Last Thursday I decided to take a day away from the computer screen and get out and about in Lincolnshire. Booked a 7 a.m. Call Connect bus to Grantham bus station and had a bite of breakfast whilst waiting for the 9:14 LNER train to Lincoln, arriving 9:53.
When alighting at Lincoln Station I decided to check whether East Midlands Railway had done what they promised to do, which was to upgrade the ticket machines to offer the full range of tickets. Well, you guessed it - no, they had not.

Why am I exercised about this? Well, these ticket machines - hang on, I have a picture of them ....

have on them a button marked "Cheapest fare". Yes, that is what they say. And if you press the button marked "Cheapest fare" it offers you a ticket fare. But it is NOT the cheapest fare - not by a long way.

Example Lincoln to Grantham - offers you £13-90 which is the Anytime Day Single. What it does not offer you is any Advance Fare ticket

And the Advance Fare is £6-40, a considerable saving.
I put in a formal complaint in August 2023 to East Midlands Railway and also contacted Transport Focus - the "Voice of Britain's transport users" and Citizens Advice. Shouldn't a button marked "cheapest fare" give you .... the cheapest fare, I asked. No-one seemed to understand the question or be bothered about the rip-off.

Anyway, as I walked away from the station down towards the Magistrates Court I tried again, calling the number that East Midlands Railway advertised for their complaints department. And I explained to the person who answered the phone what the problem was. She proceeded to explain to me that the ticket machines would offer the fares but only much closer to the time of departure of the train! Really, I asked? An Advance Purchase ticket which you cannot purchase until it is almost too late? Well, she explained, they are in high demand and there might not be any left. Er, well, then I need to buy one now, before they are all sold out then, replied I. Some further non-sensical explanation was given and when I queried this, she said she would check with her supervisor, and then came back and spouted the same nonsense. At this point my patience ran out - let me speak to that supervisor then please?

Took a few minutes before the supervisor came on the line. Turns out that I was not speaking to East Midlands Railway but to National Rail enquiry line. Even more reason, I said to the supervisor, for you to provide accurate information then. What is this nonsense about having to wait to buy Advance Purchase tickets? Was that your advice?

It took quite a few minutes by which time I was in the lobby at Lincoln Magistrates Court and really wanted to get on with my day. But I persisted until the supervisor grasped the point and agreed to contact East Midlands Railway and lodge a formal complaint with them about their ticket machines, and also agreed to ensure that the National Rail staff were updated about the situation, so they could give out accurate advice (I will not hold my breath on that one).

Made my way through security (another story there!) and decided to check out Courts 1 and 2. There was a lovely Usher working Court 1. Called Richard, an older very experienced Usher who quietly, calmly and very efficiently popped in and out of Court 1 marshalling defendants, their representatives, Probation Service and the public in front of his three magistrates up on the bench in front of us.

He recognised me from previous visits and came over. Law student just wanting to observe some cases, Richard, said I. Peter Bell. Welcome, sir, said he, there is a seat inside just on your right.

If only all Court Ushers were so respectful, helpful and efficient.

Inside Court 1 a defendant was sat at a table in the middle between his lawyer sat to his left and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) person sat on his right. The defendant was looking at the Court Clerk (or is it a legal advisor, I will have to check) straight in front of him, with the three magistrates high up on the bench above her head.

On my right was a second CPS person. Whilst on the other side of the room was sat another suited professional positioned behind the defence lawyer. This turned out to be an officer from the Probation Service. A very tall, quietly spoken but obviously very experienced person. [My father worked as a Probation Officer when we moved to Wolverhampton but I never saw him at work in Court, only at the Probation Office near to Wolves Football ground].

Richard came in and out, speaking with the Court Clerk about which case the bench were going to take next, and then hurrying out to find his defendant and their representatives. He rarely sat down, on the go the whole time, and even when he did sit for a minute he was perched on the edge of his seat, ready to hurry off again to find one person or another.

I had with me a printout of the cases listed for hearing in Court 1 and a small A5 notebook in which to write and I settled down to try and work out what was going on, who was it in front of the bench and who the other people in the Court were.

The case I was watching was a Mr Davidson and I had joined as the magistrates were setting the case down for a trial, time estimate 3 hours, first available date after 8 April. Defence lawyer was not available that day, so it was listed for the morning of 11 April. Prosecution to serve any additional evidence within 28 days. Mention of initial duty of disclosure (did not understand that?).
Then the chair of magistrates said "Stand up Mr Davidson". You are granted bail with conditions to appear on 11 April @ 10 a.m. The following conditions: you are not to contact Deborah Reynolds and not to go to the businesses Cloud and Volto and Co. (apparently where DR works or has worked).
You are free to go. Be back here on 11 April @ 10 a.m.

And the defendant and his lawyer left the Court.

Court Clerk leant up to the chair of the bench and advised him, "Case of Henry Moody has been taken by Court 2".

And so the magistrates moved on to the next case - Benjamin Garner represented by Mr Crowton (I think that was the lawyers name). The defendant came in wheeling his wheelchair and the chair at the middle desk was removed for him to position himself in front of the magistrates.

The Court Clerk asked him to give his full name, date of birth and address. Mr Garner was very softly spoken so it was difficult to hear his replies but the Court Clerk seemed satisfied they had the right person.

It was explained that the defendant had previously entered a guilty plea on 12 January and the case had been adjourned for a pre-sentence report. This was not ready and I think it was the Probation Officer who stood and advised their worships that a letter had been sent to the defendant for an appointment but the letter had never been received. Could the matter be adjourned for 3 weeks and the report would be ready next time.

The CPS prosecutor said that the defendant was on unconditional bail and they were content for it to be extended further.

The Court Clerk suggested to the chair a date of 16 February @ 2pm in Lincoln.

The chair told the defendant - we are putting the case back to 16 February @ 2pm. We will see you in Court with the Probation Officer. We can impose any sentence that the law allows. You are granted unconditional bail to 16 February. Do you understand? Yes? You are free to go.

The Probation Officer was asked by the defendant if he had a date for appointment with the defendant and he replied, "I will see you outside".

And so their worships moved on to the next case on the list.

By now I had been in Court 1 for about an hour and I watched a couple more cases before deciding to take a break and make my way to the other part of the Court building which houses the County and Family Courts.

On my way past the main reception in the Magistrates Court I asked there about all of the cases on the list for Court 77 and one for Court 59 - where were those Courts I asked?

Oh, they are Administrative Courts with just a Magistrate and a Legal Advisor - something called Single Justice Decision (or something like that, said she). Oh, I said, are they not public hearings then? Could I observe any of them. Oh no, the public cannot see those.

And so I made my way over to the County Court. (to be continued)