Taking stuff that isnt yours

I once found a £20 note in the street once, the entire street was empty.

I kept it.

I fail to see how any other course of action should have been taken...
 
I think the OP needs to learn to look after his items a lot better, how can you lose so much of your stuff? You must be stupid to do it so often.
 
daelo said:
meh i have made my views quite clear earlier on, if i find something of reasonable value i would consider handing it in depending on the location, if i find a wallet/purse with small amount of money i would prob keep the money and hand in the said wallet purse, i'm not a criminal or thief as so many people hear are proclaiming people to be
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Err...

Theft Act 1968 said:
1.Basic definition of theft.

— (1) A person is guilty of theft if he dishonestly appropriates property belonging to another with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it; and “thief” and “steal” shall be construed accordingly.

(2) It is immaterial whether the appropriation is made with a view to gain, or is made for the thief’s own benefit.
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So yes, you are.

The thing that was stolen from me that upset me the most was my pair of headphone (cans). They were fairly old and beat up and I made the mistake of placing them on the top of the gym locker. By the time I returned they were gone, and were not placed in the lost property. Just who would steal headphones? I add that this was from a redbrick university gym - you have to be careful everywhere nowadays it seems.
 
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I agree that keeping the cash from a wallet is theft if the owner is traceable or if it was found in a specific place (not on the ground of a busy steet for example).
 
Oh I just found the name of the offence, it's called "theft by finding" so yeah, if you keep something that you find without making a reasonable effort to locate the owner you're a theif, as defined by the law.
 
I could potentially tolerate someone taking a little money from the wallet... actually that still doesn't sit comfortably with me.. but keeping phones, ipods etc... that's frankly disgusting. Sure the person should have been less careless - but mistakes are made, there might have been an emergency or a distraction or goodness knows what.

I'm frankly appalled by this seemingly nonchalant attitude towards fellow human beings property.
 
Freefaller said:
I could potentially tolerate someone taking a little money from the wallet... actually that still doesn't sit comfortably with me.. but keeping phones, ipods etc... that's frankly disgusting. Sure the person should have been less careless - but mistakes are made, there might have been an emergency or a distraction or goodness knows what.
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Just out of interest where would you hand in an ipod that you found in a town that is unknown to you? Would you go out of your way to find a police station thus delaying your journey back home?

I find it odd that you think it's acceptable to steal money from a wallet but then say this:

Freefaller said:
I'm frankly appalled by this seemingly nonchalant attitude towards fellow human beings property.
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Is money not property?
 
gambitt said:
Just out of interest where would you hand in an ipod that you found in a town that is unknown to you? Would you go out of your way to find a police station thus delaying your journey back home?

I find it odd that you think it's acceptable to steal money from a wallet but then say this:



Is money not property?
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I said I could potentially tolerate then retracted my statement...

Honestly, I'd hand it in to the police. Why would I keep something that isn't mine? Besides I have an ipod.
 
Freefaller said:
They couldn't they'd be poor as you've got all their stuff ;)
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That made me
sgtscruffy.gif
 
If I found just a note or something lying around I would keep it.

If I found a wallet/purse and it had money in it I would hand it in to the police with the money in.

If I found any stuff etc I would also hand this in.
 
gambitt said:
So you wouldn't mind if this happened to you?



Daily Fail I know but it did happen nontheless
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Of course I'd mind. I'd be furious! However I'm not a student and think that my credentials would help go some way to avoid that.

However I can say that I have genuinely taken a detour on the way home to drop off a wallet before - it had pictures in it and lots of personal stuff. No idea if the person ever collected it, and don't really care much, but I feel happy that I've done the right thing. I've also handed a camera in which seemed to be a tourist's again, no idea if they got it back, but why would I keep it?

I know I sound very goody goody 2 shoes... but I'm being totally honest. :)
 
My father in law found a bag in the back of his black cab some years ago and handed it in to the police. Some months later, I can't remember the exact number, he got a call to say that as no-one had claimed it, he could have it. Inside was a diamond ring, a diamond bracelet and a pair of diamond earrings. My sister in law has them now.
 
Kenai said:
Because you're taking something that doesn't belong to you with intention of depriving the original owner of said item.

It doesn't matter if you find it in the street, 'finders keepers' stops working when you're 5. People don't just decide to leave an iPod on the floor because they don't want it anymore, that's someones lost property and keeping it is stealing it, because it isn't yours.
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If its got a tel no on / in it call the owner, otherwise keep it.. how are the police going to find the owner? and if they do the man **hours** wasted that our tax pays for would outweight the cost of the item...
 
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