Witness statement thameslink

[atf32193]

Hello, I have read several threads regarding a similar situation but have some specific questions about my situation.

I received a witness statement receipt on a Thameslink train today as I only bought a ticket when I saw the inspector coming. From what I understand, I will receive a letter (in the post?) with an intention to prosecute, that I must reply to apologising and explaining the situation?
I gave the ticket inspector my home address, however the address on the orange receipt is my parents’ address. I have emailed gtr.prosecutions@gtrailway.com to ask that any communications should be sent to my home address, will this work? I am also worried that I will miss the letter as I am out of the country for most of December. How can I ensure that a) the letter gets sent to the correct address and b) I don’t miss the letter and then miss the 14 day response window?

When I do receive the letter, how do I ensure that it doesn’t go to court? I really want to avoid having a criminal record.

I should note that I had a similar situation a few weeks ago, where I was issued a penalty fare for not having a ticket, which I have now paid. I now realise that the small amount of money I might save by short faring is absolutely not worth the consequences of being caught, so I intend on buying all my train tickets legitimately going forward…

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[John R]

So if I get this right you have now asked them to use an address where it could sit unopened for a month, as opposed to the address GTR somehow had where your parents could alert you to it and electronically send you a copy for you to deal with? Or is it something else?

 

[atf32193]

So if I get this right you have now asked them to use an address where it could sit unopened for a month, as opposed to the address GTR somehow had where your parents could alert you to it and electronically send you a copy for you to deal with? Or is it something else?

Yes, although my parents will also be away for a lot of December… and I don’t want to rely on the fact that they need to check they letterbox regularly if that makes sense.

 

[WesternLancer]

Hello, I have read several threads regarding a similar situation but have some specific questions about my situation.

I received a witness statement receipt on a Thameslink train today as I only bought a ticket when I saw the inspector coming. From what I understand, I will receive a letter (in the post?) with an intention to prosecute,

Yes, you can see examples of these letters on other threads involving Thameslink

that I must reply to apologising and explaining the situation?

Yes, you can see the format of replies requesting out of court settlements that yuo can use as a guide

I gave the ticket inspector my home address, however the address on the orange receipt is my parents’ address. I have emailed gtr.prosecutions@gtrailway.com to ask that any communications should be sent to my home address, will this work?

Hopefully they will act on it - but ideally you should also alert your parents in case the post goes there - and watch e-mail and spam too - it's vital you respond to this letter to avoid it escalating automatically to court

I am also worried that I will miss the letter as I am out of the country for most of December. How can I ensure that a) the letter gets sent to the correct address and b) I don’t miss the letter and then miss the 14 day response window?

It's stating the obvious but these are the sorts of inconveniences you have to put measures in place to deal with as a result of your failure to pay the correct fare and the action that then ensues - these are now your problems to resolve ultimately.

In practice you will probably get a bit of leeway on the 14 day response time but not a great deal

Whilst it would be extreme to suggest you cancel your plans to be out of the country, it is vital you receive and act on what they send you in order to avoid it escalating to court through a non response. I suggest you need to find a trusted friend or family member to give keys to for your address whilst you are away so that they can check for post regularly - and open anything that looks important and scan and e-mail a copy to you so that you can act on it.

Given post from abroad is slow you may need that person to print off any reply you send to the railway company and post it in the UK for you given they will usually want the reply sending in hard copy.

When I do receive the letter, how do I ensure that it doesn’t go to court? I really want to avoid having a criminal record.

Advice from here but have a look at other threads for the general formula on how best to reply to seek to obtain an out of court settlement offer and examples of the sorts of letters people send back to them.

I should note that I had a similar situation a few weeks ago, where I was issued a penalty fare for not having a ticket, which I have now paid.

Possibly why they have reported you for investigation as they may have seen that incident on your record and taken the view that you have 'not learned your lesson' so have escalated things this time.

 

[atf32193]

Thanks, I will try and make sure that I get the letter, either at my parents or my own address.

- and watch e-mail and spam too - it's vital you respond to this letter to avoid it escalating automatically

How likely is it that it will be an email rather than a letter in the post?

Also, I got a quote from Manak Solicitors who said they would deal with it before I even get the letter - is this worth doing? The quote is expensive but if it means it gets sorted then might be worth it?
He also said that as I already received a penalty fare, it would be difficult to sort by myself without the help of a solicitor - is this true or is he just saying this to get me to go with him?

