GTR Witness Statement -No Letter Received Yet, Unsure What to Do Next, please help!

[wangee]

Hi everyone, thank you very much in advance for reading this post and all of your help and advices that you can offer!

I was travelling from Potters Bar to London KingsCross and got caught using 16-17saver railcard for the journey, it was a genuine mistake that I select the wrong card when I bought the ticket as I was in a huge rush (and the price did not differ much, less than a pound). Then I realized the wrong railcard in the middle of the purchase (on Uber) but it was too late, the payment had gone through, and stupidly, I decided to just go with it. It was a Saturday late afternoon and I stupidly hoped it will be ok as I was in a rush, but I fully admit this was the wrong decision and I completely regret it.

When the inspector asked about the railcard, I tried to explain it was a mistake. He asked if I wanted to "speak to someone from the company" — I didn’t really understand what that meant, but said yes, and he issued me a witness statement. I offered to pay the fare difference or a fine on the spot, but he declined. During this, he had some issues finding my address and said something was being flagged in their system due to incorrect details (I’ve had a prior issue in the past — I was once fined for being in a first-class section by mistake on a GTR train).

I gave him my ID with my full address (which was correctly shown on their system, so I am still unsure of what he meant the system flagged up), and he said he would note that I was cooperative and provided correct contact details. I double-checked on his electronic device that my address was entered correctly — and it looked fine at the time — but the printed witness slip he gave me is missing my flat number. I’m now very worried that’s why I haven’t received anything in the post.

It is been over a month and I have every intention to be cooperative and proactive to get this issue resolved, I am very stressed and losing sleep over this matter.

Could you please advise me on what to do next? Should I email the prosecution team directly?

Just to be completely honest, I commute daily from Cambridge to Potters bar (return journeys) for working days and I have occasionally bought 16-17savers ticket once or twice this year when it is very late at night to save money, I bought almost all my tickets on Uber and Trip.com, should I mention this to them? I feel so sorry and ashamed and really learnt my lesson.

Any advice or shared experiences would mean the world right now. Thanks so so much again to everyone who took the time to read this!! please help!

If emailing the prosecution team is the best action now, could anyone please read my email and give any comments? Thank you so much!

Dear Prosecutions Team,

I hope you are well.

I am writing in relation to case reference XXXX, regarding an incident that occurred on 22nd February 2025, where I was stopped by an inspector when travelling from Potters Bar to London King’s Cross using a ticket purchased with a wrong railcard.

I am terribly sorry for this incidence. It was a mistake made in a moment of rush and poor judgement, and I feel so sorry and extremely ashamed for the situation it has caused. I understand the seriousness of the matter and fully accept that I was in the wrong.

At the time of the incident, I provided my ID and confirmed my full address with the inspector. However, I recently noticed that the flat number was missing on the printed witness statement, and I am now very concerned that any correspondence may not have reached me due to this error.I have not yet received any letters or notices, and I am extremely anxious about missing an important deadline on this matter.

I am fully aware of my wrongdoing and am more than willing to take full responsibility for what happened. I would be grateful for the opportunity to resolve this matter, and I am willing to pay any fare difference, administrative costs, or other expenses incurred as a result of my actions.

I have learned my lesson from this experience and will make sure nothing like this ever happens again.

Could you please confirm whether any correspondence has been sent for this case, and if so, whether it might be possible to re-send it to me via email (XXX)

or the correct address :xxx

I have every intention to cooperate fully and resolve this matter as responsibly and smoothly as I can.

Thank you very much for your time, and I sincerely apologise again for the trouble my action has caused.

Best regards,

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Welcome to the forum.

As you are currently worried that you may have missed some correspondence, then it makes sense to follow GTR's guidance on their website at https://www.thameslinkrailway.com/h...r query is regarding,out to the address above.:

I have had my details taken and been told the Prosecutions Team will be contacting me but have not heard anything?
We are a very busy team and it can be a little while before we receive the inspector's reports and process them. If you are concerned you may have missed some correspondence, for example if you have moved address, you can e-mail the Prosecutions Team at [email protected] with the details you gave the inspector at the time and the date you made the journey, and we can look into this further for you.
It is vitally important that you inform us of any address changes, as it is likely we will be sending letters to you via the address given the revenue member of staff at the time, if correspondence is not replied to, this may mean that court action to recover any outstanding fare is taken.
PLEASE NOTE – This mailbox is only used to inform us of a new correspondence address or sending through evidence of a valid ticket or railcard at the time the journey was undertaken, this email address cannot be used to make any appeal or mitigation, any emails sent in this vein will be ignored and deleted.
Any ticket or railcard purchased after commencement of the rail journey will be wholly disregarded as this would not have been valid at the time of inspection

That also means you can simplify your letter as GTR are clear that at this point they only want to know about your address, and you wouldn't want them to miss that bit. I've struck through what you should miss out at this point.

