Received an intention to prosecute - Help on drafting response

[joshughess]

In june I was on a train to haywards heath from London bridge, i purchased a ticket and it accidentally had a railcard attached. i received a notice saying they would be in touch.

they have now replied and i have a 5 days to send a response. i saw the letter a little late as ive been out the country

This is what i have so far:

Dear Prosecutions Department,

RE: XYZ

I regret to be writing to you under these circumstances, I am writing to take full accountability for the incident that occurred on 2nd June 2025.

On the 2nd of June 2025, I was on my way back home from London, going from London Bridge to Haywards Heath. Getting the 7:35 train from London Bridge.

I purchased the ticket on my way to the station at 7:26, however this ticket had a ‘16-25 railcard’ attached, that I was unaware of. I showed my ticket to show the inspector, but when asked for a railcard I became confused, because I was under the impression that I didn’t have one on the ticket.

Later that day I purchased a 1 year railcard (16-25) to make sure this situation will never happen again and every time I purchase a ticket, I now check over my booking twice to make sure it is all in order.

I understand that it is my responsibility to ensure I have a valid ticket before traveling on the trains, and I deeply regret not thoroughly checking my booking before stepping onto the train. I wholeheartedly understand what I did was completely unjust to the other passengers paying their correct share and to your company. I understand fare evasion is a crime and I am immensely sorry for the actions that have been taken.

I wondered if it would be possible to settle this matter without having to go to court. I am willing to pay any outstanding fare plus your administrative costs in dealing with this matter.

 

[WesternLancer]

In june I was on a train to haywards heath from London bridge, i purchased a ticket and it accidentally had a railcard attached. i received a notice saying they would be in touch.

they have now replied and i have a 5 days to send a response. i saw the letter a little late as ive been out the country

This is what i have so far:

Dear Prosecutions Department,

RE: XYZ

I regret to be writing to you under these circumstances, I am writing to take full accountability for the incident that occurred on 2nd June 2025.

On the 2nd of June 2025, I was on my way back home from London, going from London Bridge to Haywards Heath. Getting the 7:35 train from London Bridge.

I purchased the ticket on my way to the station at 7:26, however this ticket had a ‘16-25 railcard’ attached, that I was unaware of. I showed my ticket to show the inspector, but when asked for a railcard I became confused, because I was under the impression that I didn’t have one on the ticket.

Later that day I purchased a 1 year railcard (16-25) to make sure this situation will never happen again and every time I purchase a ticket, I now check over my booking twice to make sure it is all in order.

I understand that it is my responsibility to ensure I have a valid ticket before traveling on the trains, and I deeply regret not thoroughly checking my booking before stepping onto the train. I wholeheartedly understand what I did was completely unjust to the other passengers paying their correct share and to your company. I understand fare evasion is a crime and I am immensely sorry for the actions that have been taken.

I wondered if it would be possible to settle this matter without having to go to court. I am willing to pay any outstanding fare plus your administrative costs in dealing with this matter.

Welcome

what would be helpful to know is if applying the Railcard discount was deliberate, when you knew you did not have a valid one, or if it was a genuine mistake. Your third para implies it was a genuine mistake.

If that is the case then you should not go on to talk about fare evasion later on (as that implies a deliberate decision not to pay the correct fare). In fact do not mention 'evasion' in any way. Instead you should just be apologising for making the mistake - alongside, as you do, accepting it is your responsibility to get this right.

But of course do not lie.

You could include a copy of the Railcard you then bought (or probably it is enough to just add in its serial number) - mentioning this as you have done is a good idea as it shows you acted promptly to prevent the issue happening again - be sure to note the expiry date as you may well not get a reminder of that in a years time.

They may / probably have, investigated your booking history - are they likely to find other occasions where this mistake happened? If so they might charge you for new tickets for those occasions - but if they have not mentioned that to you yet then you probably don't need to mention it to them now.

Note: If this is Thameslink / Southern you presumably need to send your response hard copy by post - if you do that keep a copy of everything, and post it tracked postage from a post office so you can prove it was delivered if you subsequently need to do so.

 

[joshughess]

Welcome

what would be helpful to know is if applying the Railcard discount was deliberate, when you knew you did not have a valid one, or if it was a genuine mistake. Your third para implies it was a genuine mistake.

If that is the case then you should not go on to talk about fare evasion later on (as that implies a deliberate decision not to pay the correct fare). In fact do not mention 'evasion' in any way. Instead you should just be apologising for making the mistake - alongside, as you do, accepting it is your responsibility to get this right.

But of course do not lie.

You could include a copy of the Railcard you then bought (or probably it is enough to just add in its serial number) - mentioning this as you have done is a good idea as it shows you acted promptly to prevent the issue happening again - be sure to note the expiry date as you may well not get a reminder of that in a years time.

