Witness statement explanation

[z444z]

I think because of the double post prevention feature people haven’t been getting notifications for your posts. Not your fault. Will look at this today and get back to you, and hopefully my post will draw attention here too

 

[user3294]

I think because of the double post prevention feature people haven’t been getting notifications for your posts. Not your fault. Will look at this today and get back to you, and hopefully my post will draw attention here too

Ah that makes sense. Thank you very much for looking into this.

 

[WesternLancer]

Thank you for coming back so quickly. What you’re saying makes complete sense. I’m going to get to work on writing a letter and will put my first draft here once I’m done.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Feb 2026 ==

so i have spent some more time looking at the letters others is my position have written and have come up with a first draft below. feedback on any potential improvements/changes would be greatly appreciated. thank you again for taking the time to read this:

Dear Fare Evasion Manager,

I am writing in response to your letter dated [date], reference number [reference], regarding the incident on [date] at [station].

Firstly, I would like to offer my sincere apologies for my actions. I fully acknowledge the seriousness of fare evasion and take full responsibility for not holding a valid ticket for my journey. I understand that what I did was wrong and there is no excuse for my behaviour.

At the time, I made a poor decision, and I now recognise the consequences of my actions. I understand that fare evasion causes significant financial losses to the railway network and undermines a system that many honest passengers rely on every day.

This incident has been a genuine learning experience for me. I regret my actions deeply and can assure you that this will not happen again. Since the incident, I have taken care to ensure that I always hold a valid ticket for the full duration of my journeys and will continue to do so in future.

I respectfully ask that you consider allowing me the opportunity to resolve this matter without formal prosecution. I am fully willing to cooperate and to pay the fare owed, along with any administrative or associated costs.

Thank you for taking the time to consider this letter.

Yours sincerely,

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 10 Feb 2026 ==

Hi all. I dont mean to sound pushy at all however any feedback on the above would be rly appreciated. The letter is dated the 2nd February however I only received it yesterday which gives me 7 days to get it back to them. Given this, I’m hoping to send it back as soon as possible. Thanks.

Your draft looks OK to me and follows the general format of a response that we usually see given on here - including by me.

I don't think there is anything much you can do about this - but you mentioned originally that you had previously received penalty fares for not having correct tickets - so the question would be - will they believe you have learned the lesson you say you have, as issuing you penalty fares didn't seem to be a wake up call to you.

But that's not a reason to change your draft i don't suppose - you would just have to wait and see if they agreed to settle the matter or not - and take it form there if the answer was 'not' in terms of getting more advice from here

When you send it be sure to keep a copy of every page you send back to them, and post it Tracked Postage from a post office so you know that it has been received by the railway company by using the tracking service.

 

[user3294]

Your draft looks OK to me and follows the general format of a response that we usually see given on here - including by me.

I don't think there is anything much you can do about this - but you mentioned originally that you had previously received penalty fares for not having correct tickets - so the question would be - will they believe you have learned the lesson you say you have, as issuing you penalty fares didn't seem to be a wake up call to you.

But that's not a reason to change your draft i don't suppose - you would just have to wait and see if they agreed to settle the matter or not - and take it form there if the answer was 'not' in terms of getting more advice from here

When you send it be sure to keep a copy of every page you send back to them, and post it Tracked Postage from a post office so you know that it has been received by the railway company by using the tracking service.

Thank you for taking a look at the situation and my letter, as well as the advice on how to send it to them. I’m going to make copies of everything and send it off tomorrow. Hopefully they agree to an out of court settlement. I’ll update the thread when I hear back with a response. Just to clarify, do they typically respond over email or in writing? Also is there a set period of time which they will respond by? Thanks again.

 

[WesternLancer]

Thank you for taking a look at the situation and my letter, as well as the advice on how to send it to them. I’m going to make copies of everything and send it off tomorrow. Hopefully they agree to an out of court settlement. I’ll update the thread when I hear back with a response. Just to clarify, do they typically respond over email or in writing?

I would expect in writing but you should watch e-mail and spam too

Also is there a set period of time which they will respond by? Thanks again.

No set period - but here's a timeline from a recent case that the person listed here when their case was concluded which may give you an idea


- the person (OP) was stopped on 14 September 2025
- The OP got the letter from GTR / Thameslink on 30 December 2025
- The OP replied to that on 5 January 2026
- The OP was offered an Out of Court settlement on 13 January 2026

 

[user3294]

I would expect in writing but you should watch e-mail and spam too



No set period - but here's a timeline from a recent case that the person listed here when their case was concluded which may give you an idea


- the person (OP) was stopped on 14 September 2025
- The OP got the letter from GTR / Thameslink on 30 December 2025
- The OP replied to that on 5 January 2026
- The OP was offered an Out of Court settlement on 13 January 2026

I see. Thank you very much for the highlighting this recent cases timeline. Hopefully, I’m also not waiting too long and the outcome is out of court. I will keep this thread updated.