AROUND 75,000 cases where passengers have been fined for fare evasion are likely to be quashed after it emerged at least two train operators used an incorrect procedure.
Northern and Greater Anglia have been using the Single Justice Procedure (SJP), a fast-track justice system where cases are decided by magistrates behind closed doors rather than in open court, and without the defendant having to appear. It is a process aimed at speeding up the throughput of legal action, with typical cases including TV Licence and some motoring offences.
The SJP was created in 2015 and allows train operators to bring private prosecutions for fare evasion under railway byelaws, but crucially they are not allowed to use SJP for cases brought under the Regulation of Railways Act 1889 as this was…
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The Railway (Digital) - 1 Issue, August 2024