Dear Prosecutions Team,

I hope you are well.

I am writing in relation to case reference XXXX, regarding an incident that occurred on 22nd February 2025, where I was stopped by an inspector when travelling from Potters Bar to London King’s Cross using a ticket purchased with a wrong railcard.

I am terribly sorry for this incidence. It was a mistake made in a moment of rush and poor judgement, and I feel so sorry and extremely ashamed for the situation it has caused. I understand the seriousness of the matter and fully accept that I was in the wrong.

At the time of the incident, I provided my ID and confirmed my full address with the inspector. However, I recently noticed that the flat number was missing on the printed witness statement, and I am now very concerned that any correspondence may not have reached me due to this error.I have not yet received any letters or notices, and I am extremely anxious about missing an important deadline on this matter.

I am fully aware of my wrongdoing and am more than willing to take full responsibility for what happened. I would be grateful for the opportunity to resolve this matter, and I am willing to pay any fare difference, administrative costs, or other expenses incurred as a result of my actions.

I have learned my lesson from this experience and will make sure nothing like this ever happens again.

Could you please confirm whether any correspondence has been sent for this case, and if so, whether it might be possible to re-send it to me via email (XXX)

or the correct address :xxx

I have every intention to cooperate fully and resolve this matter as responsibly and smoothly as I can.

Thank you very much for your time, and I sincerely apologise again for the trouble my action has caused.

 

[wangee]

Welcome to the forum.

As you are currently worried that you may have missed some correspondence, then it makes sense to follow GTR's guidance on their website at https://www.thameslinkrailway.com/help-and-support/penalty-fares#:~:text=If your query is regarding,out to the address above.:




That also means you can simplify your letter as GTR are clear that at this point they only want to know about your address, and you wouldn't want them to miss that bit. I've struck through what you should miss out at this point.

Thank you so much!

 

[WesternLancer]

Hi everyone, thank you very much in advance for reading this post and all of your help and advices that you can offer!

I was travelling from Potters Bar to London KingsCross and got caught using 16-17saver railcard for the journey, it was a genuine mistake that I select the wrong card when I bought the ticket as I was in a huge rush (and the price did not differ much, less than a pound). Then I realized the wrong railcard in the middle of the purchase (on Uber) but it was too late, the payment had gone through, and stupidly, I decided to just go with it. It was a Saturday late afternoon and I stupidly hoped it will be ok as I was in a rush, but I fully admit this was the wrong decision and I completely regret it.

When the inspector asked about the railcard, I tried to explain it was a mistake. He asked if I wanted to "speak to someone from the company" — I didn’t really understand what that meant, but said yes, and he issued me a witness statement. I offered to pay the fare difference or a fine on the spot, but he declined. During this, he had some issues finding my address and said something was being flagged in their system due to incorrect details (I’ve had a prior issue in the past — I was once fined for being in a first-class section by mistake on a GTR train).

I gave him my ID with my full address (which was correctly shown on their system, so I am still unsure of what he meant the system flagged up), and he said he would note that I was cooperative and provided correct contact details. I double-checked on his electronic device that my address was entered correctly — and it looked fine at the time — but the printed witness slip he gave me is missing my flat number. I’m now very worried that’s why I haven’t received anything in the post.

It is been over a month and I have every intention to be cooperative and proactive to get this issue resolved, I am very stressed and losing sleep over this matter.

Could you please advise me on what to do next? Should I email the prosecution team directly?

Just to be completely honest, I commute daily from Cambridge to Potters bar (return journeys) for working days and I have occasionally bought 16-17savers ticket once or twice this year when it is very late at night to save money, I bought almost all my tickets on Uber and Trip.com, should I mention this to them? I feel so sorry and ashamed and really learnt my lesson.

Any advice or shared experiences would mean the world right now. Thanks so so much again to everyone who took the time to read this!! please help!

