Worried about being prosecution

[wen91]

I recently made a trip on Thameslink and on inspection couldn’t show my ticket because my phone died so was issued a witness a statement. However one I got home to charge my phone and upload proof of my ticket I realised I had only actually paid a single ticket into London and not a return which then made my travel not valid…I know this is a stupid mistake

What makes issues worse is in a panic I told the inspector I got on at West Hampstead as we had just come from there as opposed to Farringdon. I got in touch with customer service but they couldn’t provide any help.

I’ve received penalty fare previously for stupid accidental mistakes and I’ve been stressing to the max about the situation. Can anyone offer any advice of what is to come or what the worse outcome would be? I’ve already read about facing prosecution with £1000

 

[6Gman]

All you can do for the moment is wait for them to contact you.

Then come back here to seek advice.

If you co-operate with them the likeliest outcome is an out of court settlement for the cost of the ticket plus an admin fee, though your past record of (a single?) penalty fare may be a factor.

The worst outcome would be a prosecution but that can generally be avoided.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

The worst outcome would be a prosecution but that can generally be avoided.

And the worst outcome of a prosecution would be a fine, plus a surcharge, plus costs. As you have found, the maximum fine is £1000, but it's based on your income so is unlikely to be as high as £1000 - more likely £200 plus the surcharges. But that's the worst - you won't be sent to prison.

 

[londonbridge]

Thameslink will most likely write to you asking for your version of events. The standard advice (with credit to other members) is that you should reply including the following:

That you are sorry for what has happened.

What you have learned from the incident and that you will not do this again.

That you are keen to settle the matter without court action.

You should offer to pay the outstanding fare plus Thameslinks’ administrative costs in dealing with the incident. From my experience in reading similar threads, Thameslink are generally good at offering a settlement if you co-operate with them and are honest, and in such cases court action or prosecution can most likely be avoided.

As posted by the previous member, when you receive the letter feel free to come back if you need further guidance on how to respond.

 

[WesternLancer]

I recently made a trip on Thameslink and on inspection couldn’t show my ticket because my phone died so was issued a witness a statement. However one I got home to charge my phone and upload proof of my ticket I realised I had only actually paid a single ticket into London and not a return which then made my travel not valid…I know this is a stupid mistake

What makes issues worse is in a panic I told the inspector I got on at West Hampstead as we had just come from there as opposed to Farringdon. I got in touch with customer service but they couldn’t provide any help.

I’ve received penalty fare previously for stupid accidental mistakes and I’ve been stressing to the max about the situation. Can anyone offer any advice of what is to come or what the worse outcome would be? I’ve already read about facing prosecution with £1000

Don’t contact customer services they can’t help. In fact don’t contact the railway at all but make sure you watch out for them contacting you. Most likely by post.

It’s failure to engage with that letter that would be most likely it would escalate to prosecution.

Don’t worry too much about lieing to them in the train. That’s not uncommon. So long as you are honest in correspondence with them when they contact you about this you can sort it out. Might be some time before you hear from them eg over 8 weeks.

See other threads involving Thameslink to get an idea of how to handle this.

 

[wen91]

I have now received this letter, any advice on what to write back to to avoid going to court?

 

[srg]

You might want to remove the attachments and reupload them without your name and reference number

 

[WesternLancer]

I have now received this letter, any advice on what to write back to to avoid going to court?

Have a look at some other threads involving GTR / Thameslink where you will find plenty of examples of the sort of reply to draft.

When you’ve drafted it post that up here for checking before you send it to them.

 

[SECR 65]

I was going to summarise what you'll need to say but post 4 does this perfectly. There are loads of other threads to look at as pointed out by @WesternLancer

 

[wen91]

Thank you for that I didn’t realise!

 

[Chrius56000]

GTR and GWR are the two most reasonable TOCs that deal with these matters so please don't worry too much about court, and you certainly won't be at risk of prison!

Engage with them promptly using the standard advice given in previous posts and you will almost certainly be offered a settlement, and GTR in particular have been asking for very fair two–figure settlements in a number of recent cases!

 

[wen91]

Thank you everyone for their responses so far I really appreciate it! Please see what I have drafted so far and let me know if I should change or add anything, my is a manager at a train company and has said this is fine but if anyone has any other comments please let me know. I don't know if this would make any difference but is it worth mentioning that I had travelled to and from london on the wednesday and thursday as well with a valid ticket to help show it was a genuine mistake?



Ref:

Dear Sir/Madame

I am writing to you in response to the prosecution letter I have received in regards to the incident I was involved in on Tuesday 31st March at 17:32 at/near St Albans City.

Firstly I would like to deeply apologise for not having a valid ticket on my journey as this was not my intention and would like to take the time to be completely honest from my side.

