for theft in law the police have to prove that you:
-dishonestly
-appropriate
-property
-belonging to another
-intenting to deprive the other
borrowing amounts to taking for his/her own use and is the same as
outright taking, regardless of whether you planned to return it.
If I were you I would bargin the offence down to "taking a pedal cycle
without consent". Theft act s12(5). Lower punishment, summary only,
fine only punishment.
Bob Robertson wrote:
> I saw on one of these police programs a guy was caught on CCTV late at
> night taking an unlocked bicycle and riding it around. When the police
> caught up with him he was a youngish lad probably in college who seemed a
> bit upset that his late night drunken antics was going to leave him with
> his first criminal record.
>
> I was wondering, could he just have argued that he was going to put it
> back where he found it once he finished riding it, hence not 'permanently
> depriving' the owner? He was probably going to keep it as a trophy but how
> would the police know? |