Free Character Reference Letter Template

May it please the Court,

I write to provide a character reference in respect of Thomas James Whitfield (date of birth 3 April 1992) of 42 Station Road, Oxford OX1 2JD, for the purpose of criminal court proceedings under reference Case No. 2600123456/2026. I provide this reference in good faith, on the basis of my direct knowledge of the subject, and with the understanding that it may be relied upon by the recipient and placed before a court or other decision-making body.

My name is Dr Margaret E. Collins. I am a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at University of Cambridge. I am providing this reference in a personal capacity and I am aware that providing a knowingly false or misleading reference may expose me to civil liability under the principles in Spring v Guardian Assurance plc [1995] 2 AC 296 and Hedley Byrne and Co Ltd v Heller and Partners Ltd [1964] AC 465, and, where applicable, to liability under the Defamation Act 2013. I have not been coerced, induced or offered any reward to provide this reference.

I have known Thomas James Whitfield for 8 years. My relationship to them is that of Former academic supervisor and current mentor.

I first met Thomas when he enrolled on my postgraduate programme in 2018. Over three years I supervised his research and observed his interactions with fellow students and staff. Since his graduation in 2021 I have continued to mentor him and we meet approximately quarterly.

I confirm that this relationship is genuine, that I have regular and direct dealings with the subject, and that I am well placed to comment on their character.

Thomas is a person of excellent character, known for his integrity, reliability and strong work ethic. He is well-respected in academic and community circles alike, and has always conducted himself with honesty, decency and compassion. In all the time I have known him he has never given me cause for concern and has consistently demonstrated a willingness to put the interests of others before his own.

Thomas is a devoted family man and an active member of his local community. He volunteers regularly at the Oxford Food Bank, where he has been a shift coordinator since 2022, and coaches the under-12 football team at his local church.

In 2022, Thomas single-handedly organised a charity fundraiser for Sobell House Hospice which raised over £5,400. He coordinated more than 30 volunteers and donated considerable personal time without any expectation of recognition. His leadership and project-management skills are exceptional.

I understand that Thomas is before the Court in relation to a single alleged driving offence. I believe this incident, if proven, is wholly out of character and not reflective of the person I have known for eight years. Thomas has expressed sincere remorse and has already enrolled on a voluntary defensive-driving course at his own expense.

Thomas has cooperated fully with the proceedings from the outset, has taken responsibility for his actions and has expressed deep remorse to me personally. He has undertaken voluntary rehabilitative steps and has my full support in moving forward.

I make these observations in the context of the purposes of sentencing set out in section 142 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 and the Sentencing Act 2020, which include the rehabilitation of offenders and the making of reparation by offenders to persons affected by their offences.

For the avoidance of doubt, I hold the following professional memberships, qualifications and positions which I respectfully suggest lend additional weight to this reference: Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), Chartered Member of the British Psychological Society (CPsychol), Reviewer for the Journal of Applied Psychology.

This reference contains personal data of the subject within the meaning of the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018 (as amended by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, the bulk of whose Part 5 data-protection amendments came into force on 5 February 2026 by SI 2026/82). The lawful basis for disclosure is legitimate interest (UK GDPR Article 6(1)(f)) and, where appropriate, consent (Article 6(1)(a)). The information is provided solely for the stated purpose and should not be retained, disclosed or used for any other purpose without the express consent of the subject. This reference is provided without reference to any protected characteristic within the meaning of section 4 of the Equality Act 2010.

I confirm that I am willing to be contacted, whether by telephone, email or in writing, and where required to attend in person, to provide further information in support of the contents of this reference. I may be contacted at the address, telephone number or email address given in the letterhead above.

I respectfully ask the Court to take this reference into account when considering disposal. I would be happy to provide further information or to attend in person if the Court considers it would be of assistance.

This reference is intended to assist the Court in evaluating the mitigating factor formerly known as "good character" and now formally designated as "positive character" following the Sentencing Council Miscellaneous Amendments to Sentencing Guidelines in force on 1 April 2024. As the Council's expanded explanation makes clear, this factor focuses on the positive aspects of the defendant's character, notwithstanding the fact that they may have previous convictions; the weight to be given to it is for the Court in the exercise of its sentencing discretion. The observations I make above as to the subject's integrity, community contribution, professional standing and conduct in their personal life are offered as concrete evidence of positive character within the meaning of the revised guideline, and not as a generalised plea in mitigation. Nothing in this reference should be read as inviting the Court to disapply the purposes of sentencing set out in section 57 of the Sentencing Act 2020 (re-enacting and consolidating the principles in section 142 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003).

Without prejudice to the statement above as to disclosure under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, I confirm that I have had regard to the reductions in rehabilitation periods effected by sections 193-194 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, brought into force on 28 October 2023 by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 (Commencement No. 8) Regulations 2023 (SI 2023/1099). Under the reformed regime:

(a) community orders, suspended sentences and most custodial sentences become spent sooner than under the pre-2023 framework, with the rehabilitation period running from completion of the sentence;
(b) for the first time, custodial sentences of more than four years (other than excluded sentences listed in Schedule 2 ROA 1974) can become spent after a rehabilitation period of seven years; and
(c) excluded sentences (life sentences, public-protection sentences and sentences for offences listed in Schedule 18 to the Sentencing Act 2020) remain never spent.

I have accordingly treated any disclosed conviction in accordance with whether it remains unspent, has become spent under the reformed regime, or remains excluded, and I have not disclosed any conviction beyond what is required or permitted by law (including the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 in respect of Standard / Enhanced DBS check contexts).

I declare, for the assistance of the recipient and (where this reference is placed before a court or tribunal) for the Court, that the substantive content of this letter — including the description of my relationship with the subject, the assessment of their character, the specific examples of conduct, and any observations as to suitability for the stated purpose — is my own personal and considered observation, drawn from direct knowledge of the subject.

Where any general-purpose AI tool, large-language-model assistant or document-drafting platform was used in the preparation of this letter, such use was limited to clerical assistance only (presenting standard clause templates, statutory cross-referencing, spelling and grammar checking). No substantive evaluative statement above has been generated by an AI tool and adopted without my meaningful human review. Article 22(1) UK GDPR (right not to be subject to solely automated decisions producing legal or similarly significant effects) and the principles underlying the Courts and Tribunals Judiciary "Artificial Intelligence (AI) Guidance for Judicial Office Holders" (refreshed October 2025) and the Civil Justice Council's consultation "Use of AI in Preparing Court Documents" (opened 17 February 2026) — including the proposed mandatory AI-use declaration for trial witness statements under CPR PD 57AC and CPR Part 32 — have informed this declaration. I confirm that no statutory citation, case citation or factual statement in this letter is a product of AI hallucination; each has been verified against an authoritative source before signature.

I confirm that the statements made in this letter are true and accurate to the best of my knowledge, information and belief. This reference is provided in good faith, on an occasion of qualified privilege, in circumstances where the recipient has a legitimate interest in receiving the information and I have a corresponding duty to communicate it. I understand that I owe a duty of reasonable care and skill to both the subject and the recipient, and that a knowingly false or reckless reference may give rise to liability for negligent misstatement, malicious falsehood or defamation. The "serious harm" threshold under section 1 of the Defamation Act 2013 and the defences of truth (s.2), honest opinion (s.3) and publication on a matter of public interest (s.4) have been noted in preparing this reference.

YOURS FAITHFULLY,