Local people are being ordered to pay massive fines in court for not buying a train ticket, the Advertiser can reveal, as train companies are scrutinised for heavy punishments for passengers.

Sometimes the total fine can be nearly 50 times the price of the original train ticket, with a penalty fine, compensation, victim surcharge and court costs all racking up.

This was the case with one 20-year-old, George Francome of Cheney Manor Road, Swindon, who must pay £813.40 for not buying a £17.40 train ticket.

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He was travelling on South Western Trains at Southampton Central Station when he was caught on July 10 - his sentence was decided in his absence on October 16.

The total charge includes the original £17.40 ticket, plus a £440 fine, £176 victim surcharge and £180 court costs.

Another fare dodger, Jade Louise Dent, 35, of Crawford Close, Freshbrook was fined a total of £562 for a £74 ticket.

She was caught without a ticket at Bristol Temple Meads on May 25 and got her fine on October 14.

One 24-year-old is having to pay £420.20 after not buying a ticket - for £6.20.

Last December, Ryan Luke Pople of Pinehurst Road bought a GWR ticket for Swindon to Bath but travelled on to Bristol, further than he had paid. 

While many dodge fares intentionally, some claim they have made an innocent mistake - as in the recent high-profile case of Cerys Piper.

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The 23-year-old purchased a train ticket advertised as being valid at ‘any time of day’ but was taken to court and fined £462.80.

It turned out Railcards cannot be used with ‘anytime’ or ‘off-peak’ tickets under the value of £12 before 10am – meaning her ticket was declared invalid.

Many rail fare evasion prosecutions were recently declared void after rail companies were found to be prosecuting people under the single justice procedure - which is not allowed.

The SJP allows magistrates to decide on minor offences, such as using a television without a licence or driving without car insurance, without defendants going to court.

Rail companies were permitted to use the SJP in 2016 to privately prosecute fare evaders, but many of those were brought under the Regulation of Railways Act 1889, which is not allowed under the procedure.

The Swindon examples in this article were under the Regulation of Railways Act 188 - although there is no evidence of the use of the SJP in these cases.

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