ha-ha we win FREEDOM RIDERS FREE TO GO! Charges against two rail cuts protesters aged in their 60s who were arrested at Sheffield Railway Station have been dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service.
The CPS confirmed to The Star that charges of obstructing police and fare evasion against Tony Nuttall and George Arthur have been dropped.
The ‘Freedom Riders’ from Barnsley Retirees Action Group were arrested on June 23 during protests against cuts to travel passes for elderly and disabled people.
Tony Nuttall was charged with obstructing a police officer and George Arthur with obstruction and fare evasion.
The pair had been due to face trial at Sheffield Magistrates Court on December 8.
But criticism was levelled at police for the way the two were handcuffed and detained following a video of the arrests going viral via The Star’s website.
South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive has since reinstated passes for the disabled but has told the Freedom Riders it will not reinstate free travel for OAPs.
Mr Nuttall said: “This is another win for the freedom riders in our on-going battle. We won round one in June when we got back free travel for disabled people and half-price on the train for older people. Now we have won round two.
“Round three is coming up and we intend to keep on fighting as hard as we can.
“We are not going to do any freedom rides at the moment. But If the Transport Committee and the Combined Authority do not give us a commitment to reinstating free train travel by January, then we will re-start the freedom rides.