Govia Thameslink notice of intention to prosecute - advise please

[trainuser777]

Hi all
I have just received a ThamesLink notice of intention to prosecute, asking for a response within 14 days. This is my first offence and I have been very upset and felt incredible guilt by the incident. There have been many tears.

I have drafted the below response which hopefully explains what happened, however I would be incredibly grateful for any feedback.

I would also appreciate any advise whether I should engage a lawyer at this stage? I just want the matter resolved outside of court, and would be happy to pay lawyer fees if this would help, and prevent this being drawn out further.
Thanks all


I am writing in response to the Notice of Intention to Prosecute regarding the incident on 7 November 2024 when I was stopped by a Revenue Protection Inspector at Alexandra Palace and did not produce a valid ticket.

I boarded the train at Biggleswade station travelling to Finsbury Park that morning. I usually purchase my train ticket as I travel to the station in the morning. Erroneously I forgot to buy a ticket as I usually would. I had recently had two personal matters happen - a miscarriage a few weeks earlier and a few days earlier on the 28th October I was robbed (both events I can provide evidence for if required) - therefore I was a bit emotional and had a lot on my mind which may have contributed to why I forgot to buy my ticket. I regret this mistake on my part and I take full responsibility for my actions. Please accept my deepest apologies.

When I was on the train I realised I hadn’t brought a ticket so I did what I thought was the right thing, although in hindsight realise I made a poor decision, to buy a ticket for a shorter journey than the one I was actually taking and purchased one straight away from Stevenage to Finsbury Park, albeit the train had already been passed Stevenage. I realise this was the wrong thing to do and again apologise for my actions.

When I subsequently spoke to the Ticket Inspector at Alexandra Palace I was not able to produce a valid ticket for the fare I was getting. I requested at the time to pay a penalty fare or fine however was advised because I did have a ticket, the case would be investigated and was told I could try contacting the Penalty Fare Office. I contacted the office that morning asking what I could do to resolve the matter and through tears explained the recent personal events to the lady on the phone, and asked what I could do to settle the matter. She was very kind however explained that there was nothing I could do and I just needed to wait for this letter to arrive.

I fully understand the negative impact fare evasion has on the railway system, and this is not something I want to contribute to. I believe I am an honest and good person, so this experience has really shaken and upset me.
This was my first offence and a one off incident at a time I was going through a lot, and I am both disappointed in myself and deeply upset by the experience. I accept full responsibility and am genuinely sorry.

I would be extremely grateful for the opportunity to resolve this matter out of court and I am willing to pay any fares, penalties, and administrative costs incurred.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

 

[jfollows]

Welcome to the forum!

You will get other input, but my first thought is that your response is too long, the reasons behind what you did are of course important to you, but I’m not sure that Thameslink/GTR is all that interested. So apologise, of course, say that you’ve learned from your mistake but above all that you won’t do it again. Then your final paragraph to ask to settle out of court.

Wait for more input from others!

But I’m sure you won’t need a lawyer, you will get better free advice here than just about anything you might pay for.

 

[trainuser777]

Thank you very much.
I understand your point about the context and why that may be important to me (heightening my emotions and a reason for why I may have forgotten to buy a ticket) but less so to ThamesLink. Will await other responses but really appreciate your message.

 

[MotCO]

You should understand that the person reading your letter has heard all the background excuses before, and what they are trying to assess is whether you now realise that you should always buy the correct ticket for your journey and will not 'reoffend'. @Hadders gives his usual good advice - apologise, let them realise that you now know what you did was wrong, that you have learnt your lesson, and will not do it again. Provided you engage with them in a positive way, you should be offered an out of Court settlement, and you will not need a lawyer.

 

[trainuser777]

You should understand that the person reading your letter has heard all the background excuses before, and what they are trying to assess is whether you now realise that you should always buy the correct ticket for your journey and will not 'reoffend'. @Hadders gives his usual good advice - apologise, let them realise that you now know what you did was wrong, that you have learnt your lesson, and will not do it again. Provided you engage with them in a positive way, you should be offered an out of Court settlement, and you will not need a lawyer.

Thank you for your advice, it’s greatly appreciated.

I have redrafted the below. Any feedback is appreciated.

I am writing in response to the Notice of Intention to Prosecute regarding the incident on 7 November 2024 when I was stopped by a Revenue Protection Inspector at Alexandra Palace and did not produce a valid ticket.

I boarded the train at Biggleswade station travelling to Finsbury Park that morning. I usually purchase my train ticket as I travel to the station however on this occasion I erroneously forgot to buy a ticket. I regret this mistake and I take full responsibility for my actions.

When I was on the train I realised I hadn’t brought a ticket so I did what I thought was the right thing, although in hindsight realise I made a poor decision, to buy a ticket for a shorter journey than the one I was actually taking and purchased one from Stevenage to Finsbury Park, albeit the train had already been passed Stevenage. I realise this was the wrong thing to do and again apologise for my actions. When I subsequently spoke to the Ticket Inspector at Alexandra Palace I was not able to produce a valid ticket for the fare I was getting.

