Witness statement receipt

[nim]

Hi,

I recently travelled from Meldreth to London Kings Cross. I intended to get the 7.12 but it was so cancelled so I rushed like mad to get the 6.42 so I didn’t miss my work 9am meeting. I paid for my parking at the station and as the train approached I was on great northern railway buying my return ticket but it didn’t complete (my own fault as I was rushing). I later checked my emails and realised I didn’t have a ticket so I purchased a ticket straight away for full return peak price. This was about 35 mins after I had boarded. About 5 / 10 mins later a fraud prevention officer came and when he scanned my ticket he said I’d brought it late and issued me with a witness statement receipt (GTREM). I said I was sorry but the cancelled train had flustered me and he said I’d have the opportunity to give evidence once I’ve received a letter. I then noticed the witness statement receipt had me as a child and Wong date of birth (he never asked me for my date of birth) and asked him to correct which he did. I am really worried and upset as I never intended not to have a ticket and I’m really worried I may get prosecuted and a fine. Any advice much appreciated. Many thanks

 

[z444z]

This sounds unfortunate. Regardless, by boarding without a valid ticket you did commit a criminal offence and could be prosecuted.

But GTR are generally happy to settle out of court. They will write to you at some point in the next 6 months, probably 3-5 from what we’ve see on the forum recently. In cases where they don’t find any history of fare evasion, they seem to generally charge £50 admin fee plus the full Anytime single fare for the journey, which is £28.90, so it’ll probably be £78.90.

 

[nim]

Thank you- that is reassuring!

 

[z444z]

Just to add, we have recently seen GTR, up against the 6 month deadline to prosecute in a few cases that for whatever reason haven’t been dealt with in order, begin court proceedings without getting in touch first, but even then contacting them asking to settle has worked.

Just come back to us when they get in touch, or at like 5 months and 2 weeks from the incident if they haven’t yet, and we can help

 

[nim]

Thanks I will. I’ve taken screenshots re cancelled train and my parking etc incase this helps re mitigation. I’ll make sure I never board without ticket again - I might start buying paper tickets just to be sure. I don’t even pay for my travel to London my work do, so really was no intent to avoid!

 

[flitwickbeds]

Is it possible the RPI was trying to show a little leniency by "making up" the child DOB, so that an eventual prosecution would be harder - but that you correcting it to your actual (adult) DOB has made this worse for you?

 

[nim]

Interesting thought. The ticket I had already brought was for an adult and I think it was best to be fully compliant and honest by ensuring all information recorded was accurate. I didn’t want a suggestion I was pretending to be a child by having given a false DOB and it did made me worry what else was recorded incorrectly, but my name and address were correct.

 

[WesternLancer]

Interesting thought. The ticket I had already brought was for an adult and I think it was best to be fully compliant and honest by ensuring all information recorded was accurate. I didn’t want a suggestion I was pretending to be a child by having given a false DOB and it did made me worry what else was recorded incorrectly, but my name and address were correct.

Fwiw in my view this was certainly the right thing for you to do.

 

[Cloud Strife]

Is it possible the RPI was trying to show a little leniency by "making up" the child DOB, so that an eventual prosecution would be harder - but that you correcting it to your actual (adult) DOB has made this worse for you?

Honestly, I'd expect any RPI who wanted to show leniency to simply not take the matter any further.

 

[flitwickbeds]

Honestly, I'd expect any RPI who wanted to show leniency to simply not take the matter any further.

Fair.

I just don't understand why, according to the OP, they had not given any details to the RPI verbally, yet was handed a sheet of paper which had them down as a child with a random DOB already inserted.

 

[nim]

The letter has now arrived- the portal doesn’t seem to work. I was going to say but would be grateful for your comments as wonder if they simple to understand won’t take any notice of why this happened- I am a solicitor so concerned by this.

