Penalty fare but worried about prosecution

[syedsaqlain823]

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some advice regarding a situation with GTR/revenue protection because I’ve been extremely worried about what could happen next.

I was stopped by a GTR inspector while travelling without a valid ticket. To be fully honest, this was not the first time I had travelled this way, and during the conversation I got the impression the inspector understood that it may have happened more than once. During the interaction, a member of gate staff also said to the inspector that they had seen me coming through regularly/daily before, which increased my worry that they may suspect repeated fare evasion rather than viewing it as a one-off incident.

The inspector took my name and address details. I was very apologetic and was pleading with him during the interaction because I was scared of prosecution and understood the seriousness of the situation. During the conversation, he said words along the lines of me being young and pleading, so he would deal with it as a penalty fare “this time” rather than prosecution.

Because of that, I left believing it would only be handled as a penalty fare. However, afterwards I started reading online about MG11 forms, investigations, prosecutions, and intention to prosecute letters, and now I’m extremely anxious about whether they could still decide to investigate or prosecute me anyway.

The inspector never specifically mentioned an MG11 report or said directly that I was being reported for prosecution, but I also understand staff do not necessarily explain all internal procedures to passengers. That uncertainty is what is worrying me.

My questions are:

1. Is it common for GTR to issue or mention a penalty fare but still later pursue prosecution?
2. Do inspectors commonly complete MG11/internal reports even when the matter is likely staying as a penalty fare?
3. If it was going to remain only a penalty fare matter, how long would it usually take for letters to arrive?
4. Based on other people’s experiences, does what the inspector said sound more like discretion/a second chance, or should I still expect possible prosecution correspondence?

I understand nobody can give guarantees, but I would really appreciate honest advice from people familiar with railway revenue protection procedures.

Thank you.

 

[walkingsophie]

What paperwork have you received from the inspector?

 

[Haywain]

so he would deal with it as a penalty fare “this time” rather than prosecution.

Were you issued with a Penalty Fare Notice? If not, it is not being dealt with as a Penalty Fare.

 

[syedsaqlain823]

i recieved a penalty fare but saw him writing down my appearance, how i looked, what i had worn, my hair colour

 

[Haywain]

i recieved a penalty fare but saw him writing down my appearance, how i looked, what i had worn, my hair colour

Details that are routinely noted in case of later claims that it wasn't you.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some advice regarding a situation with GTR/revenue protection because I’ve been extremely worried about what could happen next.

I was stopped by a GTR inspector while travelling without a valid ticket. To be fully honest, this was not the first time I had travelled this way, and during the conversation I got the impression the inspector understood that it may have happened more than once. During the interaction, a member of gate staff also said to the inspector that they had seen me coming through regularly/daily before, which increased my worry that they may suspect repeated fare evasion rather than viewing it as a one-off incident.

The inspector took my name and address details. I was very apologetic and was pleading with him during the interaction because I was scared of prosecution and understood the seriousness of the situation. During the conversation, he said words along the lines of me being young and pleading, so he would deal with it as a penalty fare “this time” rather than prosecution.

Because of that, I left believing it would only be handled as a penalty fare. However, afterwards I started reading online about MG11 forms, investigations, prosecutions, and intention to prosecute letters, and now I’m extremely anxious about whether they could still decide to investigate or prosecute me anyway.

The inspector never specifically mentioned an MG11 report or said directly that I was being reported for prosecution, but I also understand staff do not necessarily explain all internal procedures to passengers. That uncertainty is what is worrying me.

My questions are:

1. Is it common for GTR to issue or mention a penalty fare but still later pursue prosecution?
2. Do inspectors commonly complete MG11/internal reports even when the matter is likely staying as a penalty fare?
3. If it was going to remain only a penalty fare matter, how long would it usually take for letters to arrive?
4. Based on other people’s experiences, does what the inspector said sound more like discretion/a second chance, or should I still expect possible prosecution correspondence?

I understand nobody can give guarantees, but I would really appreciate honest advice from people familiar with railway revenue protection procedures.

Thank you.

Welcome to the forum.

If this is going down the penalty fare route, then the inspector will have already given you a piece of paper telling you how much to pay and how. If you haven't been given this it's not a penalty fare.

If it's not a penalty fare, then most likely the next you will hear is a letter headed 'notice of intended prosecution'. But don't panic - that means that GTR are leaving the option of prosecution open rather than that they are dead set on taking you to court.

It seems to us here that GTR want to do whatever is necessary to
- get the money back for the train fare that should have been paid
- cover the cost of their investigation, and
- make sure that you won't fare dodge again

And what we have seen is that if you write back to
- apologize
- make it clear that you won't fare dodge again, and
- ask if GTR will let you settle by paying outstanding fares and costs

then GTR will let you 'settle out of court' - that is, you pay them the amount they asked for, and they don't take you to court.

There's a third possibility which is that GTR move straight to prosecution: that seems to happen when they are running out of time to prosecute, but usually even in that case an out of court settlement can normally be obtained.

(Edited to add) And I now see that things have moved on while I was writing this. Getting (and paying) a penalty fare is the best outturn possible: pay it (promptly while the penalty is still only £50) and unless you are unlucky and GTR check your history, that will be the end of it. Make sure you always have the right ticket before boarding the train, and you will have no more problems.

 

[Haywain]

i recieved a penalty fare

If you have been fortunate enough to receive a Penalty Fare Notice, you will have the opportunity to appeal. If you post a copy of the notice here with your personal details obscured, the forum may be able to advise if you have grounds for an appeal. However, regardless of this you should ensure that you always travel with a valid ticket from now on, as you are very much on the radar for Thameslink.

