UK Law | Theft by Finding

[Trey of Diamonds]

In the UK you can be charged with a crime just by finding money on the street. It's called Theft by Finding. Check it out.

http://www.kevinboone.com/PF_findapenny.html

And here is an actual case.

Student finds mobile phone while out celebrating his 18th and is ARRESTED after handing it in to police | Mail Online

I find this a strange law. Anyone care to comment on it?

 

[Panda]

What a ridicolous law. Almost as bad as:

" It is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls of York, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow"

or

" It is illegal for a woman to be topless in Liverpool except as a clerk in a tropical fish store"

I have to admit I've handed in things I have found to the police before and never been arrested. Maybe it doesn't apply to Scot's Law.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I have to admit I've handed in things I have found to the police before and never been arrested. Maybe it doesn't apply to Scot's Law.

My first thought was that it might be one of those things that only applies on April Fool's Day.

 

[Panda]

My first thought was that it might be one of those things that only applies on April Fool's Day.

I never got why it was called April Fool's Day, as it only lasts to noon. But yea you might be right.

 

[3.14]

thats the april fools joke it actualy lasts the whole day

ps
i would sue there pants off
rule number one: on your 18 birthday your allowed to go crazy so police should cut some slack on that day
rule number 2: if someone returns something its not a theft because that would make anyone who handle's it a thief (the police officer should have spent the 4 hours along with him in jail since he was not the rightfull owner
rule number 3: laws must be applyed when appropriate not every time its possible


(" It is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls of York, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow" )
i'm tottal gona try that just walk near a police station give a schot a bag containing a bow and arrow and the disembowel him then walk inside the police station and ask for a paper towel , (though with my luck il get arrested for loitering)

 

[linwood]

I find this a strange law. Anyone care to comment on it?

It would seem to me after reading a variety of recent news about British law and culture that they are in the midst of losing their collective cultural minds.

 

[Panda]

thats the april fools joke it actualy lasts the whole day

Silly, anyone that makes an April fools day joke after noon is the fool. Everyone knows that.

 

[3.14]

thats the whole joke, there not they just pretent to be to see how many people would fall for it

 

[Trey of Diamonds]

Silly, anyone that makes an April fools day joke after noon is the fool. Everyone knows that.

Americans have lost sight of the particulars of this holiday, (and many others). Don't tell me you're surprised by this.

 

[BadBeast]

It is also on the statute books still, that if any Welshman is caught within the boundaries of Chepstow after darkness falls, then it is perfectly Legal to kill him with a bow and arrow.

 

[nnmartin]

In the UK you can be charged with a crime just by finding money on the street. It's called Theft by Finding. Check it out.

It's actually quite a commonsense law if you think about it.

for example if you found a large bag of money, paperwork or high value item on the street it is obviously not yours so you have no right in keeping it.

It also means you cannot use the tired old excuse of 'I just found it' if caught with an illegal item.

You won't get arrested just for handing something in to a police station - but only if intent to steal was there.

It is a useful tool for the law against burglary, theft and drugs.

 

[Kathryn]

Americans have lost sight of the particulars of this holiday, (and many others). Don't tell me you're surprised by this.

We just don't give a rat's *** - we do things the way we like to do them, and we like for April Fool's Day to last all day.

And we don't do May Day or Boxing Day either. GASP!

And we have Thanksgiving and then a month later have basically the same huge meal all over again. Go figger.

 

[Father Heathen]

I never got why it was called April Fool's Day, as it only lasts to noon.

Who made that one up?

 

[BadBeast]

Who made that one up?

It's something to do with the fact that April the first is actually made up of the previous 3 year's extra 6 hours. Therefore, every 1st of April contains 6 hours that don't theoretically exist. So we get one morning a year to pull stupid pointless pranks on each other, without having to face the consequences of crap and/or dangerous practical jokes pulled at any other time of year.

 

[Trey of Diamonds]

Wow, this one's a blast from the past. Some of the strangests threads reappear for no reason.

 

[Breathe]

And we don't do May Day or Boxing Day either. GASP!

Aw, that sucks.
I usually enjoy Boxing Day more than Christmas. Probably influenced by my family have had a party on or near Boxing Day every year for the past 30 years; longer than I've been around.

 

[Meow Mix]

*googles "Boxing Day"*

*isn't kidding, has no idea what that is*

 

[Kathryn]

Well, Boxing Day seems like fun. We just don't do it in the US.

Or Guy Fawkes Day either, for that matter.

We DO have Thanksgiving though, which is loads of fun - and we usually manage to make a four day holiday out of it.

We also mark the Martin Luther King Jr's birthday, as well as George Washington's. Most of us don't do anything SPECIFIC on those days, other than go shopping or sleep in though, but hey, it's nice to have the day off! Same with Columbus Day.

Of course, the 4th of July is great fun! And then there is Memorial Day and Veterans Day - some people have specific traditions for those days, especially people in military families.

 

[Breathe]

*googles "Boxing Day"*

*isn't kidding, has no idea what that is*

Did you like what you find?

 

[Breathe]

<<snip>>.

We don't celebrate Thanksgiving. I wish we did. It seems pretty awesome. I was lucky enough to be in the States for July 4th when I was about 14... it's ruined every firework display I've been to. Damn you, America, you make everything Britain does look like half-hearted crap.