Dear Fare Evasion Manager,

I write in response to your notice to prosecute reference GTREMG000933219 and authorisation code Z4CK07 issued on 13 February 2026, in relation to my journey from Meldreth to London King’s Cross.

My intended train that morning, the 07:12 service, was cancelled at short notice. The next available service would have placed me at serious risk of missing a 9:00am work meeting in London. As a result, I was required to drive to the station in order to catch the 06:42 service (I had originally intended to walk to catch the 7:12). This caused significant disruption and meant that I was rushing in order to travel. It also led to further disruption later that day, as my husband had to collect the car from the station, as we were due to go on holiday that same day.

I paid for parking at the station (evidence enclosed) and, upon boarding the train, attempted immediately to purchase my ticket. Unfortunately, that transaction did not complete, and I did not realise this at the time. During the journey, I noticed the issue and completed purchase of a valid ticket on my phone at 07:17.

For the avoidance of doubt, this ticket was fully purchased and held on my phone before I was approached by the Fraud Inspection Officer (I had no idea he was on the train). I therefore held a valid ticket at the time of the ticket check.

I was travelling for work, and my employer pays for my travel to London. There was therefore no financial benefit to me in not paying the correct fare, and I did not intend to avoid payment or delay payment. I apologise for not purchasing a ticket before I boarded the train which was due to the rushed circumstances of the cancelled train. I will ensure in future that I always confirm completion of purchase before boarding.

I should also note that the receipt incorrectly records my date of birth as 08/10/2008 and categorises me as a “Child.” This is incorrect. The Fraud Inspection Officer did not ask for my date of birth. He also asked me for proof of address when he first spoke to me but never looked at or took it. My correct date of birth is xxxx . I raised this error immediately and recorded the correction on the receipt at the time, in the presence of the officer, and was told that it had been corrected. This error does, however, concern me, as it suggests that other information may also have been recorded inaccurately.

I enclose evidence of:

• The valid ticket purchased during the journey (showing the time of purchase at 07:17),
• The car park payment for that morning, and
• The cancellation of the 07:12 service and the resulting disruption (WhatsApp messages relating to arrangements for collecting the car).

I am an honest, law‑abiding traveller and take matters of this nature very seriously and was very upset by the situation. I am very sorry I didn’t have a ticket when I boarded the train. I’d be grateful if this matter could be resolved by no further action or settlement.


Yours faithfully,

 

[SECR 65]

I would suggest that you redact your date of birth in the version of the letter published on the forum....

 

[nim]

Thanks- not sure how you edit as post - did at least redact my name and address!

 

[SECR 65]

not sure how you edit as post

Edit button in bottom left of the post

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

Your letter seems good, although it is quite long. I appreciate there are lots of mitigating circumstances you want them to consider, but for a GTR NIP, you should be able to settle out of court fairly easily, so a simple apology might be easier for the person at the other end to read.

Dear Fare Evasion Manager,

I write in response to your notice to prosecute reference GTREMG000933219 and authorisation code Z4CK07 issued on 13 February 2026, in relation to my journey from Meldreth to London King’s Cross.

My intended train that morning, the 07:12 service, was cancelled at short notice. The next available service would have placed me at serious risk of missing a 9:00am work meeting in London. As a result, I was required to drive to the station in order to catch the 06:42 service (I had originally intended to walk to catch the 7:12). This caused significant disruption and meant that I was rushing in order to travel.

This is useful context for them to get the gist of the situation.

It also led to further disruption later that day, as my husband had to collect the car from the station, as we were due to go on holiday that same day.

I would say this bit is maybe optional and not essential.

I paid for parking at the station (evidence enclosed) and, upon boarding the train, attempted immediately to purchase my ticket. Unfortunately, that transaction did not complete, and I did not realise this at the time. During the journey, I noticed the issue and completed purchase of a valid ticket on my phone at 07:17.

For the avoidance of doubt, this ticket was fully purchased and held on my phone before I was approached by the Fraud Inspection Officer (I had no idea he was on the train). I therefore held a valid ticket at the time of the ticket check.