 

[WesternLancer]

Thanks, I will try and make sure that I get the letter, either at my parents or my own address.

How likely is it that it will be an email rather than a letter in the post?

Slim from what we see on here - they seem to churn out hard copy letters in vast majority of cases

Also, I got a quote from Manak Solicitors who said they would deal with it before I even get the letter - is this worth doing? The quote is expensive but if it means it gets sorted then might be worth it?

Only you can decide if you want to spend the sum they have quoted to resolve this quickly vs your ability to check for post or get someone to do that for you, or they may even write to you before you leave the UK in December anyway. Manak get good feedback on this forum from people who have used the service - but you can search and check for that to read for yourself.

See this case for an idea of a timeline https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/prosecution-from-govia-thameslink.282995/
from last year that I noted:
- the person (OP) was stopped on or around 1 Nov 2024
- The OP got the letter from GTR / Thameslink on 21 Jan 2025
- The OP replied to that letter around 24 Jan 2025
- The OP was offered an Out of Court settlement and paid it on 12 March

How fast they act will depend on their workload at any one time, but if you find a recent thread where the person has kept it up to date you will be able to work this out for yourself as I did with the above example, by reading the thread

He also said that as I already received a penalty fare, it would be difficult to sort by myself without the help of a solicitor - is this true or is he just saying this to get me to go with him?

We see cases on here like that where people have solved the situations without legal help even if they have had previous Penalty Fares etc IIRC.

You have some time to weigh up advice here, look at other threads etc to see how things get handled, before you leave the UK in order to decide if you want to pay for legal help to handle this for you.

 

[atf32193]

I received the letter today, here it is attached:

I have drafted the following response. I would be grateful for any advice on how to improve it - thank you in advance!
I am wondering about the following thing specifically:
I haven't mentioned the details of my journey (where I started and where I was travelling to) and what tickets I did and didn't buy, or why I didn't have a ticket; should I include more detail here? Or is it ok to leave out specifics?

The details of my journey:
I was traveling from Cambridge to London and I was planning to short fare - I purchased a cheap ticket to get through the Cambridge barriers, and then later quickly bought a ticket when I saw the inspector coming but he saw the time of purchase, and therefore gave me the witness statement receipt.

I have short fared on this route in the past, so I am expecting for this to come up as well, however I thought if I don't include the exact details of my short faring this time, then maybe there is a small possibility they won't check my ticket history?



Reference number: XXX

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing in response to your letter of Intention to Prosecute dated 05 January 2026, regarding the incident that took place on XXX. Reference number XXX.

On that day, I was travelling on a Thameslink service without a valid ticket, and I only purchased one when I saw the ticket inspector. I irresponsibly also only purchased a ticket for part of the journey I had taken. I realise that this means that I was travelling without a valid ticket until this point, and I understand that this is unacceptable and a clear breach of the rules.

I would like to sincerely apologise for my actions; it was a foolish decision that I take full responsibility for and that I am extremely regretful of. I am aware of the great cost this is to GTR, and that it is entirely unjust to other rail travellers.

I can assure you that I am very ashamed of my actions and that I have learnt my lesson, and that it has not and will not happen again. I will always ensure that I have the correct tickets before starting my journey.

I am very keen to settle this without the need for court action, and I am more than happy to cooperate and pay any outstanding fares as well as any administrative costs incurred when dealing with this case.

Please let me know if you need anything else.

Yours sincerely,

 

[z444z]

Your draft is very good, and you’re right when you say that if you don’t bring it to their attention there is a small chance they won’t bring it up. They probably will, GTR usually do, but there’s no need to incriminate yourself by telling them things they have asked for.

I have just one suggestion: instead of telling them you’re keen to settle, ask them if they would be willing to settle, or say that you’d be grateful if they would be willing to settle, or something along those lines. Feel free to post the updated draft. Don’t rush to send your response, give it at least a day or two to get all the feedback you can from other members.

 

[John R]

I would concur with @z444z 's comments. The suggestion point may seem a bit picky, but if you think about it, of course everyone would be keen to settle without being prosecuted, so you need to be asking very nicely if they would agree to it.

 

[atf32193]

Thank you both - here is my updated draft:


Reference number: XXX

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing in response to your letter of Intention to Prosecute dated 05 January 2026, regarding the incident that took place on XXX. Reference number XXX.

