Court summons thameslink for lost ticket

[ell]

Wondering if anyone can help advise...

Whilst travelling from Heathrow to ashford, via St pancras I lost my train ticket. When I got to the ticket barrier at King's Cross, I explained I had lost my ticket, and asked what i should do.
They took all my details and said I could carry on with the journey, but would need to send it proof i purchased a ticket.

I replied to a letter I received asking me to explain, and i emailed a screenshot of my bank statement showing the payment for thr initial ticket ( it was a return bought before my outward trip).

Now I have just received a court summons.

At no point have I been asked to pay the missing fare or a penalty fare.

Should I plead guilty?
Not guilty?
Or is there someway I can resolve this directly with Thames link still?

 

[Gloster]

Please post the letters and/or e-mails that you received in this thread. Please obscure your name, address and any other identifying details, such as reference numbers.

 

[ell]

This is part of letter I just received.
Will look for older ones, Last correspondence was july/august

 

[jfollows]

Welcome to the forum!

The reason we need more details is because we might spot a technicality or irregularity or incorrect process used.

Otherwise you’ll probably need to plead guilty - if the offence is of not being able to show a valid ticket when requested.

The problem is, even with your other information, you could have bought a ticket which somebody else used. So it’s not simple to get out of. The statement that you needed to send proof of purchase could well have been to avoid an argument at the time, and generally it’s not correct and seems to have set false expectations.

 

[WesternLancer]

Wondering if anyone can help advise...

Whilst travelling from Heathrow to ashford, via St pancras I lost my train ticket. When I got to the ticket barrier at King's Cross, I explained I had lost my ticket, and asked what i should do.
They took all my details and said I could carry on with the journey, but would need to send it proof i purchased a ticket.

I replied to a letter I received asking me to explain, and i emailed a screenshot of my bank statement showing the payment for thr initial ticket ( it was a return bought before my outward trip).

Now I have just received a court summons.

At no point have I been asked to pay the missing fare or a penalty fare.

Should I plead guilty?
Not guilty?
Or is there someway I can resolve this directly with Thames link still?

It's possible they never received or perhaps never acted on your reply - you mention you sent info by e-mail - AFAIK (confirmed by someone else who posted up an auto reply after e-mailing Thameslink prosecutions the other day) Thameslink do not accept mitigation responses by e-mail - so if you sent your response to what they asked you by e-mail it may have been ignored.

If you can post more info people here can advise you on what to do and how to try and resolve this

What is the deadline for your response to the court? That is the timeline you have got to try and resolve this without being prosecuted if you can. Help from here will assist you with that.

A screenshot showing you paid for a ticket is not enough to prevent you being guilty of a ticketing offence sadly - but it should help in mitigation to prevent them prosecuting you - but it would help if we could see the correspondence, and ideally a copy of what you sent back to them in your replies.

Specifically you needed to have asked them to 'allow you to resolve the matter without court action' or some such wording - which of course I appreciate is not something you may have known at the time.

Help from here can hopefully help you sort things out

 

[ell]

Charge sheet

 

[AlterEgo]

Is the summons the first correspondence you have received from them? Did your reply by email contain a reference number? It's most likely they simply didn't get your correspondence. Can you show us a copy of what you sent them?

 

[ell]

I have found this letter. It is in response to their first letter, which I replied to, explaining what had happened.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Nov 2024 ==

I emailed them a screenshot from my bank showing the payment. With my reference number.
That's the only thing I had, to try to show i had bought a ticket.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Nov 2024 ==

This is email I sent.

 

[30907]

I would suggest a letter (and a mail) to GTR, adapting the ideas frequently posted by @Hadders to your situation and referencing previous exchanges, asking if they would consider withdrawing the case and offering an out of court settlement. No harm in trying, as GTR are normally amenable to settling.

Regarding the original incident, unfortunately the return half of a ticket issued 3 weeks before you were stopped could easily have been used in the interim, so it would be understandable that GTR might not consider it sufficient evidence.
Maybe explaining (and evidencing) that you flew in to LHR on the day you were stopped would be useful?

 

[island]

What exact journey did you make from Heathrow to St Pancras? What lines did you use and what stations did you change at?

 

[AlterEgo]

It seems most likely they didn’t get or deal with your email. Did you include your reference number when you replied?

 

[ell]

I went on the Elizabeth line to Farringdon, changed there to go to St pancras.

Yes I have no indication if they got my email and didnt accept that as evidence. Or if they didn't get it.

It seems I should get in touch with them to check if they received it and to ask if I can settle out of court.

Does anyone know the best way to contact them?
I would like it if I could actually talk to a person, but I guess that's unlikely.

 

[jfollows]

If you search this forum for "GTR prosecutions" you find 020 7922 4923 (https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...-to-address-change.272894/page-5#post-7012738).

 

[ell]

Thsnks! I'll try that

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Nov 2024 ==

Unfortunately that number says not recognised!

 

[WesternLancer]

I have found this letter. It is in response to their first letter, which I replied to, explaining what had happened.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Nov 2024 ==

I emailed them a screenshot from my bank showing the payment. With my reference number.
That's the only thing I had, to try to show i had bought a ticket.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Nov 2024 ==

This is email I sent.

A payment for a ticket is sadly not a proof of holding a valid ticket on your journey, but I would have expected them to reply to that effect and told you what would happen next - so that does suggest they never got this and did not link it up

Given GTR do not accept mitigation by e-mail I would strongly suggest that eve if you do e-mail them you should print a copy and send it to them by post and send that from a post office Tracked postage so you can be sure they get it. Make sure it includes your ref number and full postal address.

I would assume their postal address is on the letter you have uploaded (in the bit obscured) but I think it's an office at Kings Cross station (East Side Offices maybe) - there are other threads on here with letters from GTR that show it

You need to be writing to them now and asking them if 'they will kindly consider withdrawing the matter without the need for court action' and 'asking if it is possible that they did not receive your earlier replies to their letter / e-mail showing the evidence you had that you bought a ticket'
also include wording like 'It was not my intention to travel without a valid ticket' - ie to make it clear you are not a fare evader.

 

[jfollows]

https://www.thameslinkrailway.com/help-and-support/penalty-fares

I need to contact you, how can I do this?
If your query is relating to an “Intention to Prosecute letter” we would ask that this is completed and returned to us for consideration.
All matters of appeal should be made in writing to:
Prosecutions Department
Eastside Offices
King’s Cross Railway Station
LONDON
N1C 4AX
If your query is regarding anything else please contact us via email gtr.prosecutions@gtrailway.com – This mailbox cannot be used to appeal, you will be written to in due course and the response should be made out to the address above. Any appeal sent to the above address will be disregarded and deleted.

 

[WesternLancer]

https://www.thameslinkrailway.com/help-and-support/penalty-fares

exactly what I was thinking of, thanks for posting it and hope this helps the OP