If emailing the prosecution team is the best action now, could anyone please read my email and give any comments? Thank you so much!

Dear Prosecutions Team,

I hope you are well.

I am writing in relation to case reference XXXX, regarding an incident that occurred on 22nd February 2025, where I was stopped by an inspector when travelling from Potters Bar to London King’s Cross using a ticket purchased with a wrong railcard.

I am terribly sorry for this incidence. It was a mistake made in a moment of rush and poor judgement, and I feel so sorry and extremely ashamed for the situation it has caused. I understand the seriousness of the matter and fully accept that I was in the wrong.

At the time of the incident, I provided my ID and confirmed my full address with the inspector. However, I recently noticed that the flat number was missing on the printed witness statement, and I am now very concerned that any correspondence may not have reached me due to this error.I have not yet received any letters or notices, and I am extremely anxious about missing an important deadline on this matter.

I am fully aware of my wrongdoing and am more than willing to take full responsibility for what happened. I would be grateful for the opportunity to resolve this matter, and I am willing to pay any fare difference, administrative costs, or other expenses incurred as a result of my actions.

I have learned my lesson from this experience and will make sure nothing like this ever happens again.

Could you please confirm whether any correspondence has been sent for this case, and if so, whether it might be possible to re-send it to me via email (XXX)

or the correct address :xxx

I have every intention to cooperate fully and resolve this matter as responsibly and smoothly as I can.

Thank you very much for your time, and I sincerely apologise again for the trouble my action has caused.

Best regards,

More generally I think you need to be careful in how you present things in dialogue with the railway because you say:

got caught using 16-17saver railcard for the journey, it was a genuine mistake that I select the wrong card when I bought the ticket as I was in a huge rush

but later on you admit

I commute daily from Cambridge to Potters bar (return journeys) for working days and I have occasionally bought 16-17savers ticket once or twice this year when it is very late at night to save money,

so even if I was to give you the benefit of the doubt about how on the recent occasion it was a 'mistake' this sounds like on other occasions, when you think there is less chance of getting caught perhaps - you do this deliberately.

Bottom line is that the railway will not be interested in that distinction, and you should presume that now they have caught you for one incident they will check your on line buying records to see if there are other occasions you have done this and they will find that there are....

so any dialogue with them about what happened needs to drop the claim that you did this recently by mistake, because the risk is they won't believe it.

As an aside one thing you could do is buy a railcard you are legitimately entitled to use (if no other age related ones can be used I assume a Network Railcard would be of some use some times tho check it's usage T&Cs) - see that as an investment in the cost of the Railcard that you can set against being prosecuted on the basis it is something can say you have done to legitimately reduce your train fares as a result of learning a lesson from this - which is part of the way to secure an out of court settlement.

 

[Camsus]

Hi everyone, thank you very much in advance for reading this post and all of your help and advices that you can offer!

I was travelling from Potters Bar to London KingsCross and got caught using 16-17saver railcard for the journey, it was a genuine mistake that I select the wrong card when I bought the ticket as I was in a huge rush (and the price did not differ much, less than a pound). Then I realized the wrong railcard in the middle of the purchase (on Uber) but it was too late, the payment had gone through, and stupidly, I decided to just go with it. It was a Saturday late afternoon and I stupidly hoped it will be ok as I was in a rush, but I fully admit this was the wrong decision and I completely regret it.

When the inspector asked about the railcard, I tried to explain it was a mistake. He asked if I wanted to "speak to someone from the company" — I didn’t really understand what that meant, but said yes, and he issued me a witness statement. I offered to pay the fare difference or a fine on the spot, but he declined. During this, he had some issues finding my address and said something was being flagged in their system due to incorrect details (I’ve had a prior issue in the past — I was once fined for being in a first-class section by mistake on a GTR train).

I gave him my ID with my full address (which was correctly shown on their system, so I am still unsure of what he meant the system flagged up), and he said he would note that I was cooperative and provided correct contact details. I double-checked on his electronic device that my address was entered correctly — and it looked fine at the time — but the printed witness slip he gave me is missing my flat number. I’m now very worried that’s why I haven’t received anything in the post.

It is been over a month and I have every intention to be cooperative and proactive to get this issue resolved, I am very stressed and losing sleep over this matter.

Could you please advise me on what to do next? Should I email the prosecution team directly?