I had been struggling that week with some personal issues and so my mental state was not the best during this week. I had bought a ticket in advance travelling into London for earlier that morning thinking I had booked a return journey. So when it came to ticket officers coming round I believed I had the correct ticket but was unfortunate that I could not produce the ticket I thought I had as my phone had died which I understand is at complete fault of my own. I do want to admit that when the officers had questioned me I did in fact not tell the truth about where I boarded in a state of panic, mental distress and embarrassment and had actually boarded the train at Farringdon. Once I returned home to charge my phone and respond to my charge it was then when I realised I had in fact not purchased valid ticket. I did go to the effort of contacting Thameslink about my situation of not having a valid ticket and not have given the correct details as soon as I could but did not realise it didn’t make any difference as the witness statement is through Govia.

I understand the seriousness of my mistakes and can only continue to apologise for what I’ve done as I understand the impact fare evasion has on the railway.

I want to take full responsibility of the mistakes I have made and correct my actions. I kindly ask if GTR would consider settling this matter out of court as facing criminal prosecution and a criminal record would have a devastating impact on my career and mental state. I am completely willing to pay the full outstanding fare and any overheads costs that have accumulated due to my actions.

I have sincerely learnt from this experience and can assure you that I will go to great efforts to make sure I have a valid ticket I can produce when travelling on the railway in the future.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter and for considering my request.

Kind regards

 

[WesternLancer]

Thank you everyone for their responses so far I really appreciate it! Please see what I have drafted so far and let me know if I should change or add anything, my is a manager at a train company and has said this is fine but if anyone has any other comments please let me know. I don't know if this would make any difference but is it worth mentioning that I had travelled to and from london on the wednesday and thursday as well with a valid ticket to help show it was a genuine mistake?



Ref:

Dear Sir/Madame

I am writing to you in response to the prosecution letter I have received in regards to the incident I was involved in on Tuesday 31st March at 17:32 at/near St Albans City.

Firstly I would like to deeply apologise for not having a valid ticket on my journey as this was not my intention and would like to take the time to be completely honest from my side.

I had been struggling that week with some personal issues and so my mental state was not the best during this week. I had bought a ticket in advance travelling into London for earlier that morning thinking I had booked a return journey. So when it came to ticket officers coming round I believed I had the correct ticket but was unfortunate that I could not produce the ticket I thought I had as my phone had died which I understand is at complete fault of my own. I do want to admit that when the officers had questioned me I did in fact not tell the truth about where I boarded in a state of panic, mental distress and embarrassment and had actually boarded the train at Farringdon. Once I returned home to charge my phone and respond to my charge it was then when I realised I had in fact not purchased valid ticket. I did go to the effort of contacting Thameslink about my situation of not having a valid ticket and not have given the correct details as soon as I could but did not realise it didn’t make any difference as the witness statement is through Govia.

I understand the seriousness of my mistakes and can only continue to apologise for what I’ve done as I understand the impact fare evasion has on the railway.

I want to take full responsibility of the mistakes I have made and correct my actions. I kindly ask if GTR would consider settling this matter out of court as facing criminal prosecution and a criminal record would have a devastating impact on my career and mental state. I am completely willing to pay the full outstanding fare and any overheads costs that have accumulated due to my actions.

I have sincerely learnt from this experience and can assure you that I will go to great efforts to make sure I have a valid ticket I can produce when travelling on the railway in the future.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter and for considering my request.

Kind regards

couple of thoughts

firstly - this bit

I do want to admit that when the officers had questioned me I did in fact not tell the truth about where I boarded in a state of panic, mental distress and embarrassment and had actually boarded the train at Farringdon. Once I returned home to charge my phone and respond to my charge it was then when I realised I had in fact not purchased valid ticket. I did go to the effort of contacting Thameslink about my situation of not having a valid ticket and not have given the correct details as soon as I could but did not realise it didn’t make any difference as the witness statement is through Govia.

There's a lot of 'double negatives' here which make it hard to follow when reading - maybe try to simplify what you are trying to say here. S suspect the people whose job it is to read these letters don't het much time so clarity will help them

Secondly - This bit:

I understand the seriousness of my mistakes and can only continue to apologise for what I’ve done as I understand the impact fare evasion has on the railway.

You're telling them in your response that you made a mistake and didn't buy the correct ticket by failing to buy a return. So you made an error
Definitely do not start talking about fare evasion in any way, if this wasn't deliberate

You could say that you 'appreciate it is important that everyone pays the correct fare for their travel' and that you will take steps to make sure you do not make this sort of mistake again (eg by checking your ticket is correct and that your phone is working / charged before you get on the train).

 

[wen91]

Hiya, thank you so much for the advice. Please let me know if the below is any better.

Ref:

Dear Sir/Madame

I am writing to you in response to the prosecution letter I have received in regards to the incident I was involved in on Tuesday 31st March at 17:32 at/near St Albans City.

Firstly I would like to deeply apologise for not having a valid ticket on my journey as this was not my intention and would like to take the time to be completely honest from my side.

I would like to admit that when the officers questioned me, I was not truthful about where I boarded the train. In a state of panic, mental distress, and embarrassment, I incorrectly stated my boarding location. I had actually boarded the train at Farringdon. After returning home, charging my phone, and responding to the charge, I realised that I had not purchased a valid ticket for my journey. As soon as I became aware of this, I contacted Thameslink to explain the situation to try and correct, however I did not realise that this would not affect the witness statement, as it was being handled by Govia.

