Woman fights to clear name over 'fraudulent' fine

A woman who was incorrectly fined for travelling without a rail ticket says more needs to be done to check the identities of people caught by ticket inspectors.

Loretta Cawcutt, 55, from Farley Hill, Luton, found out she was being penalised only when she saw money was being taken out of her universal credit each month.

Another woman had falsely given Ms Cawcutt's name when she was stopped by an inspector at St Albans station in June 2023 for not having a valid ticket.

A spokesperson for Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) said: "We are extremely saddened to hear of this sickening fraud which has obviously caused so much distress to Ms Cawcutt. Sadly, we had no idea someone had used her name."

Ms Cawcutt said she rarely travelled by rail and "the only time I have ever been on a train in the last 10 years was to watch Luton Town at Wembley".

She found out about a year after the other woman had committed the offence that she had been taken to court and sentenced in her absence, with a fine of £484.

She had not heard anything from the court because the correspondence had been sent to a different address.

The fine has been taken from her universal credit at a rate of about £20 a month.

Ms Cawcutt said that when she contacted the court she was told: "You would not believe the number of cases we get like this."

She has sent the court a picture of herself with her passport details and is waiting for an update.

If that evidence is not accepted, she will have to make a statutory declaration and go to court to swear on oath that it was not her who committed the offence.

"I cannot tell you the anguish and stress I am feeling and how this needs to be exposed to stop other innocent people going through the same process," she said.

A GTR spokesperson said: "We have provided details on how she can appeal the magistrates’ court decision by providing a statutory declaration that she was unaware of the case. It can then be reset and resolved."

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