Surely the evidence of any purchased tickets can be produced, either by the Student or Scotrail.
If ticket was bought and Scotrail issued incorrectly, there should be full apology. However, student could have bought correct ticket on the train and complained later.
If student bought incorrect ticket by accident then well, HE should have apologised to ticket inspector and bought correct one – they do sell them. He could have got refund on his incorrectly bough one later.
If student has not bought a ticket at all and chanced getting away with it, then he is a lying wee toe-rag.
In either scenario he should have been more polite to the Inspector, bought a correct ticket or got off the train. He acted incorrectly and I have absolutely no sympathy for him.
The Big Man took the law into his own hands without knowing if any law was broken or what the consequences would be. It should have been left for teh Police to get a full understaning and take appropriate action. There was no violence before (but maybe some abusive language) so there was absolutely no need for this downright assault.
2 days prison over Xmas for both of them will soon let them reflect on their behaviour.