 

[syedsaqlain823]

I did receive a penalty fare notice for £63.30. My main concern is that although the inspector said he would deal with it as a penalty fare because I was young and pleading, I’m worried he may still have completed an investigation report/MG11 without telling me. I’ve read online that staff do not always explain internal procedures, so I’m unsure whether I should take the penalty fare at face value or still be concerned about possible prosecution later on.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 11 May 2026 ==

If you have been fortunate enough to receive a Penalty Fare Notice, you will have the opportunity to appeal. If you post a copy of the notice here with your personal details obscured, the forum may be able to advise if you have grounds for an appeal. However, regardless of this you should ensure that you always travel with a valid ticket from now on, as you are very much on the radar for Thameslink.

I did receive a penalty fare notice for £63.30. My main concern is that although the inspector said he would deal with it as a penalty fare because I was young and pleading, I’m worried he may still have completed an investigation report/MG11 without telling me. I’ve read online that staff do not always explain internal procedures, so I’m unsure whether I should take the penalty fare at face value or still be concerned about possible prosecution later on.

 

[Haywain]

I did receive a penalty fare notice for £63.30. My main concern is that although the inspector said he would deal with it as a penalty fare because I was young and pleading, I’m worried he may still have completed an investigation report/MG11 without telling me. I’ve read online that staff do not always explain internal procedures, so I’m unsure whether I should take the penalty fare at face value or still be concerned about possible prosecution later on.

A Penalty Fare closes the matter once it is resolved, either by payment or successful appeal. A train company cannot also prosecute for that incident. We know that GTR do not dig into purchasing history when they are not considering an incident for prosecution, so you are really worrying unnecessarily.

 

[walkingsophie]

I did receive a penalty fare notice for £63.30. My main concern is that although the inspector said he would deal with it as a penalty fare because I was young and pleading, I’m worried he may still have completed an investigation report/MG11 without telling me. I’ve read online that staff do not always explain internal procedures, so I’m unsure whether I should take the penalty fare at face value or still be concerned about possible prosecution later on.

The penalty fare counts as a ticket for the journey, thus GTR can not prosecute you for this incident after you have paid the penalty fare.
Note that the penalty fare does stay in the internal records of GTR, so next time they would be more likely to give you a report for prosecution. So if you want to avoid that in the future make sure you always board the train with a valid ticket from now on.

 

[syedsaqlain823]

The penalty fare counts as a ticket for the journey, thus GTR can not prosecute you for this incident after you have paid the penalty fare.
Note that the penalty fare does stay in the internal records of GTR, so next time they would be more likely to give you a report for prosecution. So if you want to avoid that in the future make sure you always board the train with a valid ticket from now on.

I understand what you’re saying regarding the specific journey covered by the penalty fare. My anxiety is more that this was not the only time I had travelled this way, so I’m worried about whether GTR could decide to look into previous travel history separately even after issuing the penalty fare for this incident. I know nobody can give guarantees, but I’m trying to understand how likely that realistically is in cases like this.

 

[syedsaqlain823]

The penalty fare counts as a ticket for the journey, thus GTR can not prosecute you for this incident after you have paid the penalty fare.
Note that the penalty fare does stay in the internal records of GTR, so next time they would be more likely to give you a report for prosecution. So if you want to avoid that in the future make sure you always board the train with a valid ticket from now on.

I get what you mean about the specific journey being covered by the penalty fare. I’m just stressing because honestly this wasn’t the only time I’d done it, and now I’m scared they could decide to look through my past travel history and make it into something bigger. Ever since reading about MG11 reports and prosecutions online I’ve been overthinking everything a lot. i will ensure that i have a valid ticket all the time

 

[walkingsophie]

I get what you mean about the specific journey being covered by the penalty fare. I’m just stressing because honestly this wasn’t the only time I’d done it, and now I’m scared they could decide to look through my past travel history and make it into something bigger. Ever since reading about MG11 reports and prosecutions online I’ve been overthinking everything a lot. i will ensure that i have a valid ticket all the time

For them to be able to prosecute you, they need to be able to show that you have travelled without a valid ticket in a specific instance. Given that they can't prove that you personally used the tickets you have bought in the past in fare evading ways, they can't prosecute you for those. This time you have managed to resolve it with a penalty fare, so they can't prosecute you for it either, so you do not need to worry about GTR trying to prosecute you right now.

 

[syedsaqlain823]

For them to be able to prosecute you, they need to be able to show that you have travelled without a valid ticket in a specific instance. Given that they can't prove that you personally used the tickets you have bought in the past in fare evading ways, they can't prosecute you for those. This time you have managed to resolve it with a penalty fare, so they can't prosecute you for it either, so you do not need to worry about GTR trying to prosecute you right now.

he looked at my travel history and was about to I GUESS file for ticket fraud investigation but I am not certainly sure if he didnt file for one and thats what keeps worrying me all the time. I have learnt my lesson and would not ever repeat it again

 

[Haywain]

he looked at my travel history and was about to I GUESS file for ticket fraud investigation but I am not certainly sure if he didnt file for one and thats what keeps worrying me all the time.

Whatever he might have thought about doing is neither here nor there. He actually issued you with a Penalty Fare Notice and that will be the end of the matter.

 

[SECR 65]

Have previous tickets been purchased online or from a ticket machine / ticket office?

It seems unlikely that you will be reported to the back office for further investigation. GTR are less likely to check journey history compared to other operators.

If you have been issued as a penalty fare, then you should not also be reported for investigation. Even if you do recieve a Notice of Intention to Prosecute, you will almost definitely be able to settle outside of court, even if you have lots of journeys without a ticket in your history. This would be a fare evasion case, not fraud, assuming you haven't been altering tickets or anything like that.