Just to be completely honest, I commute daily from Cambridge to Potters bar (return journeys) for working days and I have occasionally bought 16-17savers ticket once or twice this year when it is very late at night to save money, I bought almost all my tickets on Uber and Trip.com, should I mention this to them? I feel so sorry and ashamed and really learnt my lesson.

Any advice or shared experiences would mean the world right now. Thanks so so much again to everyone who took the time to read this!! please help!

If emailing the prosecution team is the best action now, could anyone please read my email and give any comments? Thank you so much!

Dear Prosecutions Team,

I hope you are well.

I am writing in relation to case reference XXXX, regarding an incident that occurred on 22nd February 2025, where I was stopped by an inspector when travelling from Potters Bar to London King’s Cross using a ticket purchased with a wrong railcard.

I am terribly sorry for this incidence. It was a mistake made in a moment of rush and poor judgement, and I feel so sorry and extremely ashamed for the situation it has caused. I understand the seriousness of the matter and fully accept that I was in the wrong.

At the time of the incident, I provided my ID and confirmed my full address with the inspector. However, I recently noticed that the flat number was missing on the printed witness statement, and I am now very concerned that any correspondence may not have reached me due to this error.I have not yet received any letters or notices, and I am extremely anxious about missing an important deadline on this matter.

I am fully aware of my wrongdoing and am more than willing to take full responsibility for what happened. I would be grateful for the opportunity to resolve this matter, and I am willing to pay any fare difference, administrative costs, or other expenses incurred as a result of my actions.

I have learned my lesson from this experience and will make sure nothing like this ever happens again.

Could you please confirm whether any correspondence has been sent for this case, and if so, whether it might be possible to re-send it to me via email (XXX)

or the correct address :xxx

I have every intention to cooperate fully and resolve this matter as responsibly and smoothly as I can.

Thank you very much for your time, and I sincerely apologise again for the trouble my action has caused.

Best regards,

I'm afraid your story doesn't sound great

On this occasion, you made a "genuine mistake" by purchasing a 16-17 Railcard discounted ticket, only realising whilst making payment, yet you decided to carry on with your journey anyway in the hope "all would be okay."

You've also state that you previously received a fine with the rail company, as you travelled in 1st class without a 1st class ticket "by mistake."

You go on to admit you've intentionally avoided fares in the past using 16-17 discounted tickets.

If I'm reading your account and thinking this stinks of someone who was intentionally avoiding their rail fare, and has likely done so on other dates, the train company are bound to think the same.

 

[wangee]

More generally I think you need to be careful in how you present things in dialogue with the railway because you say:



but later on you admit

so even if I was to give you the benefit of the doubt about how on the recent occasion it was a 'mistake' this sounds like on other occasions, when you think there is less chance of getting caught perhaps - you do this deliberately.

Bottom line is that the railway will not be interested in that distinction, and you should presume that now they have caught you for one incident they will check your on line buying records to see if there are other occasions you have done this and they will find that there are....

so any dialogue with them about what happened needs to drop the claim that you did this recently by mistake, because the risk is they won't believe it.

As an aside one thing you could do is buy a railcard you are legitimately entitled to use (if no other age related ones can be used I assume a Network Railcard would be of some use some times tho check it's usage T&Cs) - see that as an investment in the cost of the Railcard that you can set against being prosecuted on the basis it is something can say you have done to legitimately reduce your train fares as a result of learning a lesson from this - which is part of the way to secure an out of court settlement.

Thank you so much for your feedback. I have a valid 16-25 railcard so I will make sure to buy the correct ticket.. back then I did that to save money when finance wasn’t great but it was only once or twice. I can drop the claim of it being a mistake when communicating with them and will be apologetic, I have every intention to settle this issue without going to court. However, I have not received anything yet, should I be emailing the prosecution team? If so, could you please give me some advice on my email?

What are the most likely consequences of incidence like this? I am extremely anxious over this thing…I feel awful and ashamed, definitely won’t do this again.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 31 Mar 2025 ==

I'm afraid your story doesn't sound great

On this occasion, you made a "genuine mistake" by purchasing a 16-17 Railcard discounted ticket, only realising whilst making payment, yet you decided to carry on with your journey anyway in the hope "all would be okay."

You've also state that you previously received a fine with the rail company, as you travelled in 1st class without a 1st class ticket "by mistake."

You go on to admit you've intentionally avoided fares in the past using 16-17 discounted tickets.