They may / probably have, investigated your booking history - are they likely to find other occasions where this mistake happened? If so they might charge you for new tickets for those occasions - but if they have not mentioned that to you yet then you probably don't need to mention it to them now.

Note: If this is Thameslink / Southern you presumably need to send your response hard copy by post - if you do that keep a copy of everything, and post it tracked postage from a post office so you can prove it was delivered if you subsequently need to do so.

This was an honest mistake on my part, i had no intention to use a railcard on my ticket. i don't use the trains much, at the time of the ticket i only took trains maybe 1-2 times in a month. however i don't know how many of these had a railcard attached. So they are probably likely to find a few occasions I've done this by accident.

I have taken out the fare evasion part, i included it just to show i understood the severity.

apart from the 'fare evasion' portion, does it all read well?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Nov 2025 ==

@Hadders i have heard you are very good with this sort of draft letter, if there is any chance you can weigh in it would be greatly appreciated

 

[WesternLancer]

This was an honest mistake on my part, i had no intention to use a railcard on my ticket. i don't use the trains much, at the time of the ticket i only took trains maybe 1-2 times in a month. however i don't know how many of these had a railcard attached. So they are probably likely to find a few occasions I've done this by accident.

If they do find other evidence and ask you about it you can come back for advice if you need it - privately you may want to check your own ticket buying records to see if it has happened so you are prepared for that eventuality

I have taken out the fare evasion part, i included it just to show i understood the severity.

OK - understood - but the risk is that they just skim read it and the word evasion jumps out at them which you don't want - so best left out.

apart from the 'fare evasion' portion, does it all read well?

The general advice is to cover these points listed below - which you seem to have done, so I tend to think it's generally OK.

- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident
- 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

 

[joshughess]

If they do find other evidence and ask you about it you can come back for advice if you need it - privately you may want to check your own ticket buying records to see if it has happened so you are prepared for that eventuality


OK - understood - but the risk is that they just skim read it and the word evasion jumps out at them which you don't want - so best left out.


The general advice is to cover these points listed below - which you seem to have done, so I tend to think it's generally OK.

- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident
- 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

Here is my updated draft, made it a little more concise:

​

Dear Prosecutions Department,

RE: Case reference number

I regret to be writing to you under these circumstances, I am writing to take full accountability for the incident that occurred on 2nd June 2025.

On the 2nd of June 2025 I was going from London Bridge to Haywards Heath, on the 7:35 train from London Bridge.

I purchased my ticket at 7:26am, unaware that it included a 16-25 railcard. When asked to show the railcard, I was confused as I didn’t think I had one applied. Later that day, I purchased a new 1 – year 16-25 Railcard (Railcard reference number) to ensure this never happens again.

I understand that it is my responsibility to ensure I have a valid ticket before traveling on the trains, and I deeply regret not thoroughly checking my booking before stepping onto the train. I wholeheartedly understand what I did was completely unjust to the other passengers paying their correct share and to your company, and I sincerely apologies for the inconvenience caused.

I would be very grateful if you would consider allowing me to settle this matter out of court. I offer my full cooperation towards resolving the situation and I am willing to pay any outstanding fare plus your administrative costs in dealing with this matter.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Nov 2025 ==

Updated it again:

Dear Prosecutions Department,

RE: Reference of incident

I regret to be writing to you under these circumstances, I am writing to take full accountability for the incident that occurred on 2nd June 2025.

On the 2nd of June 2025 I was going from London Bridge to Haywards Heath, on the 7:35 train from London Bridge.

I purchased my ticket at 7:26am, unaware that it included a 16-25 railcard. When asked to show the railcard, I was confused as I wasn’t aware one had been applied. I was subsequently handed a ticket stating I would ‘receive a letter shortly’. Later that day, I purchased a new 1 – year 16-25 Railcard (Railcard Reference) to ensure this never happens again. From that day I have made sure to thoroughly double check all my bookings before entering the barriers.

I understand that it is entirely my responsibility to ensure I have a valid ticket before travelling on the trains, and I deeply regret my negligence for not thoroughly checking my booking before stepping through the barriers. I wholeheartedly understand what I did was completely unjust to the other passengers paying their correct share and to your company, and I sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused.

I would be very grateful if you would consider allowing me to settle this matter out of court. I offer my full cooperation towards resolving the situation and am willing to pay any outstanding fare, along with your administrative costs and any additional expenses incurred in dealing with this matter.

My sincerest apologies,

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Nov 2025 ==

@WesternLancer @Hadders Any weighing in on my more recent update of my draft would be greatly appreciated, sorry for insisting

 

[WesternLancer]

Here is my updated draft, made it a little more concise:

​

Dear Prosecutions Department,

RE: Case reference number

I regret to be writing to you under these circumstances, I am writing to take full accountability for the incident that occurred on 2nd June 2025.

