I think it’s more a case of they’ve demanded in excess of a thousand pounds from a passenger they’ve let down and are unable to provide ANY evidence to support their claim.That seems a fairly risky thing to consider. Whether it goes to court or not, failing to meet the burden of proof in a criminal case does not mean there is no case and that GA would also lose in a civil case where the burden of proof is lower.
It’s (in their mind, and they tend to work on high profile cases rather than this sort of thing so this may blur their vision perhaps) barely a step away from threatening to take the bloke behind you in the queue at the post office to court if he doesn’t give you a fiver.