Hundreds of unlawful train fare evasion prosecutions have been quashed, impacting thousands of cases.
London: Hundreds of people had their train fare evasion cases dropped. This happened after a judge found the prosecutions were unlawful.
Last year, Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring ruled that railway operators misused a legal process. This ruling affected thousands of fare evasion cases.
The single justice procedure (SJP) was meant for minor offences. It allowed magistrates to decide cases without the defendant present.
Railway companies started using this process for fare evasion in 2016. However, they were not allowed to do so under the law.
In a recent hearing, Goldspring quashed 350 cases from Northern, 180 from TransPennine Express, and 36 from Great Western Railway.
He stated this should be the last hearing for these prosecutions. Over 28,000 cases were already quashed in November.
Other rail firms like Avanti West Coast and Greater Anglia also had their cases dropped. Goldspring emphasized that these cases should not have been pursued.
Sam Williamson, an engineering graduate, shared his experience with SJP. He faced prosecution for mistakenly using an invalid ticket.
He bought a £3.65 ticket with his railcard, not realizing it was invalid before 10 am. Northern Rail dropped the case after media attention.
Northern Rail is now reviewing its ticket enforcement approach. They have paused some prosecutions during this review.
A spokesperson stated they are committed to tackling fare evasion while considering evidence and circumstances.
They will continue strict enforcement against deliberate fare evasion and related issues.
