I've just received a prosecution notice from Thames Link.. Please help.

[kp1106]

At the end of June, I took a train to Brighton from East Croydon. I do acknowledge that I didn't pay the full fare as I bought a railcard train ticket without having a valid railcard, and when I arrived in Brighton I was put through a ticket check at the exit gate which led to them asking for a railcard and me not being able to provide one. I do admit my intention was to make my trip cheaper by doing so, and this is due to heavy financial strain at the time (lack of liquid cash). I have now received a 14 day court notice and am very concerned about this situation. I'd like to settle this in the most amicable way possible, would anybody be able to help me with the next steps to resolve this/ what to put in the return letter.

Many thanks.

Further info - This is my first time dealing with Thameslink in this manner and being prosecuted, etc. I have always paid my tickets in full prior however on this occasion I was extremely tight on money, which led to my current predicament. Also, this letter arrived on the 27th of August and states there is a 14 day period before courts will be arranged.

 

[Haywain]

I have now received a 14 day court notice

Can you post a copy of what you have received, personal details suitably redacted, so that we can advise you appropriately?

 

[WesternLancer]

At the end of June, I took a train to Brighton from East Croydon. I do acknowledge that I didn't pay the full fare as I bought a railcard train ticket without having a valid railcard, and when I arrived in Brighton I was put through a ticket check at the exit gate which led to them asking for a railcard and me not being able to provide one. I do admit my intention was to make my trip cheaper by doing so, and this is due to heavy financial strain at the time (lack of liquid cash). I have now received a 14 day court notice and am very concerned about this situation. I'd like to settle this in the most amicable way possible, would anybody be able to help me with the next steps to resolve this/ what to put in the return letter.

Many thanks.

Further info - This is my first time dealing with Thameslink in this manner and being prosecuted, etc. I have always paid my tickets in full prior however on this occasion I was extremely tight on money, which led to my current predicament. Also, this letter arrived on the 27th of August and states there is a 14 day period before courts will be arranged.

You need to show the letter if you can because it’s possible this isn’t a 14 day court summons but is in fact a letter asking for you to tell them your side of the story within 14 days and if you don’t they will then commence prosecution.

So we need to know which because what you need to do is different depending on which it is.

If you follow advice from here on what to do then it may be possible to help you avoid being taken to court. In my view that should be your objective if at all possible.

So if you can give more info you will get some good help on what to do.

 

[kp1106]

You need to show the letter if you can because it’s possible this isn’t a 14 day court summons but is in fact a letter asking for you to tell them your side of the story within 14 days and if you don’t they will then commence prosecution.

So we need to know which because what you need to do is different depending on which it is.

If you follow advice from here on what to do then it may be possible to help you avoid being taken to court. In my view that should be your objective if at all possible.

So if you can give more info you will get some good help on what to do.

The attached image is a copy of the letter I received. With the personal/ key info blurred. Let me know if any further info is needed.

 

[WesternLancer]

View attachment 164486
The attached image is a copy of the letter I received. With the personal/ key info blurred. Let me know if any further info is needed.

Thanks. It’s vital you respond to this but it’s not a court notice.

Have a look at some other threads involving Thameslink/ GTR. Seek out posts from @Hadders advising on how you should respond to this with the objective of securing an out of court settlement offer and avoid prosecution.

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum.

You should be able to settle this out of court if you write a short, concise reply to the letter. I suggest mentioning the following int he reply:

- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident
- That you are keen to settle the matter without the need for court action
- Offer to pay the outstanding fare and the train company's administrative costs in dealing with the matter

Post a draft of your reply in this thread and forum members willbe happy to proof read it for you. Don't use AI to generate the letter, we can spot them a mile off!

GTR will normally offer an out of court settlement costing around £150 plus the fare avoided at the full Anytime rate. You will normally have to pay this in full within a few days of it being offered.

 

[kp1106]

Dear GTR,

I am very sorry for the current situation. My intentions were not cause harm or damage to your business and disrespect the service you provide. I know and admit that my actions were wrong leading up to the incident.

I know that purchasing a cheaper ticket that is only for railcard holders is not allowed when you don't own a railcard. On the day of the incident, I was travelling to a job interview in Brighton. At the time I didn't have enough money purchase the full ticket, so idiotically, I purchased the railcard ticket instead of waiting to be able to afford the full ticket.

In future I will ensure that I do not abuse and disrespect the service you provide for us. I am extremely regretful for what happened in Brighton and will never do anything of the like again. I sincerely apologise for the mistake I made and I have learnt from this incident.

Going forward, I am keen to settle this matter out of court. I am extremely sorry any administrative costs this might have caused and the incident itself. I am more than happy to pay the outstanding fare for the trip and any other costs due to my case. I really do regret my actions and would do anything to resolve this dispute amicably.