On that day, I was travelling on a Thameslink service without a valid ticket, and I only purchased one when I saw the ticket inspector. I irresponsibly also only purchased a ticket for part of the journey I had taken. I realise that this means that I was travelling without a valid ticket until this point, and I understand that this is unacceptable and a clear breach of the rules.

I would like to sincerely apologise for my actions; it was a foolish decision that I take full responsibility for and that I am extremely regretful of. I am aware of the great cost this is to GTR, and that it is entirely unjust to other rail travellers.

I can assure you that I am very ashamed of my actions and that I have learnt my lesson, and that it has not and will not happen again. I will always ensure that I have the correct tickets before starting my journey.

I would be very grateful if you would be willing to settle this without the need for court action, and I am more than happy to cooperate and pay any outstanding fares as well as any administrative costs incurred when dealing with this case.

Please let me know if you need anything else.

Yours sincerely,

 

[WesternLancer]

Thank you both - here is my updated draft:


Reference number: XXX

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing in response to your letter of Intention to Prosecute dated 05 January 2026, regarding the incident that took place on XXX. Reference number XXX.

On that day, I was travelling on a Thameslink service without a valid ticket, and I only purchased one when I saw the ticket inspector. I irresponsibly also only purchased a ticket for part of the journey I had taken. I realise that this means that I was travelling without a valid ticket until this point, and I understand that this is unacceptable and a clear breach of the rules.

I would like to sincerely apologise for my actions; it was a foolish decision that I take full responsibility for and that I am extremely regretful of. I am aware of the great cost this is to GTR, and that it is entirely unjust to other rail travellers.

I can assure you that I am very ashamed of my actions and that I have learnt my lesson, and that it has not and will not happen again. I will always ensure that I have the correct tickets before starting my journey.

I would be very grateful if you would be willing to settle this without the need for court action, and I am more than happy to cooperate and pay any outstanding fares as well as any administrative costs incurred when dealing with this case.

Please let me know if you need anything else.

Yours sincerely,

I’m wondering if much or all of the second paragraph is needed at all? A clear written admission of guilt when the railway probably know all that anyway so is there anything to gain by saying it?

 

[John R]

I’m wondering if much or all of the second paragraph is needed at all? A clear written admission of guilt when the railway probably know all that anyway so is there anything to gain by saying it?

I would tend to leave it. I don't think it does any harm, and an admission of guilt in writing in a letter apologising for their actions is no bad thing in the circumstances. The letter reads quite well to me.

 

[z444z]

I would tend to leave it. I don't think it does any harm, and an admission of guilt in writing in a letter apologising for their actions is no bad thing in the circumstances. The letter reads quite well to me.

Agreed, I think this latest draft is really good. I understand @WesternLancer’s concerns but think in a case like this owning up to what you did shows accountability and doesn’t do any harm.

 

[atf32193]

Thanks all, I have posted it with tracked postage. How soon can I expect a response, and will that be by post or email?

 

[z444z]

Thanks all, I have posted it with tracked postage. How soon can I expect a response, and will that be by post or email?

We generally see GTR respond with a settlement offer (if that’s what they choose to do, of course, which it usually is) within a month, sometimes less than two weeks. It’ll probably be by post

 

[atf32193]

I have received the letter with an out of court settlement, which is great!

Is there a possibility that they will still investigate me for previous short faring, or am I in the clear?

 

[Fawkes Cat]

I have received the letter with an out of court settlement, which is great!

Is there a possibility that they will still investigate me for previous short faring, or am I in the clear?

That looks like a good result. Make sure you pay it in time, and keep a note of what you paid, how, and when - nothing should go wrong, but things can go wrong even in the best regulated organisation so it's worth having your proof to hand, just in case.

It's possible that GTR will now go to look back over previous journeys. I think I'm right in saying that we haven't seen them do this, but it's an approach which seems gradually to be being rolled out by the train companies, so GTR may start to do so at some point. If they do, please come back to us before responding to them about past journeys: in general such claims are based on a very thin base of evidence, and it may be that unless you voluntarily admit to fare dodging they would not have a claim that they could sustain at court.

 

[z444z]

GTR, along with SWR, seem to investigate before offering any settlement, and if they offer a settlement for one occasion as they have here it’s unlikely they’ll investigate later. Nothing can be guaranteed though, they could pursue unpaid fares civilly for up to six years.