My initial reply:
I would like to express my sincere apology to Chiltern Railways for the confusion surrounding my ticket for the journey between Stoke Mandeville and London Marylebone on 10/11/19. A valid ticket was not held because the ticket office at Stoke Mandeville was closed and the ticket machines were not working. My friends and I (5 of us in total) boarded the 12:20pm train from Stoke Mandeville with the intention of purchasing tickets from Stoke Mandeville to London Marylebone at London Marylebone.
Upon arriving at London Marylebone we walked towards the excess fare booth so that we could purchase our tickets. The Revenue Protection Officer (RPO) approached us regarding having no tickets. As I was travelling with a group I took control and led the discussion. I confirmed that we were travelling without tickets as we were unable to purchase them from the station we came from.
The RPO asked what station we came from and I mistakenly said Amersham and that we needed a group travel ticket. The RPO asked how I got through the barriers & that we wouldn’t be able to purchase a group travel ticket, confused at this question I said there were no barriers we were able to walk directly onto the platform as there were no guards. It was at this point I realised I said the wrong station name, there were no barriers at Stoke Mandeville. As soon as I recognised my mistake I immediately apologised and advised I said the wrong station name, we came from Stoke Mandeville and not Amersham.
It was at this point the RPO became aggressive and asserted that I was trying to fare evade. I tried to explain that it wasn’t my intention to fare evade, I simply made an honest and genuine mistake by saying the wrong station name and that as soon as I recognised this I corrected myself. I also advised that if I hadn’t of corrected myself during the conversation about platform barriers and the ticket transaction was processed, I would have made the RPO aware of my mistake after seeing that the printed ticket would have read Amersham - London Marylebone and not Stoke Mandeville - London Marylebone.
I dispute the claim that my intention was to fare evade as my friends and I walked directly to the excess fare booth after arriving at Marylebone. If my intention was to evade I would not have corrected myself after I realised I said Amersham and not Stoke Mandeville. I agree the company is right to be suspicious of intention to fare evade. In view of saying ‘Amersham’ I can assure it was not in any attempt to avoid a fare. I can only confirm during the conversation with the RPO my mind was on other matters, we were running late for an event and passed through Amersham and the station was on my mind as at one point I was considering moving and working there.
I’m unable to comment on why my friends did not correct me when I said Amersham, I believe it was because they weren’t paying attention to the conversation as I took lead. I also believe it was because as we were on the way to an event and they were focusing on that. Please find attached witness statements from my friends detailing their version of events. I do not understand why my friends’ details were not taken down by the RPO as none of us had tickets and we all intended to purchase them at Marylebone, we approached the excess fare booth as a group, not individually. This leads me to believe I have been singled out by the RPO.
I am extremely worried a conviction will result in the loss of my good name and could negatively affect future employment. I have a degree in Human Rights and throughout my career I have worked with vulnerable people, I have deep concern that I will not be able to continue my career should I receive a criminal conviction.
Once again I sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused. I am very keen to resolve the situation and kindly ask if you would accept a settlement of the outstanding fees plus any administration fees that have incurred as a result.