I fully understand the negative impact fare evasion has on the railway system, and this is not something I want to contribute to. This was my first offence and a one off incident which I will ensure will never happen again. I am both disappointed in myself and deeply upset by the experience. I accept full responsibility and am genuinely sorry.

I would be extremely grateful for the opportunity to resolve this matter out of court and I am willing to pay any fares, penalties, and administrative costs incurred.

Thank you for your time and consideration

 

[MotCO]

Thank you for your advice, it’s greatly appreciated.

I have redrafted the below. Any feedback is appreciated.

I am writing in response to the Notice of Intention to Prosecute regarding the incident on 7 November 2024 when I was stopped by a Revenue Protection Inspector at Alexandra Palace and did not produce a valid ticket.

I boarded the train at Biggleswade station travelling to Finsbury Park that morning. I usually purchase my train ticket as I travel to the station however on this occasion I erroneously forgot to buy a ticket. I regret this mistake and I take full responsibility for my actions.

When I was on the train I realised I hadn’t brought a ticket so I did what I thought was the right thing, although in hindsight realise I made a poor decision, to buy a ticket for a shorter journey than the one I was actually taking and purchased one from Stevenage to Finsbury Park, albeit the train had already been passed Stevenage. I realise this was the wrong thing to do and again apologise for my actions. When I subsequently spoke to the Ticket Inspector at Alexandra Palace I was not able to produce a valid ticket for the fare I was getting.

I fully understand the negative impact fare evasion has on the railway system, and this is not something I want to contribute to. This was my first offence and a one off incident which I will ensure will never happen again. I am both disappointed in myself and deeply upset by the experience. I accept full responsibility and am genuinely sorry.

I would be extremely grateful for the opportunity to resolve this matter out of court and I am willing to pay any fares, penalties, and administrative costs incurred.

Thank you for your time and consideration

I'm not sure what your third paragraph adds. If anything, it may paint you in a worse light since short-faring implies a deliberate act whereas forgetting to buy a valid ticket seems more of an oversight. If you delete the third paragraph, it still reads well, shows your contrition, and that you have 'learnt your lesson'.

The other thing is to quote your reference number at the start of the letter.

 

[jfollows]

When I was on the train I realised I hadn’t brought a ticket so I did what I thought was the right thing, although in hindsight realise I made a poor decision, to buy a ticket for a shorter journey than the one I was actually taking and purchased one from Stevenage to Finsbury Park, albeit the train had already been passed Stevenage. I realise this was the wrong thing to do and again apologise for my actions. When I subsequently spoke to the Ticket Inspector at Alexandra Palace I was not able to produce a valid ticket for the fare I was getting.

bought
not “brought”
but otherwise better - in my opinion

 

[trainuser777]

I'm not sure what your third paragraph adds. If anything, it may paint you in a worse light since short-faring implies a deliberate act whereas forgetting to buy a valid ticket seems more of an oversight. If you delete the third paragraph, it still reads well, shows your contrition, and that you have 'learnt your lesson'.

The other thing is to quote your reference number at the start of the letter.

Thank you. I had added it because it’s factually what happened, and the ticket inspector scanned the ticket I had from Stevenage so didn’t want to skip the fact that this happened. But if you think I could remove then I will.

bought
not “brought”
but otherwise better - in my opinion

Thank you

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum!

I think the second version of the letter is much better. A few comments/obeservations:

1. Have you done this before? If you have (and not been caught) then don't say it is the first time?
2. GTR will check yoiur ticket purchase history so if this shows frequent purchases of tickets that indicate you might have short fared pn other occasions expect them to factor the cost of these journeys into the settlement.
3. You aren't required to incriminate yourself so if GTR's letter only mentions the date you were caught then confine your reply to that date only.

 

[trainuser777]

Welcome to the forum!

I think the second version of the letter is much better. A few comments/obeservations:

1. Have you done this before? If you have (and not been caught) then don't say it is the first time?
2. GTR will check yoiur ticket purchase history so if this shows frequent purchases of tickets that indicate you might have short fared pn other occasions expect them to factor the cost of these journeys into the settlement.
3. You aren't required to incriminate yourself so if GTR's letter only mentions the date you were caught then confine your reply to that date only.

Thank you very much.
I have been through my TrainLine history - in 2024 I spent £5,497 on tickets - more than if I had bought an annual ticket, so hopefully this supports the fact this was a one-off. There are however a small handful of trips (c. 10 out of 180) which aren’t my usual route (for genuine reasons) so if you think these could be perceived or indicative of me short faring in the past then should I just remove the “first time” reference? Surely they account for/expect some variation in trips though?

 

[Hadders]

Thank you very much.
I have been through my TrainLine history - in 2024 I spent £5,497 on tickets - more than if I had bought an annual ticket, so hopefully this supports the fact this was a one-off. There are however a small handful of trips (c. 10 out of 180) which aren’t my usual route (for genuine reasons) so if you think these could be perceived or indicative of me short faring in the past then should I just remove the “first time” reference? Surely they account for/expect some variation in trips though?

The only reason I raised the first time reference is because I’ve seen lots of people claim it’s the first time they’ve done it when the reality is they’ve done it loads of times - it’s just the first time they’ve been caught.