i messed up

[sssa]

Hi. I was going from brighton to blackfriars today but only had a ticket to preston park. I intended to buy a ticket to leave the station but i was caught and given a witness statement. The issue is i lied to the inspectors saying my brother had bought me a ticket but i could not get my 4g to work to get it sent to me. This was an obvious lie so they gave me a witness statement to send the ticket to once i got wifi. This ticket does not exist. I have written a letter i am intending to send to the Govia prosecution department, explaining my current financials, that i was going to an interview hence why i have done this. My worry now is that they will check my train line- where i have a few brighton to preston park previous tickets. These are genuinely only used for that journey. i dont have any evidence of buying tickets to only get in and out of barriers.

my letter is long, extremely apologetic and i am owning up to my lie. What is the worst that can happen here? I have had a previous incident last january - where i was caught but i had bought a ticket that time- but i had bought it after getting on, so i was fined.

I know i made a huge mistake and i cannot stop crying. What will happen now? if they dont accept my letter how much will i be charged and will i have to go to court? i have absolutely no money for the court or solicistors. I am a sole career for my mum and if i go to jail it will break her heart. someone please calm me down because i am so scared.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Jun 2025 ==

I honestly feel so sick to my stomach. I dont know why i lied i just panicked and was in a huge rush. What will happen now

 

[jfollows]

You’re not going to jail.
Take a deep breath and post up your proposed letter if you want advice, people here can probably improve it for you. It shouldn’t be long, for starters. Just remember they’ve heard it all before, so stick to the basics. Wait for more advice here and don’t panic!
Also read https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/please-read-before-posting-in-disputes-prosecutions.77759/ please.

 

[sssa]

this is the letter i have printed.

I am writing regarding the recent incident in which I was stopped by one of your Revenue Protection Officers at Blackfriars station on the morning of 25th June 2025. In a moment of panic, I gave incorrect information about having a valid ticket for the remainder of my journey. I claimed that I only had a ticket between Brighton and Preston Park, rather than the full journey, because my brother had bought me a ticket for the remainder of the journey.

Although my brother did buy my Brighton to Preston Park ticket, due to my current financial situation, he was only able to buy me this part of the journey. I was traveling to an interview and wanted to walk from Blackfriars to Farringdon as I was feeling extremely nervous and wanted some fresh air to calm my nerves. When stopped by the officer, I showed my Brighton to Preston Park ticket and panicked, falsely saying my brother intended to send me the rest of the journey’s ticket. I am writing this letter following my interview and feel extremely distressed about my panicked lie.

I am in tears worrying about what might happen next. I understand the seriousness of this offence. My brother, who is 16, had told me it would be fine as it was only a one-time thing for my interview, and I am currently extremely unhappy with my job which does not pay me enough to support my brother and my mum, who I live with. I am responsible for rent and bills as my mother cannot work. As it is the end of the month, I did not have enough money for a ticket, and listening to him was a mistake- I am an adult and should have known better. This interview was very important to me, but I feel I don’t deserve it because of my mistake. I also apologise for lying, I am unsure of what got to me or why I lied to your officers. They are there to ensure order and the safety of passengers and what I did was so stupid, and I feel sick to my stomach that I made such a mistake and not being honest. I take full responsibility for travelling without a valid ticket and am willing to pay the outstanding fare, though I may struggle to do so this month, along with any other fees to resolve this issue.

I would appreciate if this matter does not proceed to court, prosecution, or jail. I am not someone who breaks the law, and the anxiety caused by this situation is unbearable. I would also appreciate if this remained anonymous. My mother is sick and her finding out I have done this will bring her immense stress, particularly as we are already struggling financially. I write this letter in tears and promise I will never repeat this mistake. I am happy to come into your offices and discuss this further to show my remorse. The thought of going to court, needing a solicitor, and jail is making me want to throw up. I am not like this, and I will not repeat this, and I will more importantly never lie to one of your staff members. It was a combination of sheer panic, distress, and nerves. I really am so sorry about this. I cannot believe I am in this situation.

