Rail chiefs could face up to two years in prison for using unqualified lawyers to prosecute alleged ticket fare dodgers, it has emerged.
Company bosses have been warned they may be “criminally liable” for letting non-lawyers act as court prosecutors against rail travellers accused of not paying the correct fare.
The offence carries a prison sentence of up to two years or a £5,000 fine.
It means thousands of criminal cases passengers faced before April 2016 could be erased as “they were instituted unlawfully”, an internal Department for Transport memo seen by the Telegraph has revealed.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has warned rail bosses that “any [ticket] enforcement must be proportionate and not punish those making genuine mistakes”.
She said in a letter published by the government on Wednesday that rail companies must stop using “lay prosecutors” in fare evasion cases.
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