Intention to Prosecute Response

[Ine]

Would you please advise on my situation? I did travel with a short ticket- this is a first offence and will not happen again. I do not routinely use the trains and was going 'out of town'. Everything in my response is factual. Thank you very much.

This is an honest account of what happened on the 20th of February, 2026.
I went to Dartford station to get the train to Luton, with the intention of tapping in at Dartford and out at Luton. However, I found the station was closed, so used the replacement bus to a station I was unfamiliar with, I think it may have been Barnehurst. I did plan to buy a ticket and eventually purchased one while on the train; however, I realise that this was wrong as it did not cover my entire journey and should have been purchased before boarding the train.
I sincerely apologise for travelling with an incomplete ticket and assure you that I WILL NOT repeat it.
I am keen on resolving this matter out of court and willing to pay the correct fare and any administration costs incurred.
Thank you.
(Ps- The station of origin documented by the Revenue protection officer as Farringdon is incorrect- It was suggested by the officer and not refuted by myself as I was too nervous to say much. I set off at Dartford.)

 

[tatitiliti]

Would you please advise on my situation? I did travel with a short ticket- this is a first offence and will not happen again. I do not routinely use the trains and was going 'out of town'. Everything in my response is factual. Thank you very much.

This is an honest account of what happened on the 20th of February, 2026.
I went to Dartford station to get the train to Luton, with the intention of tapping in at Dartford and out at Luton. However, I found the station was closed, so used the replacement bus to a station I was unfamiliar with, I think it may have been Barnehurst. I did plan to buy a ticket and eventually purchased one while on the train; however, I realise that this was wrong as it did not cover my entire journey and should have been purchased before boarding the train.
I sincerely apologise for travelling with an incomplete ticket and assure you that I WILL NOT repeat it.
I am keen on resolving this matter out of court and willing to pay the correct fare and any administration costs incurred.
Thank you.
(Ps- The station of origin documented by the Revenue protection officer as Farringdon is incorrect- It was suggested by the officer and not refuted by myself as I was too nervous to say much. I set off at Dartford.)

What was the exact short fare you purchased?

 

[LocksTartan]

Out of interest, how exactly would a rail company prove you short fared previously, unless stopped by an inspector at the time?

 

[AlterEgo]

Out of interest, how exactly would a rail company prove you short fared previously, unless stopped by an inspector at the time?

They wouldn't be able to do that to a criminal standard but they can add it to a settlement for an offence where you were caught hook line and sinker.

 

[Ine]

I bought a ticket from one stop before Luton ie airport parkway. I did not deny it was short to the revenue officer (who was checking all tickets at the barriers). I was willing to pay the full ticket or a fine or even go back but I guess it was too late. I seldom use the trains as I work close to home.

 

[tatitiliti]

I bought a ticket from one stop before Luton ie airport parkway. I did not deny it was short to the revenue officer (who was checking all tickets at the barriers). I was willing to pay the full ticket or a fine or even go back but I guess it was too late. I seldom use the trains as I work close to home.

I see, so it really was a very short fare.

GTR normally settle these matters out of court for first-time offences provided you are honest, apologetic and demonstrate that you will purchase a valid ticket for future journeys.

There are plenty of templates on this forum to show what you should write to maximise your chances of this.

If it were me, I wouldn’t explicitly correct them on the origin station unless it seemed necessary but you should be truthful in everything you write about the events that took place. Please post your draft here so we can advise.

 

[Mattplans]

There is - with respect - a load of waffle in your OP. You say you were confused or somewhat disoriented by the closure of Dartford station and having to use a RRB at the start of your journey. But somehow you were not so disoriented to buy the cheapest possible ticket to exit the station? It's best you drop this excuse now as it's pretty poor and quite frankly, is fooling nobody.

The good news is GTR are always happy to settle these types of cases out of court. In your statement (please post it here before sending off and we will help you to make improvements, etc) you should apologise for the offence and state that you'd like to seek an OOC Settlement to put this matter to rest.
The app you use to buy tickets - if someone were to check this would there be other ticket purchases where you obviously short-fared, or more importantly applied a railcard or other discount you had not been entitled to? GTR have been known to rope some of these in to out of court settlements to help reclaim some of the funds lost by the railway, and there's a chance they might do so in your case. So, you should be prepared and check your history on this app now to ensure any figure they come back to you with doesn't surprise you.

Cases like this generally result in Out of Court settlements. GTR is not in the business of taking every case to court unlike some other companies. This works in your favour. I don't see why they wouldn't be willing in your case. To help structure your draft, you can search "short fare" or "doughnut" as it is a relatively common type of case on the forum and there are a lot of successful drafts for you to draw inspiration from.

(Ps- The station of origin documented by the Revenue protection officer as Farringdon is incorrect- It was suggested by the officer and not refuted by myself as I was too nervous to say much. I set off at Dartford.)

I'm a bit confused by this as there's no station of origin on the document. I'm not entirely sure it bears any weight unfortunately, I know it would if it was a penalty fare but that isn't what you've received. Perhaps some of the members familiar with the legislation on the matter could comment on this? It's not like there's an origin station listed on the document, or an impartial body one could appeal this technicality to, and this is only a stage to offer mitigation preceding prosecution; they haven't actually taken any action against you yet. Maybe if you let it proceed to prosecution but that's a risk not worth taking.

 

[Ine]

The statement above is factual. I do admit that I bought the shortest ticket because maybe I thought I saw an opportunity, but it was wrong. The ticket was purchased directly from thameslink website and I don't really have worries about them going through my history.
I had written the above as my draft after seeing templates from others and wonder you all could help me word it better please.
Thank you.

 

[John R]

I was willing to pay the full ticket or a fine or even go back but I guess it was too late. I seldom use the trains as I work close to home.

If you think about it, that’s a bit like a shoplifter saying when caught red-handed they were willing to pay for the item or to put it back.

So the fact that you were willing to do so is of no benefit to you in how you will be considered by GTR.