I have learnt my lesson and as soon as I left the station thought of going back to tell them the truth, however due to the time I was in a rush. Please let me know the next steps and how I can settle this matter. I assure you this will not happen again. I would appreciate being given a second chance to learn from this and I will never ever repeat this. I do honestly believe I have learnt my lesson and I have spent all day in pain with stress and anxiety from it. I would love to speak to a human to calm my nerves, but I only have this address on the witness statement given to me. I know my anxiety will be awful until I hear back from you, and I was told by your officers that this may take some time. I would be so appreciative if I could have the chance for a phone call or an email to speak to a human to explain my situation further, and express my deep remorse and regret.

 

[alholmes]

So a few things. Firstly, you aren’t going to jail.

Secondly, take a picture of the witness statement that they gave you, obscure any personal details, then post it on here. We will then be able to give better advice.

Usually the train company will write to you and our advice is to not contact them until you’ve received that letter - as it’s only then that you know what they are asking you or accusing you of.

The important thing is to engage with the company when they contact you - that way you can usually avoid court and avoid using a solicitor.

Finally, it’s unfortunate that you’ve already been stopped previously and had to pay a penalty. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll take you to court this time, but it demonstrates that you haven’t really learnt your lesson from last time. Just means you’re going need to be careful with your responses.

 

[sssa]

My thought was surely it’s best to send them a letter now to acknowledge my lie? I just panicked and I have no clue why I lied. My previous January mishap was different and I do believe the train inspector understood what I was trying to say. I paid the fine and that was that. My worry with this is the lie

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Jun 2025 ==

i am also just stressed about the costs of this. I am reading other posts of people needing to pay £400 for settlement costs. i do not have that and wont for a while!! i just feel so sick

 

[jfollows]

Don’t panic!
Lots of people lie to them, they almost expect it, just make sure that in due course when you write to them you tell the truth.
And don’t rush into this, follow the process and only write to them in response to their writing to you.

 

[AlterEgo]

Where exactly on the station were you caught? How did you intend to exit?

Is it your contention that you have lots of one-stop journeys on your account but that the only time you short fared was today?

You don't need to draft any letter yet - do so once the company writes to you. They may well audit your past ticket purchases and want you to explain your other one-stop journeys too.

Do not get in touch with them until they write to you.

 

[sssa]

Don’t panic!
Lots of people lie to them, they almost expect it, just make sure that in due course when you write to them you tell the truth.

is my letter ok? i know it is long but i want them to fully understand. i have also written my email and phone number at the top of the letter for some human contact as i would rather speak to someone.

 

[jfollows]

is my letter ok? i know it is long but i want them to fully understand. i have also written my email and phone number at the top of the letter for some human contact as i would rather speak to someone.

No, it’s far too long, but sit back and wait for more considered input.

 

[sssa]

Where exactly on the station were you caught? How did you intend to exit?

Is it your contention that you have lots of one-stop journeys on your account but that the only time you short fared was today?

You don't need to draft any letter yet - do so once the company writes to you. They may well audit your past ticket purchases and want you to explain your other one-stop journeys too.

Do not get in touch with them until they write to yo

i was intending to get of at black friars and was going to buy another ticket, but tried to scan my original. i honestly dont know what got to me. my past tickets are often 1 stop journeys but that is because i work a stop from my house anyway, i do not have any tickets that are one stop journeys and then another one stop journey at the other end to get out if that makes any sense

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Jun 2025 ==

Where exactly on the station were you caught? How did you intend to exit?

Is it your contention that you have lots of one-stop journeys on your account but that the only time you short fared was today?

You don't need to draft any letter yet - do so once the company writes to you. They may well audit your past ticket purchases and want you to explain your other one-stop journeys too.

Do not get in touch with them until they write to you.

is it not better to get in touch as soon as possible and just acknowledge my lie. i dont think i can sit with this, my anxiety levels are very high and if i dont sort this out i wont be well at all

 

[alholmes]

Ok, so having looked at the reply you‘ve drafted and your witness statement, best advice for you now is to wait until they write to you.

They are not going to speak to you - they are not resourced to take or make phone calls. Your case is one of many hundreds that they process each week.

Try to put it to the back of your mind for now, then when the letter arrives you’ll get good advice here.

And make sure you give your brother a metaphorical slap for telling you that short-faring would be ok. We don’t want him on here in a few months time seeking advice if he gets caught.

