From the
Dorset Echo:
A MAGISTRATE sat in ^despair^ as fare-dodging cases were dropped after blunders by South West Trains.
The company withdrew nine prosecutions after failing to serve case details for the second hearing in a row.
Chairman of the bench Ian Sibley, sitting at Bournemouth Magistrates^ Court, said the court could not allow the cases to continue.
He said: ^As someone who pays for rail tickets, it fills me with despair that these mistakes are made.^
The allegations were all made against people travelling on sections of the Weymouth to Waterloo line.
Successful prosecutions of similar cases have recently resulted in offenders being fined ^200 or ^400 and ordered to pay costs of ^140 each.
James Allan, senior prosecutions manager at South West Trains, told the court that relevant staff had been sick and left the company over the summer.
He told the magistrates: ^It will be investigated, I can assure you.
^I have already been sending stinging emails from my Blackberry on the way here.
^I am not in a happy position and I don^t want to be in this position before the court.
^I will be demanding to know what^s happened and speaking to the various directors.
^I know how much it costs the company to bring this to court and this is also wasting precious court time.
^To say that action will be taken is an understatement.^
Mr Sibley said the court had to be consistent with the rules it applied to the police and could not allow a second round of adjournments.
Cllr Michael Filer, Bournemouth^s cabinet member for transport, said: ^This is very disappointing news and I hope it is sorted out as quickly as possible.
^As a tax payer I know some of our money is used to support the rail companies and if they are not operating efficiently we will probably be asked for more money in future years.^
Speaking after the case, Matthew Winnie, head of revenue protection at South West Trains, told the Daily Echo: ^I am disappointed the magistrates decided not to proceed but understand the reasons given.
^I can only apologise that the correct statements were not made available in time. I will ensure this will not happen again.
^South West Trains does not bring prosecutions lightly as fare evasion costs the railway significant amounts of lost fares.^
...cont.
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