What would you do.?

[Scrumpy]

Many years ago thieves did over the Argos shop..
The police, with sniffer dogs, search the surrounding area.. nothing found..
My friend ,who worked in another shop , later that day went to put rubbish in their bins.. He found 14 thousand wrapped up in a black bag.. The police, with dogs, had already searched this area..
None of the money could be traced back to the Argos store.. all used notes..
A fair bit of money back then.. Very tempting..

I had coffee with Shaun on Friday and we spoke of this incident.. He was the person who found the money.. He handed it over to the police..
Looking back he often wonders if he should have kept quiet..

What would you have done..?

[dextrous63]

Read about this recently.  Finders keepers isn't legally acceptable, and hanging it into the police is the best course of action.  If nobody claims it then it will be returned to you, the finder.

As it is, if you are caught with stolen money, then you might actually be putting yourself in the frame for the crime.  Best to be honest and sleep with a clear conscience, IMHO.

[Alex]

Read about this recently.

 If nobody claims it then it will be returned to you, the finder.

Is this still true today I wonder.

I think I would also hand it over to the police, begrudgingly.

[JBR]

Is this still true today I wonder.

I doubt it.
Handing it over to the police and eventually it will find its way into the government coffers.

[dextrous63]

Can't for the life of me find the recent article explaining it.  Where's Cass when we need him?

[Silver Tabby]

I doubt it.
Handing it over to the police and eventually it will find its way into the government coffers.

Surely it will go back whence it came - to Argos?  The finder should be rewarded for his honesty.

Had he kept it and the Police found out, he could have been accused of being part of the gang and been gaoled.

On the other hand - had he kept it and the thieves found out - he could have been killed!

[Vlad]

I would keep it. 

[Mups]

Read about this recently.  Finders keepers isn't legally acceptable, and hanging it into the police is the best course of action.  If nobody claims it then it will be returned to you, the finder.

As it is, if you are caught with stolen money, then you might actually be putting yourself in the frame for the crime.  Best to be honest and sleep with a clear conscience, IMHO.

I agree with this  ^  ^

[GrannyMac]

Theft by finding? I'd hand it in. 😬

[Scrumpy]

I would keep it.

And therein lies a truthful man....

[klondike]

Theft by finding? I'd hand it in. 😬

Petty offence. Not as if it's misgendering or some other similar hate crime so I doubt it would be investigated.

I really don't know what I'd do. Taking the moral high ground is easy but would a bagful of cash trump that. I think in my case it maybe could.

[1955vintage]

If you keep it you are stealing.....but it is decision you can only make when you are confronted with it.

I like to think I would hand it in, but until I am in that position, it would be wrong of me to announce what I would do.

[Scrumpy]

When I was younger I probably would hand it in.. for fear of being caught..

Now I am older.. I don't really know.. It would have to be a secret taken to the grave.. Couldn't risk telling anyone..
It certainly would be very tempting..
They were small time villains ... I suppose you could call them rogues.. No knives or guns back then where I lived..
It would have paid for my roof repairs.. 

[Cassandra]

Can't for the life of me find the recent article explaining it.  Where's Cass when we need him?

The Theft Act of 1968  states that theft is applicable if one "dishonestly appropriates property belonging to another".

This categorises anything owned by another person or body, including cash, continuing to belong to its original owner unless it has been "genuinely abandoned".

For instance, cash being dropped in the street does not necessarily mean it has been abandoned, and it is up to the person finding the cash to be sure that the owner is untraceable.

Say cash was dropped or misplaced, the burden of responsibility to prove the rightful owner cannot be found, lies with the 'finder'.

In all cases (no matter the amount) the cash should be handed into a Police Station in the first instance. The finder can then claim the item, if it not re-united to the rightful owner within 28 days.

Proving something was stolen is fact-specific, i.e. it is a matter of credibility determination. The more evidence you have the better. There is no route one, to determine "How do I prove it?"

You can file an action in replevin (n. under Common Law, the right to bring a lawsuit for recovery of goods improperly taken by another), if you believe the person still has the item stolen and you want it back. If they do not have it, you can then file an action for conversion. You can file a complaint alleging both counts (conversion and replevin) in the alternative.

Cash has no conscience, therefore it's reasonable to assume that the amount stolen in the highlighted case was the property of the robbed shop that same day. Remember again, the finder has to prove any claimer's right to be foundless beyond any reasonable doubt, before assuming possession. In most cases a large cash robbery such as this would have yielded an automatic 'reward' for it's revelation to the finder, which normally assuages any desire to - 'stash the cash' - illegally.

If you decide to keep something you find and not to disclose it, thats a morality judgement, but it is one taken illegally. I remember one tragic case I adjudicated upon in particular. A nine year old boy had discovered a loaded .38 pistol in a ditch, whilst hunting for newts. Innocently he'd played with it (thinking it a toy) and in a game of 'cops & robbers' innocently shot his 6 year old brother (who fortunately survived).

'non armenta minantur bene' - not all things bode well.

[dextrous63]

Thanks Cass.  Really appreciate the explanation/clarification.

Glad that you finished with a not entirely unhappy anecdote.