Help: I got a Witness Statement Receipt

[David Eon]

Hello all,

I have been short fairing for the last 10 months since I moved to my current address. I.m feeling terrible bad and embarrassed. I want to get the best advice to pay back the minimum and avoid prosecution.

I showed the OysterCard of my partner to a travel Inspector GTRXXXX on
21/09/26 07:43 on Herne Hill (HNH) on a Thameslink train.

Relevant facts:
I started at Mitcham Eastfields (MTC) and finished at City Thameslink (CTK).
I presented a travelcard Zones 1-2 ended the day before, this was a weekly travelcard bought 14/09/26.
I held a Two Together Railcard. Not used on this day.
I was caught without a valid ticket and the Inspector noticed the history of not Tapping IN (Z3) only Tapping OUT and IN
on Z1-2. I gave my ID, Address, and mentioned that I was using the travelcard of my partner; that I didn't know that the travelcard period had ended and that I thought that the whole journey would be covered, I recognized my mistake and offered to pay the penalty fare, but I was not offered it.
He mentioned that I will receive a post in the next 6 weeks or more.
He issued me with a Thameslink Southern Great Northern Witness Statement Receipt
I need to avoid any prosecution. Also I'm embarrassed because I used my partner's Oyster Card and I want to spare her of any responsibility.
I want to minimise the penalty fare.
Thanks for your advice.

 

[Haywain]

It should be pointed out that Oyster cards carrying period tickets are not transferable so, even if the Travelcard had been in date, you were not short faring but were travelling without a valid ticket.

As you are dealing with GTR you will almost certainly be able to agree an out of court settlement.

 

[Chiltern 165]

Hello all,

I have been short fairing for the last 10 months since I moved to my current address. I.m feeling terrible bad and embarrassed. I want to get the best advice to pay back the minimum and avoid prosecution.

I showed the OysterCard of my partner to a travel Inspector GTRXXXX on
21/09/26 07:43 on Herne Hill (HNH) on a Thameslink train.

Relevant facts:
I started at Mitcham Eastfields (MTC) and finished at City Thameslink (CTK).
I presented a travelcard Zones 1-2 ended the day before, this was a weekly travelcard bought 14/09/26.
I held a Two Together Railcard. Not used on this day.
I was caught without a valid ticket and the Inspector noticed the history of not Tapping IN (Z3) only Tapping OUT and IN
on Z1-2. I gave my ID, Address, and mentioned that I was using the travelcard of my partner; that I didn't know that the travelcard period had ended and that I thought that the whole journey would be covered, I recognized my mistake and offered to pay the penalty fare, but I was not offered it.
He mentioned that I will receive a post in the next 6 weeks or more.
He issued me with a Thameslink Southern Great Northern Witness Statement Receipt
I need to avoid any prosecution. Also I'm embarrassed because I used my partner's Oyster Card and I want to spare her of any responsibility.
I want to minimise the penalty fare.
Thanks for your advice.

You have committed a criminal offence which the railway can prosecute and give you a criminal record for. What you want is an agreement with the railway to not go to court - what is known as an “out of court settlement”. This will cost the price of an any-time single for every journey on Thameslink that they could deduce you committed fraud on, with an admin fee of around £150 on top.

Luckily, Thameslink (GTR) prefers these settlements, instead of criminal action. You will receive a letter from them at some time in the next 6 months, where they will request your side of the story - you can find other examples in the forum.

It sounds like the inspector noticed your history of short-faring, which means the ftaud team may be investigating those journeys as-well.

For now, you have to wait. I would advise finding every journey they could link you fare evading on. Do not continue fare evading, as you are now on their radar and likely known to the fraud team.

 

[John R]

For now, you have to wait. I would advise finding every journey they could link you fare evading on. Do not continue fare evading, as you are now on their radar and likely known to the fraud team.

The Anytime Single fare (not PAYG) from Mitcham Eastfields to City Thameslink is currently £5.90. So if they do trawl back through the records, it is possible that they will ask you for £11.80 for every day they identify you didn't have a valid ticket. As you've been doing this for 10 months, that could easily add up to a very sizeable amount, added to which they will add an admin fee as noted by @Chiltern 165.

Why is it in your interest to research your history now? Because if you are offered a settlement, GTR will only give you a couple of weeks to pay up in full, so if there is any question over you having the funds available to pay a settlement promptly, you have more time to work out how you can be in a position to do so.

 

[WesternLancer]

Hello all,

I have been short fairing for the last 10 months since I moved to my current address. I.m feeling terrible bad and embarrassed. I want to get the best advice to pay back the minimum and avoid prosecution.

I showed the OysterCard of my partner to a travel Inspector GTRXXXX on
21/09/26 07:43 on Herne Hill (HNH) on a Thameslink train.

Relevant facts:
I started at Mitcham Eastfields (MTC) and finished at City Thameslink (CTK).
I presented a travelcard Zones 1-2 ended the day before, this was a weekly travelcard bought 14/09/26.
I held a Two Together Railcard. Not used on this day.
I was caught without a valid ticket and the Inspector noticed the history of not Tapping IN (Z3) only Tapping OUT and IN
on Z1-2. I gave my ID, Address, and mentioned that I was using the travelcard of my partner; that I didn't know that the travelcard period had ended and that I thought that the whole journey would be covered, I recognized my mistake and offered to pay the penalty fare, but I was not offered it.
He mentioned that I will receive a post in the next 6 weeks or more.
He issued me with a Thameslink Southern Great Northern Witness Statement Receipt
I need to avoid any prosecution. Also I'm embarrassed because I used my partner's Oyster Card and I want to spare her of any responsibility.
I want to minimise the penalty fare.
Thanks for your advice.

This general advice often given here may help you know what to expect and how to deal with it when you get written to formally:

Firstly, you committed a criminal offence by travelling with an invalid ticket and railway companies are entitled to prosecute you in the Magistrates Court if they want to. The good news is they will normally offer an out of court settlement to people who co-operate with them and who haven't come to their attention before.

Next, what happens is the railway company will write to you. The letter will go to the address that you gave them / on any of your ID they checked so you need to be able to access hard copy post at that address as they often send things that way (but also check e-mail and spam). It is extremely important that you reply, and you'll only have a limited time to do so (often 14 days from the date on their communication).

When you receive the letter post a redacted copy of it in this thread, along with your draft reply and forum members will proof read it for you. You'll find lots of example letters you can use in this section of the forum but the reply basically needs to mention:

- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident and will not do this again
- That you are keen to settle the matter without the need for court action
- Offer to pay the outstanding fare and the railway company’s administrative costs in dealing with the matter

The railway will probably offer you an out of court settlement. Expect to have to pay the cost of the fare for the journey you made at the full Anytime rate with no credit given for the invalid ticket you purchased. In addition they will charge an admin fee, typically £150. They will also audit your online ticket purchase history and if this shows you've purchased other tickets that were not valid (eg railcard discounted tickets when you did not have a valid railcard, or tickets for only part of the journey, or tickets bought after boarding the train you travelled on ) they will probably factor the cost of these journeys into the settlement offer. Depending on how many journeys you've made over the period concerned this could end up being expensive.

Settlements usually have to be paid in full within a few days of them being offered so if money is tight you might want to think about how you will raise the sum required at short notice.

 

[David Eon]

Many thanks for your comments and advice. I will check my short fairing history to calculate the possible amount that I should pay and wait for this letter to arrive.

 

[WesternLancer]

Many thanks for your comments and advice. I will check my short fairing history to calculate the possible amount that I should pay and wait for this letter to arrive.

Might be 8 weeks plus before they contact you.