A MARRIED rail union boss has been caught having an affair with a train driver 19 years his junior.
Dicky Fisher, 62, of striking Aslef, spent Thursday night with Kerry Cassidy, 43, at a Birmingham hotel.
A source said: “They’re both away on union business and what’s worse Aslef has been funding it.”
While lawful, his expense claims will shock union members who give up pay to go on strike.
Expense documents seen by The Sun reveal Fisher’s lavish trips, huge bar bills and corporate jollies on the credit card funded by union members.
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It is understood Fisher’s wife Nancy suspected his affair had been going on for up to a year.
He and Cassidy have met at hotels paid for by the union, and a flat which it owns in London.
On Thursday the pair stayed in Birmingham ahead of an Aslef training weekend, arriving a day earlier than most delegates.
They were pictured kissing and holding hands before returning to their hotel at 12.30am.
A source said: “Dicky’s behaviour is disgraceful.
“It’s an open secret that he’s been having an affair.
“His wife feels deeply hurt and betrayed.
“He’s led a double life and has been carrying on with Kerry while they’re both away on union business and what’s worse Aslef has been funding it, even if the expenses are themselves legit.”
District 6 organiser Fisher, of Leighton Buzzard, Beds, has spent 11 years in his £90,000-a-year role.
He is pals with Aslef General Secretary Mick Whelan and ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
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Cassidy is an instructor driver with Great Western Railway and the women’s representative committee member for District 7.
She is a Labour councillor in Liskeard, Cornwall, and recently separated from town mayor Simon Cassidy.
She has been pictured with Shadow Deputy PM Angela Rayner and hopes to become a Labour MP.
Fisher’s expense claims show he spent £2,392 on a five-day trip for him and three others to attend a conference in Senegal, West Africa.
They stayed at the Palm Beach Resort and ran up a £483 food and drink bill.
Fisher piled up a £1,497 bill at Aslef District 6’s Christmas party on December 12.
At a September work meeting, he and a guest polished off cocktails including five Espresso Martinis, three Mojitos and two Virgin Apple Mojitos, racking up a £162 bill.
In June he spent £2,152 on corporate hospitality tickets at The Oval cricket with train operator reps.
And he used the union credit card for a £1,098.10 iPhone in July.
Fisher, who enjoys free rail travel, even forked out £200 on a taxi journey in London.
While all the expenses appear to be legitimately claimed and relate to union business, members would likely be shocked at the sums.
They might also assume he would not conduct an affair while working.
In September, Fisher and Cassidy attended an Edinburgh event celebrating 100 female drivers.
Fisher’s claims show he stayed at the Indigo Hotel spending £53.40 at the bar.
That day Cassidy shared a photo of her with a group outside Scottish Parliament to say she was having an “amazing time”.
Quizzed about the trip Cassidy told The Sun she didn’t sleep with Fisher because they weren’t an item at that point.
Days later they attended the TUC Congress in Liverpool.
Expense records show Fisher spent around £350 on booze during the visit.
In December union bosses held a festive bash in Doncaster, which both attended. That night Fisher spent £352.35 at the bar.
This week he booked a £140 room at Holiday Inn in Birmingham city centre — part of a £12,000 group booking for an Aslef “weekend school” event.
He, Cassidy and another couple drank at The Sly Old Fox then dined at Santorini Greek restaurant.
The source said: “Dicky and Kerry try to see each other when they can and make the most of Aslef trips.”
The source said Nancy, his wife of 30 years who works for Network Rail, found out in September and confronted her husband.
The source added: “He admitted everything.
“She never saw it coming.
“Even after they rowed he raced down to London to stay with Kerry at a hotel.”
Nancy, mum to their grown-up son, confirmed the affair to The Sun.
A source close to Fisher said Dicky had apologised and wants to save their marriage.
But they added: “He’s expecting her to forgive and forget but in her mind it’s over.”
Cassidy confirmed her and Fisher’s relationship, and said she was looking forward to “spending the rest of my life with him”.
She insisted they only became an item in October.
She added: “I’ve known him for about 15 years and yes we might have been together once before, which he confessed to his wife, but also he confessed to about another 20 years of affairs.
“We’ve been at events together but separate hotel rooms, he doesn’t entertain me on the credit card.”
Cassidy said she and Fisher were saving money by sharing a room in Birmingham.
She said she’d stayed at an Aslef apartment with Fisher as well as other union officials.
She said Fisher has a key to her house and even came for a family Christmas with her ex-husband.
Fisher declined to comment.
His expenses could include other union members and be covered by the Aslef expense policy.
Membership is around £40 a month but varies by salary.
Strike costs venues £4billion
CONTINUING rail strikes are expected to cost the hospitality industry more than £4billion in lost revenue.
Union members first walked out in June 2022, with the strikes that followed involving 40,000 rail workers and hitting the majority of routes nationwide.
Industrial action ahead of Christmas was predicted to cost the sector £800million, while business bosses said the latest round would cost £350million — lifting the overall cost since the first walkouts to £4billion.
Chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association Michael Kill said: “Our industry is on the brink of collapse, with billions of lost revenue, increased taxes and the devastating closure of numerous businesses.”
They claimed there was a 22 per cent hike in hospitality businesses filing for administration last year compared with 2022.
The NTIA said: “This figure highlights the true extent of industrial action on businesses within the hospitality sector.”
Sarah Willingham of Nightcap, the operator of bars Dirty Martini and The Cocktail Club, said: “I genuinely can’t believe these train strikes have been going on this long, not just impacting the hospitality sector but good, hard-working businesses, small businesses and the high street.
“The Government must intervene. It’s time.”
Emma McClarkin, of the British Beer and Pub Association, said: “These strikes are a serious blow for pubs across the country.
“There is a financial cost to the country’s pubs, who operate on narrow margins and need all the footfall they can get.”
