[RailForum.Netter]

At an un-ticket gated railway station, if you pass the ticket machine and ticket office to go on to the platform, yet have no intention to travel, can you still be prosecuted for passing a ticket machine/office without buying a ticket i.e. are you still in a compulsory ticket area? Or, do Revenue Protection Officers rely on people admitting that they have travelled/attempted to travel?

For example, recently, I was near a station in the West Midlands, and I desperately needed to use the toilet. I went to the ticket office and asked to buy a platform ticket. I was told that they don't sell them anymore, because they are no longer needed. This station had no ticket barriers. I needed to pass the ticket office to access the toilet though. Is this information correct that I was given? Is it legally alright to pass the ticket machine/office at a station, as long as there are no barriers and you have NO intention of boarding a train?