I'm afraid I don't think this is really relevant, as you had no ticket at the point of boarding the train, so therefore committed a criminal offence.

I was travelling for work, and my employer pays for my travel to London. There was therefore no financial benefit to me in not paying the correct fare, and I did not intend to avoid payment or delay payment. I apologise for not purchasing a ticket before I boarded the train which was due to the rushed circumstances of the cancelled train. I will ensure in future that I always confirm completion of purchase before boarding.

Very good and clear.

I should also note that the receipt incorrectly records my date of birth as [my redaction] and categorises me as a “Child.” This is incorrect. The Fraud Inspection Officer did not ask for my date of birth. He also asked me for proof of address when he first spoke to me but never looked at or took it. My correct date of birth is [my redaction]. I raised this error immediately and recorded the correction on the receipt at the time, in the presence of the officer, and was told that it had been corrected. This error does, however, concern me, as it suggests that other information may also have been recorded inaccurately.

I enclose evidence of:

• The valid ticket purchased during the journey (showing the time of purchase at 07:17),
• The car park payment for that morning, and
• The cancellation of the 07:12 service and the resulting disruption (WhatsApp messages relating to arrangements for collecting the car).

They might find this useful, but I don't think it's neccecarily vital to include. They can tell that it was just an isolated incident of buying a ticket after the train's departure. You don't need to spend ages convincing them.

I am an honest, law‑abiding traveller and take matters of this nature very seriously and was very upset by the situation. I am very sorry I didn’t have a ticket when I boarded the train. I’d be grateful if this matter could be resolved by no further action or settlement.

No further action is unlikely unfortunately. It might be good to offer to pay the outstanding fare and any costs incurred by GTR.

Yours faithfully,

The detailed response is very clear and factual, which is important definitely. I wonder if it could be slightly shortened. Not sure what other members think about this?

 

[30907]

Your reply contains irrelevant information and repeats itself. I offer some fairly substantial cuts":

My intended train that morning, the 07:12 service, was cancelled at short notice. The next available service would have placed me at serious risk of missing a 9:00am work meeting in London. As a result, I was required to drive to the station in order to catch the 06:42 service (I had originally intended to walk to catch the 7:12). This caused significant disruption and meant that I was rushing in order to travel.
It also led to further disruption later that day, as my husband had to collect the car from the station, as we were due to go on holiday that same day.

I paid for parking at the station (evidence enclosed) and, upon boarding the train, attempted immediately to purchase my ticket. Unfortunately, that transaction did not complete, and I did not realise this at the time. During the journey, I noticed the issue and completed purchase of a valid ticket on my phone at 07:17.

This admits that you committed an offence - do you want to spell that out?

For the avoidance of doubt, this ticket was fully purchased and held on my phone before I was approached by the Fraud Inspection Officer (I had no idea he was on the train). I therefore held a valid ticket at the time of the ticket check.

I was travelling for work, and my employer pays for my travel to London. There was therefore no financial benefit to me in not paying the correct fare, and I did not intend to avoid payment or delay payment. I apologise for not purchasing a ticket before I boarded the train which was due to the rushed circumstances of the cancelled train. I will ensure in future that I always confirm completion of purchase before boarding.

I should also note that the receipt incorrectly records my date of birth as 08/10/2008 and categorises me as a “Child.” This is incorrect. The Fraud Inspection Officer did not ask for my date of birth. He also asked me for proof of address when he first spoke to me but never looked at or took it. My correct date of birth is xxxx . I raised this error immediately and recorded the correction on the receipt at the time, in the presence of the officer, and was told that it had been corrected. This error does, however, concern me, as it suggests that other information may also have been recorded inaccurately.

I enclose evidence of:

• The valid ticket purchased during the journey (showing the time of purchase at 07:17),
• The car park payment for that morning, and
• The cancellation of the 07:12 service and the resulting disruption (WhatsApp messages relating to arrangements for collecting the car).

