In these kind of situation I would say go to court and put you case forward. Even if TLF bother sending someone to the court they'll have one hell of a job proving that you were intentionally trying to dodge the fare ( unless you have be caught before). In most cases like this the magistrate will take a dim view of the authority in question. Especially if the inspector did not tell you what he intended to do. Bear in mind that TLF and other authorities rely on apathy and people's fear of the legal system.
In these kind of situation I would say go to court and put you case forward. Even if TLF bother sending someone to the court they'll have one hell of a job proving that you were intentionally trying to dodge the fare ( unless you have be caught before). In most cases like this the magistrate will take a dim view of the authority in question. Especially if the inspector did not tell you what he intended to do. Bear in mind that TLF and other authorities rely on apathy and people's fear of the legal system.