If I'm reading your account and thinking this stinks of someone who was intentionally avoiding their rail fare, and has likely done so on other dates, the train company are bound to think the same.

Hi, yes I see your point and I do admit that in the past I have done this to save money when finance wasn’t great.. I completely regret it. Do you have any feedback on the email that I drafted and do you think I should be proactive contacting the prosecution team now or wait for a bit longer?

 

[30907]

Fawkes Cat has amended your draft so that it only addresses the concern that you have missed some correspondence. At this stage that is all you should send, but do please come back for advice when they get back to you.

 

[wangee]

Fawkes Cat has amended your draft so that it only addresses the concern that you have missed some correspondence. At this stage that is all you should send, but do please come back for advice when they get back to you.

Thank you so much for your help! Should I send an email or a physical letter or both? Thanks again!

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Thank you so much for your help! Should I send an email or a physical letter or both? Thanks again!

As I quoted from GTR's website, email them at [email protected] to let them know about your correct address.

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum!

I agree with @Fawkes Cat Do Not email an explanation, simply send them an email to confirm your details and chase up their initial letter.

GTR will likely offer you an out of court settlement if you co-operate with them although you have come to their attention before which will make a settlement harder (although probably not impossible) to obtain.

When GTR's letter does arrive, posta redacted copy of it in this thread along with your draft reply and forum mmebers will proof read it for you.

 

[wangee]

Welcome to the forum!

I agree with @Fawkes Cat Do Not email an explanation, simply send them an email to confirm your details and chase up their initial letter.

GTR will likely offer you an out of court settlement if you co-operate with them although you have come to their attention before which will make a settlement harder (although probably not impossible) to obtain.

When GTR's letter does arrive, posta redacted copy of it in this thread along with your draft reply and forum mmebers will proof read it for you.

Thank you!

 

[wangee]

Hi all,

Hope you are all well.

I received the letter today and just wondering if I should be sending a printed version? and how long does it normally take to get a response from GTR?

I have drafted a response below, could you please kindly read my draft and any feedback would be greatly appreciated! I have a couple other shortfared tickets as I mentioned before, should I be mentioning those? as it doesn't seem to be reflected on the letter.
@Hadders @WesternLancer @Fawkes Cat (thank you!!) :

Dear Fares Evasion Manager,

I would like to start by offering my sincerest apologies for the incident of travelling on the railway without a valid ticket from Potters Bar to London Kings Cross. It was a very foolish act and I accept total responsibility for my actions. I have since come to understand how this affects the rail industry as a whole.

I am very concerned that my foolishness in this matter will affect my future employment, and I would be very grateful if you would consider allowing me to settle this matter out of court. I offer my full cooperation towards resolving the situation and offer to pay the fare I avoided for my journey (from Potters Bar to London Kings Cross), as well as any costs GTR has incurred as a result of my actions. I hope this shows that I am determined to not let this situation reoccur.

Best regards,

Thank you so so much for all of your feedback and help, this is so stressful and any tips and advices are extremely greatly appreciated

 

[Hadders]

Your letter is ok but take the bit out about your future employment prospects. GTR won't care about that and why should someone be treated diufferently if their future emloyment prospects don't matter?

I expect GTR will offer you a settlement.

 

[wangee]

Your letter is ok but take the bit out about your future employment prospects. GTR won't care about that and why should someone be treated diufferently if their future emloyment prospects don't matter?

I expect GTR will offer you a settlement.

Thank you very much Hadders, I will take the employment bit out. However, should I be proactive mention previous shortfared tickets and offer to pay for all of them?

I will have to go through my train ticket history, but there arebprobably 3/4 tickets that I bought with a child railcard.

Really regretting all of this..and learned my lesson.

 

[Hadders]

Unless GTR mention other occasions then there’s no need for you to mention them. Fundamentally you don’t need to incriminate yourself.

Be aware that it is possible that GTR might contact you about the other journeys at some point in the future.

 

[30907]

Unless GTR mention other occasions then there’s no need for you to mention them. Fundamentally you don’t need to incriminate yourself.

GTR's aim will be (1) to get you to stop cheating (2) to reduce their losses.
If their out-of-court offer succeeds in doing that, they will be happy

 

[wangee]

GTR's aim will be (1) to get you to stop cheating (2) to reduce their losses.
If their out-of-court offer succeeds in doing that, they will be happy

Thank you!