Thanks for your time,
[My Name]

I've just written this up quickly based on your feedback. Thanks a lot for the help so far. Please let me know if it is good or terrible.. Thanks

 

[John R]

I'd suggest you tear this up and start again, writing in plain English, and cutting out things like "not to be malicious to your business", and similar.

And when asking for a settlement, I certainly wouldn't put that you think it would be beneficial to both parties. It's not a negotiation - you need to ask them extremely nicely "please do not take me to court". And why would they "understand your side of things"? You tried to defraud them.

 

[Hadders]

I agree with @John R Have another go at it, I suggest reading some other threads in this section of the forum as there are sone good examples that you can base your reply on.

 

[John R]

I don’t think you are taking enough time to think this through. Just look at the first paragraph and ask yourself is it written in language that you would use. What does “disrespect the service” even mean? You need to write in plain English and not try and write 20 words when 10 will do.

It would be helpful too if you don’t continually edit #7, but set out a new draft in full, so that readers don’t get confused as previous feedback then appears irrelevant.

 

[kp1106]

Dear GTR,

I am very sorry for the current situation. My intentions were not cause harm or damage to your business and disrespect the service you provide. I know and admit that my actions were wrong leading up to the incident.

I know that purchasing a cheaper ticket that is only for railcard holders is not allowed when you don't own a railcard. On the day of the incident, I was travelling to a job interview in Brighton. At the time I didn't have enough money purchase the full ticket, so idiotically, I purchased the railcard ticket instead of waiting to be able to afford the full ticket.

In future I will ensure that I do not abuse and disrespect the service you provide for us. I am extremely regretful for what happened in Brighton and will never do anything of the like again. I sincerely apologise for the mistake I made and I have learnt from this incident.

Going forward, I am keen to settle this matter out of court. I am extremely sorry any administrative costs this might have caused and the incident itself. I am more than happy to pay the outstanding fare for the trip and any other costs due to my case. I really do regret my actions and would do anything to resolve this dispute amicably.

Thanks for your time,
[My Name]

I've just written this up quickly based on your feedback. Thanks a lot for the help so far. Please let me know if it is good or terrible.. Thanks

Dear Govia Thameslink Railway,

I am writing in response to the Notice of Intention to Prosecute sent on the 27th August,

On Wednesday 26 Jun 2024 I was travelling via the Thamselink service to Brighton station. I was stopped by a Revenue Protection Inspector and asked to provide a valid railcard, which I did not have.

I know that my actions were unacceptable and I accept full responsibility for the incident. On the day, I was short on time to make it for a job interview in Brighton. Then when I got to East Croydon I realised I couldn't afford the fare for the train. So idiotically, I purchased a railcard ticket. This led to me boarding the train without a valid ticket.

I am ashamed of my behaviour and am truly sorry for what I did. I assure you that this will never happen again. I am more than happy to pay for the full fare and any further costs due to my actions. I have learned from this mistake, and in future I am going to be a more responsible passenger.

I would be extremely grateful for the opportunity to resolve this matter outside of court. I am sorry for what I have done and would really appreciate the chance to rectify my actions.

Thank you for your time,

Name


I will continue to re write it if it's still terrible. Thanks for the feedback again. And in future I'll make new posts if I ever update/ rewrite the draft

 

[antharro]

I'm often one of the more critical people on here when it comes to letters, but that one's not bad at all. I usually advise leaving out the story part but I think in this case it's short enough and adds context, even if it's unlikely to change the outcome. The only thing I would change is this:

I am more than happy to pay for the full fare and any further costs due to my actions.

It's not for you to tell GTR what you're willing to pay. At this point you're at their mercy and I assume you'll pay pretty much whatever amount they propose in order to keep this out of court. Therefore:

I would like to offer to pay whatever Govia Thameslink considers reasonable in order to settle the situation.

Lastly, as you're not writing to an individual, sign the letter off with

Yours faithfully,

Firstname Lastname

Apart from that, good job!

 

[Hadders]

I agree, the latest version of the letter is good. Short and concise but giving all the relevent information.

 

[John R]

Yes, also agree it’s much better now.

 

[kp1106]

Thanks for all of the feedback, i'll write this up into a pdf document this afternoon and upload that as a the final draft. I'm super grateful for all your responses. If any of you have a paypal i'll get you a coffee if you want! Feel like you lot deserve something for what you do.

Thanks for all of the feedback, i'll write this up into a pdf document this afternoon and upload that as a the final draft. I'm super grateful for all your responses. If any of you have a paypal i'll get you a coffee if you want! Feel like you lot deserve something for what you do.

I've just made a final draft, should be attached here.

Thanks for all of the feedback, i'll write this up into a pdf document this afternoon and upload that as a the final draft. I'm super grateful for all your responses. If any of you have a paypal i'll get you a coffee if you want! Feel like you lot deserve something for what you do.


I've just made a final draft, should be attached here.

I sent the reply in the post. Hoping to hear back from them soon.