Again, in regards to the article, the fine has been imposed correctly by the court by due process.
I'm amazed you can come to that conclusion based on a Mail Online article.
I could look at the scant relevant information in the article and come to the opposite conclusion.
Regardless of what's in the article (it is The Mail after all), in court on the day, the magistrate is presented with a case and defendant is not present, nor replied to any correspondence ergo the imposition of the fine.
Any breakdown in what has led to that situation is not for consideration at the time in court. However, there is still a process - via statutory declaration - to follow if that is the case. Maybe someone should point her to RailUKForums.
And e-tickets are not necessarily m-tickets are not necessarily e-tickets, depending on the
TOC▸ !