I am an honest, law‑abiding traveller and take matters of this nature very seriously and was very upset by the situation. I am very sorry I didn’t have a ticket when I boarded the train. I’d be grateful if you would consider waiving any further action, or failing that offer an out-of-court settlement covering your costs. this matter could be resolved by no further action or settlement

My addition for clarification. Realistically, GTR will most likely go for the second option and their admin costs seem to be around £60 plus the fare.

 

[nim]

Thank you for comments - I think I include I purchased a ticket on train as it explains I intended to and that it was purchased late.

 

[WesternLancer]

Thank you for comments - I think I include I purchased a ticket on train as it explains I intended to and that it was purchased late.

What you are implying is that you did not engage in what’s known as ‘pay when challenged’ type of evasion (ie hold off buying a ticket in the hope you can get away with a trip without paying unless you suddenly see a member of staff, at which point you quickly buy a ticket).

I therefore think this is worth retaining.
Tho I do agree other bits could be removed.

 

[furlong]

The key assertion is that if the train company had run the contracted timetable, this would have been a routine journey without any inadvertent criminal offence. The train company should not pursue prosecution where it itself is partly responsible for the circumstances (causing a passenger to have less time than expected and rush, breaking their routine) that led to the commission of the offence. The fare was already paid so no money remains outstanding. On receipt of the explanation, they should close this one in my opinion. If they don't, consider pulling in Transport Focus or even your MP as on the face of it, the letter they sent sounds rather ridiculous.

(It is my view that train companies should ONLY be threatening prosecution when someone didn't buy their ticket before boarding if there is some additional evidence to suggest they weren't intending to pay. Reiterating the rules or issuing a Penalty Fare should normally suffice. If they carry on as they are doing, I think it's only a matter of time before the DfT forces them to behave more reasonably. See also A report to the Secretary of State for Transport para. 4.82 amongst others.)

 

[nim]

I have received an offer of settlement of £83.90- thank you for all who helped, it’s very frustrating but I think I need to just pay - I might write to transport focus as suggested.

 

[WesternLancer]

I have received an offer of settlement of £83.90- thank you for all who helped, it’s very frustrating but I think I need to just pay - I might write to transport focus as suggested.

Thanks for the update
I'm afraid that yes, you are best advised to pay this, and keep proof of payment and keep that long term.

Not paying this is likely to result in escalation to further threats of prosecution / actual prosecution (ie the next thing you hear is a summons from the court).

Unfortunately the railway has been under pressure for some years by Government (who run it and basically dictate what the rail operators do and have done so for some years, even if government have wanted to pretend they don't do that) to get people to pay before boarding on every occasion and make punitive sanctions for those who do not do this a default approach. I believe that originally this was at least in part about moving towards running more train services without on board staff / guards, who amongst their other duties would typically sell tickets - which was the subject of a series of strike action by rail unions not so long ago. But in any case many GTR trains have no on board staff other than the driver (Thameslink for example).

The problems is magnified by the widespread levels of fare evasion that goes on, where people routinely travel without tickets in the hope they can 'get away with it' because 'no one checks' (and I'm sure we all know such people....). This means that when staff do check it's very difficult for staff to be able to draw a distinction between deliberate chancers who will claim 'they were in too much of a hurry to buy a ticket' but in truth never intended to pay vs people who genuinely were in a hurry and just got on the train hoping to be able to buy on board.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 21 May 2026 ==

No harm in raising it with Transport Focus though.

It’s not lost on me that if you had a ticket and intended to catch the 7.12 and turned up in time to get that without checking, to find it cancelled, then GTR would have been paying YOU under the delay - repay scheme I would presume…

So you have been penalised for their service inadequacy and that would be the line to take with Transport Focus, asking if they can intervene given the circumstances of the case, to get the sum you are being asked to pay refunded if only as a goodwill gesture.
Or ask your MP to raise it with GTR maybe?