I make the return journey every week from Redruth to Truro to drop my son off to my mum who works in the cafe, I either buy a ticket on the train or at the ticket office - there is no self service machine! and catch next available train back to redruth This week the queue was huge I got on the train which was packed so no conducter came round. Usually I have a buggy so I exit through ticket barrier (I have previously been unable to get a ticket once before and as I explained to a member of staff he 'escorted' me all the way to the ticket desk). This week I went across the bridge to the cafe so I never left the station. There was 15 minutes until my return train, my son fell off the chair in the cafe and hurt his head I completely forgot I didn't have a ticket for the return journey I just jumped on! When the conducter came round I asked to buy a ticket, short story is she was very rude, kept repeating I couldnt get on the train without a ticket and didnt explain what she was taking my details for or what would happen. I had explained the situation and that I fully intended to buy the ticket but she was having none of it, unfortunately for me she was a revenues officer! Received unpaid fare notice requesting £104.30 or they will proceed with criminal charges as per regulation of railways act 1889 and/or railway byelaws. no info on how to appeal. I researched the subject and I'm unsure if she should have issued a penalty fare. Truro is a penalty fare station but Redruth isnt, the fgw prosecutions unit said it doesn't count if truro was not my destination? online penalty fare policy is rather vague but nrcoc state if you do not have valid ticket in cta , sra define cta below. haven't looked for the signs but it is a gated station, waiting for my friend to let me know what signs they have and fgw are sending me their policy but that may be by post! requested this from the prosecutions unit and was told i can look at the nroc! any help please? if it's not a penalty charge then any advice on how to proceed would be much appreciated! ‘Compulsory ticket area’ means any area at a station identified by a notice which indicates that people may not enter that area without a ticket or other authority allowing them to enter that area, or to travel on a train arriving at or departing from that area