 

[sssa]

Ok, so having looked at the reply you‘ve drafted and your witness statement, best advice for you now is to wait until they write to you.

They are not going to speak to you - they are not resourced to take or make phone calls. Your case is one of many hundreds that they process each week.

Try to put it to the back of your mind for now, then when the letter arrives you’ll get good advice here.

And make sure you give your brother a metaphorical slap for telling you that short-faring would be ok. We don’t want him on here in a few months time seeking advice if he gets caught.

ok thank you. are you sure they wouldnt appreciate a letter acknowledging my lie and owning up to it now?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Jun 2025 ==

Ok, so having looked at the reply you‘ve drafted and your witness statement, best advice for you now is to wait until they write to you.

They are not going to speak to you - they are not resourced to take or make phone calls. Your case is one of many hundreds that they process each week.

Try to put it to the back of your mind for now, then when the letter arrives you’ll get good advice here.

And make sure you give your brother a metaphorical slap for telling you that short-faring would be ok. We don’t want him on here in a few months time seeking advice if he gets caught.

i think id want to send the letter more for my own well being. i want it on record to them that i acknowledged this immediately and did not just wait for them

 

[alholmes]

ok thank you. are you sure they wouldnt appreciate a letter acknowledging my lie and owning up to it now?

No, absolutely not. You’re now just one of many hundreds of cases in their eyes. There’s a process to follow, it just takes time.

You can see a lot of us here are saying the same thing. Whilst I appreciate this is a huge worry for you, to the train company there’s nothing particularly unusual or concerning with your case, that I can see.

 

[sssa]

No, absolutely not. You’re now just one of many hundreds of cases in their eyes. There’s a process to follow, it just takes time.

You can see a lot of us here are saying the same thing. Whilst I appreciate this is a huge worry for you, to the train company there’s nothing particularly unusual or concerning with your case, that I can see,

sorry i will just ask once more, would it not do any good to send it? will it make things worse or better? or just do nothing. i think it would just be for my own peace of mind.

 

[AlterEgo]

is it not better to get in touch as soon as possible and just acknowledge my lie. i dont think i can sit with this, my anxiety levels are very high and if i dont sort this out i wont be well at all

No.

You run the risk of incriminating yourself, and in any case they probably won't have received the report yet. You must wait for them to put an allegation to you and respond to it, that is how these things work. Realistically it will be a couple of months before they get in touch.

 

[jfollows]

sorry i will just ask once more, would it not do any good to send it? will it make things worse or better? or just do nothing. i think it would just be for my own peace of mind.

As @alholmes said already, you came for advice, we all say the same thing, if you do what you’re proposing you will make things worse.

 

[sssa]

ok thank you all. i will not send any letters and wait. From your experience what is likely to happen to me now? with my previous january fine added.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Jun 2025 ==

if i go to court for this what is the process? i am so sorry for coming on here again but i am just so worried

 

[jfollows]

Come back here when they write to you and you will get good advice. Use this thread rather than creating a new one.

 

[sssa]

Come back here when they write to you and you will get good advice. Use this thread rather than creating a new one.

ok i will do. thank you very much for your help and patience

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum!

To re-iterate what others have said, do not send the letter to GTR. This is because you don't know what GTR are going to say or ask in the letter and you want to answer the questions they ask you, not give them answers to questions they haven't asked!

While the letter is a good start it'll need trimming down to something more concise but that can be done later.

As long as you gave the inspector your correct contact details wait for them to write to you. When the letter arrives post a redacted copy of it in this thread and we can go from there. The letter is likely to be a physical letter rather than an email so do keep a look out in the post for it!

 

[Snow1964]

is my letter ok? i know it is long but i want them to fully understand. i have also written my email and phone number at the top of the letter for some human contact as i would rather speak to someone.

You need to pause, and wait for them to write to you.
Of course outlining what might go in a reply in meantime is sensible.

Remember your letter will be received by a clerk, who might see dozens of letters each day from others that have been caught. Think of it from their receiving viewpoint. However relevant you might consider things, a long letter with lots of personal sob stories is not going to make their day. Your reply needs to be concise and get to a better solution. Others will give you advice, but your first draft is too long.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Jun 2025 ==

ok thank you all. i will not send any letters and wait. From your experience what is likely to happen to me now? with my previous january fine added.