I understand the seriousness of my mistakes and appreciate it is important that everyone pays the correct fare for their travel. Going forward I’ll be sure to take extra steps to ensure this sort of mistake won’t happen again by double checking my tickets and making sure I have a working phone before boarding the train.

I want to take full responsibility of the mistakes I have made and correct my actions. I kindly ask if GTR would consider settling this matter out of court as facing criminal prosecution and a criminal record would have a devastating impact on my career and mental state. I am completely willing to pay the full outstanding fare and any overhead costs that have accumulated due to my actions.

I have sincerely learnt from this experience and can assure you that I will go to great efforts to make sure I have a valid ticket I can produce when travelling on the railway in the future.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter and for considering my request.


Kind regards

 

[jfollows]

Madam
Unless you know the recipient to be French or perhaps runs a brothel.

 

[Haywain]

Ref:

Dear Sir/Madame

I am writing to you in response to the prosecution letter I have received in regards to the incident I was involved in on Tuesday 31st March at 17:32 at/near St Albans City.

Firstly I would like to deeply apologise for not having a valid ticket on my journey as this was not my intention and would like to take the time to be completely honest from my side.

I would like to admit that when the officers questioned me, I was not truthful about where I boarded the train. In a state of panic, mental distress, and embarrassment, I incorrectly stated my boarding location. I had actually boarded the train at Farringdon. After returning home, charging my phone, and responding to the charge, I realised that I had not purchased a valid ticket for my journey. As soon as I became aware of this, I contacted Thameslink to explain the situation to try and correct, however I did not realise that this would not affect the witness statement, as it was being handled by Govia.

I understand the seriousness of my mistakes actions and appreciate it is important that everyone pays the correct fare for their travel. Going forward I’ll be sure to take extra steps to ensure this sort of mistake won’t happen again by double checking my tickets and making sure I have a working phone before boarding the train.

I want to take full responsibility of the mistakes I have made and correct for my actions. I kindly ask if GTR would consider settling this matter out of court as facing criminal prosecution and a criminal record would have a devastating impact on my career and mental state. I am completely willing to pay the full outstanding fare and any overhead costs that have accumulated due to my actions.

I have sincerely learnt from this experience and can assure you that I will go to great efforts to make sure I have a valid ticket I can produce when travelling on the railway in the future.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter and for considering my request.


Kind regards

I've edited your letter and removed a few bits (and added a couple of words in red) as I don't think they really help.

 

[SECR 65]

Hiya, thank you so much for the advice. Please let me know if the below is any better.

This seems quite good. I'll just add a few thoughts:

Ref:

Dear Sir/Madame

I am writing to you in response to the prosecution letter I have received in regards to the incident I was involved in on Tuesday 31st March at 17:32 at/near St Albans City.

It might just be me, but this just seems slightly 'robotic'. If you were near St Albans, then say near. If you were at St Albans, then say at.

Firstly I would like to deeply sincerely apologise for not having a valid ticket on for my journey. as this was not my intention and would like to take the time to be completely honest from my side.

I would like to admit that when the officers questioned me, I was not truthful about where I boarded the train. In a state of panic, mental distress, and embarrassment, I incorrectly stated my boarding location. I had actually boarded the train at Farringdon. After returning home, charging my phone, and responding to the charge, I realised that I had not purchased a valid ticket for my journey. As soon as I became aware of this, I contacted Thameslink customer services* to explain the situation. to try and correct, however I did not realise that this would not affect the witness statement, as it was being handled by Govia.

A couple of parts of this section are confusing me. Firstly, I don't understand what you mean by 'responding to the charge'? Secondly, Thameslink is a brand name of the wider Govia Thameslink Railway, so they are the same company. (Govia Thameslink Railway no loner exists, but that's not the point.)
* It's probably clearer to explain who you contacted, e.g. customer services or whoever you did get in touch with, if it was not GTR prosecutions.

I understand the seriousness of my mistakes not carrying a valid ticket when travelling and appreciate it is important that everyone pays the correct fare for their travel. Going forward I’ll be sure to take extra steps to ensure this sort of mistake lack of consierdation won’t happen again by double checking my tickets and making sure I have a working phone before boarding the train.

I want to take full responsibility of the mistakes I have made and correct my actions. I kindly ask if GTR would consider settling this matter out of court. as facing criminal prosecution and a criminal record would have a devastating impact on my career and mental state. I am completely willing to pay the full outstanding fare and any overhead costs that have accumulated due to my actions administrative costs incurred during this case.

I have sincerely learnt from this experience and can assure you that I will go to great efforts to make sure I have a valid ticket I can produce when travelling on the railway in the future.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter and for considering my request.


Kind regards

Not all of these changes are essential but are how I would phrase it personally. I appologise for being somewhat harsh and pedantic in places. Also see other members' comments in conjunction with mine.

EDIT: I think the phrasing 'actions' from @Haywain is much better than what I have thought of.