On the 2nd of June 2025 I was going from London Bridge to Haywards Heath, on the 7:35 train from London Bridge.

I purchased my ticket at 7:26am, unaware that it included a 16-25 railcard. When asked to show the railcard, I was confused as I didn’t think I had one applied. Later that day, I purchased a new 1 – year 16-25 Railcard (Railcard reference number) to ensure this never happens again.

I understand that it is my responsibility to ensure I have a valid ticket before traveling on the trains, and I deeply regret not thoroughly checking my booking before stepping onto the train. I wholeheartedly understand what I did was completely unjust to the other passengers paying their correct share and to your company, and I sincerely apologies for the inconvenience caused.

I would be very grateful if you would consider allowing me to settle this matter out of court. I offer my full cooperation towards resolving the situation and I am willing to pay any outstanding fare plus your administrative costs in dealing with this matter.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Nov 2025 ==

Updated it again:

Dear Prosecutions Department,

RE: Reference of incident

I regret to be writing to you under these circumstances, I am writing to take full accountability for the incident that occurred on 2nd June 2025.

On the 2nd of June 2025 I was going from London Bridge to Haywards Heath, on the 7:35 train from London Bridge.

I purchased my ticket at 7:26am, unaware that it included a 16-25 railcard. When asked to show the railcard, I was confused as I wasn’t aware one had been applied. I was subsequently handed a ticket stating I would ‘receive a letter shortly’. Later that day, I purchased a new 1 – year 16-25 Railcard (Railcard Reference) to ensure this never happens again. From that day I have made sure to thoroughly double check all my bookings before entering the barriers.

I understand that it is entirely my responsibility to ensure I have a valid ticket before travelling on the trains, and I deeply regret my negligence for not thoroughly checking my booking before stepping through the barriers. I wholeheartedly understand what I did was completely unjust to the other passengers paying their correct share and to your company, and I sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused.

I would be very grateful if you would consider allowing me to settle this matter out of court. I offer my full cooperation towards resolving the situation and am willing to pay any outstanding fare, along with your administrative costs and any additional expenses incurred in dealing with this matter.

My sincerest apologies,

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Nov 2025 ==

@WesternLancer @Hadders Any weighing in on my more recent update of my draft would be greatly appreciated, sorry for insisting

Looks OK to me. Unless you are hard up against the deadline to get it posted I guess you could wait until tomorrow for any other comments and get it int he post by mid day or early afternoon etc

 

[joshughess]

Looks OK to me. Unless you are hard up against the deadline to get it posted I guess you could wait until tomorrow for any other comments and get it int he post by mid day or early afternoon etc

i need to have it posted to them by Thursday/Friday, but with first class recorded delivery it should arrive to them in 1-2 working days.

does it need to be received by the 14 days after the letter or posted to them within 14 days of the letter?

I'm leaning more towards sending tomorrow morning and waiting for advice over the evening, but will need to send it off in the next hour if its going to be tonight?

Also within the letter i send, do i need to include the letter i recieved? (i have scanned it to be able to reference back to it if needed)

and in the section of the letter i recieved stating ' please details your point of view'. is it find to just say 'Please see attached' which would be a full typed and signed letter stating my point of view

 

[WesternLancer]

i need to have it posted to them by Thursday/Friday, but with first class recorded delivery it should arrive to them in 1-2 working days.

First class 'tracked 24' is cheaper than Guaranteed next day delivery as I expect you know

does it need to be received by the 14 days after the letter or posted to them within 14 days of the letter?

14 days from date on their letter unfortunately - though I suspect in practice they would give a bit of leeway

I'm leaning more towards sending tomorrow morning and waiting for advice over the evening, but will need to send it off in the next hour if its going to be tonight?

I would think sending it tomorrow morning is fine

Also within the letter i send, do i need to include the letter i recieved? (i have scanned it to be able to reference back to it if needed)

It might help to do so and if you have kept a scan of it all good

and in the section of the letter i recieved stating ' please details your point of view'. is it find to just say 'Please see attached'

Yes, do that so they know there was an attachment in the event of things getting separated their end, then they can match it up if anything is seperated

which would be a full typed and signed letter stating my point of view

which is good and clear and has your case ref number on it too so they can match it up

 

[joshughess]

update on this,

Got an £82.76 out of court settlement, paid it straight away to put it all behind me and not worry about it. Dont know how they got to the number, but was happy to pay it to end the drama

Thanks @WesternLancer for the advice and knowledge

 

[WesternLancer]

update on this,

Got an £82.76 out of court settlement, paid it straight away to put it all behind me and not worry about it. Dont know how they got to the number, but was happy to pay it to end the drama

Thanks @WesternLancer for the advice and knowledge

Great. Thanks for the update. Sounds like swiftly resolved and i suspect the admin fee not too high.

They may have charged £29.70 anytime single plus admin maybe.