Intention to Prosecute - No Railcard during inspection

[Mermaid000]

Hi Guys,

Last August I was not able to produce a Railcard at Luton I got an Intention to Prosecute letter. 

I had a digital EMR ticket from St. Pancras to Luton.

Barriers were malfunctioning at Luton so the officer had to scan tickets individually.

My ticket had a 26-30 Railcard which I was not able to produce. I was just panicking at this point.

I told the officer that I must have had this on my other train apps (Tripp, Trainline, EMR) as I do everything digital, he asked me to send a screenshot via a link he provided, printed on a piece of receipt like paper.

I went home reinstalled all these travel apps (offloaded on a full storage iPhone) and to my horror I have found no railcards at all.

Im new to the UK and I rarely travel via train as I live and am based in Luton.

Looking at the situation it truly is my fault and Im so embarrassed this happened, out of my sheer stupidity.

My mental health has been wack since this happened and Im thinking I might end up in jail because of this. 

I'm not sure what to write on my letter other than the truth - that I apparently had no railcards at all and was an honest mistake. 

Also the same night as I was panicking I just bought a 26-30 railcard. Obviously that would not be valid at the time of travel and they would know this. 

What do you guys think I should emphasize on my letter?

I have read through some forums/solicitor pages online and I dont want this to go to court or progress further,  I know my response will be vital.

If just tell them I unknowingly did not have a Railcard and apologise - and highlight that there was no intention to travel without one - is this enough for them to prosecute me still? 

By the way this was the offence in the letter for context:

Details of Offence:

·       That you on 12 Aug 2023, did enter a train for the purpose of travelling on the railway, and upon inspection at Luton (LUT); did not produce a valid ticket entitling travel.

 Please your advice would be greatly appreciated.  

Thanks x  

[FTMDave]

24 minutes ago, Mermaid000 said:

Im thinking I might end up in jail because of this.

There is now way whatsoever you will get a custodial sentence for something which is a petty offence (not petty for you I realise, but in the grand scheme of the law it is a petty offence).

The worst you will get is a fine.

Hopefully you won't even get that if you follow the advice of the regulars here.

 

[dx100uk]

simply reply to the email address as you have here.

you made a genuine mistake, and have now rectified the situation.

be honest and truthful, short and brief, but grovel and ask for an out of court settlement.

we don't jail people in the country for an innocent mistake.

dx

 

[BazzaS]

Why did you believe you had a Railcard?.

[honeybee13]

If you want to post up the letter you propose to send, we can proof read it for you.

What the rail company need to see is that you show remorse for what you did and that you understand the seriousness of travelling without a valid ticket well enough that you won't do this again.

HB