Tracked 24 by end of day tomorrow.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Jan 2026 ==

@dm1491 to help me help someone else on the forum, could you let me know where on your letter it says that they want your response by 12th January?

 

[dm1491]

They haven’t asked, the advice given here is always that there’s no need to give them information they haven’t asked for.

Do wait and see if other forum members have suggestions or advice, but you don’t have loads of time if they want your response by the 12th. I’d suggest sending it via Tracked 24 by end of day tomorrow.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Jan 2026 ==

@dm1491 to help me help someone else on the forum, could you let me know where on your letter it says that they want your response by 12th January?

Thanks again for the advice - I will get it sent off today. I doesn't state a specific date but says "you must reply to this letter within 14 days of the above date" and I took that to mean 14 days following they date they listed at the top of the letter which was when they sent it.

 

[lillychester]

Following this post - did you receive a response yet ?