Having come to their attention before will make it harder, or more expensive to reach a solution. People here will still help, but clearly you didn't previously learn your lesson. So cannot pretend otherwise. But we need to see their letter, don't incriminate yourself.

 

[sssa]

Hi all, to follow up from this, i have had no letter sent to my house. it has not been 4 months. what should i do? i dont want them to think i am ignoring and for this to progress!

 

[mikeg]

They have up to six months to lay papers before the courts, so give it another few months I'm afraid.

 

[sssa]

They have up to six months to lay papers before the courts, so give it another few months I'm afraid.

Thank you. But would they not send me an initial letter first to hear my side of it before going to the courts? That’s what the inspector told me would happen first

 

[Quincy]

Hi all, to follow up from this, i have had no letter sent to my house. it has not been 4 months. what should i do? i dont want them to think i am ignoring and for this to progress!

Most rail companies have a large backlog of prosecutions to deal with. Don’t worry, they will get to you eventually. Many threads I see on here take 5/6 months and sometimes even past the prosecution deadline!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 24 Oct 2025 ==

Thank you. But would they not send me an initial letter first to hear my side of it before going to the courts? That’s what the inspector told me would happen first

Yes, they will send you a letter to get any extra information/ your side of the story and hopefully offer an out of court settlement afterwards. The 6 months mikeg is referring to is a 6 month deadline TOCs have to prosecute fare evasion criminally. They can still claim in civil courts after 6 months however.

 

[WesternLancer]

Thank you. But would they not send me an initial letter first to hear my side of it before going to the courts? That’s what the inspector told me would happen first

Yes. That’s the norm. But as they have six months before they can no longer prosecute for evasion they may not get the letter out to you quite yet. Though it does seem quite delayed.

Presumably you gave them an accurate postal address and you don’t have problems with your post and are still at that address?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Oct 2025 ==

As you were given a receipt slip with a ref number on it you could write to the railway and ask them what they are doing about this but the thinking is why remind them if they have forgotten about you.

But you have that option should you wish to contact them.

 

[sssa]

They took the details of my id so they definitely would have my right details. I can contact them- would you recommend I wait or get in contact? If so who do I contact?

 

[WesternLancer]

They took the details of my id so they definitely would have my right details. I can contact them- would you recommend I wait or get in contact? If so who do I contact?

I put the contact deatails for Thameslink in post 20 of this thread https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/wrong-details-and-no-railcard.293827/

But the general consensus on this forum is to let sleeping dogs lie and thus not to contact them.

If you do want to contact them however I would check what you plan to say here before doing so.

 

[sssa]

Hi All, i had an email today stating this:
Please DO NOT Ignore This Letter



I am contacting you in relation to the statement you gave to a Revenue Officer on 25 June 2025 at LONDON BLACKFRIARS station.



You were found not to be in possession of a valid rail ticket for your journey between BRIGHTON & FARRINGDON and were subsequently interviewed under caution. An investigation undertaken by GTR’s Fraud Department has established that you avoided rail fares on multiple dates.



Travel Fraud costs the rail industry over £240 million per year, and Govia Thameslink Railway has a zero-tolerance approach to fare evasion on our network. We always ask the courts to impose the maximum penalty for offenders, which can include the following:



- A Criminal Record

- Fine of up to £1000

- Prison Sentence

- Suspended Sentence

- Community Service

- Compensation

- Costs



I would like to discuss the matter further with you and would therefore request that you respond to this letter within 7 days using the email address above. Failure to respond to this letter will result in your case being referred to the Prosecutions Department.


as i mentioned previously, i have been caught before so this wasnt my only time. I am feeling extremely anxious at the moment. do i risk prison or a criminal record for this?

 

[321362]

Prison sentences tend to only be in extreme circumstances.

A criminal record is possible, but the TOC might be willing to settle out of court for a monetary fine.

I'd suggest reading this page https://www.ellisjones.co.uk/news/fare-evasion-can-you-avoid-criminal-conviction/

If possible and monetarily feasible, I would get in contact with a solicitor and ask for their input.

Best of luck, and I hope it all goes well.