hi i am new to this site and have a question 3 years ago i was caught for shoplifting and went to court i was fined £35 and given a condition discharge , i had been caught before that and given a £80 fine as it was my first offence. my question is i have been told that if someone is caught again after a year has passed they would just get a fine and would never go to court is this true ? thanks

I was in Leeds when I decided I would do some shoplifting. I had taken testers from a variety of different shops and hadn't been caught and then tried to take a pair of shoes from New Look when I was caught by a security guard in casual clothes. I was taken to the back of the room where I had to explain myself and told them that I had no previous convictions. The police were called to verify this and it was true. I was made to sign a Youth Community Resolution and told to pay a fine when a letter from RLP comes. The shoes were worth £29.99 and I do regret trying to steal everything because I had enough money with me. Do I pay the fine? I don't want this situation to escalate any further so any advice would be helpful. My friend had to sign the Youth Community Resolution form because I am only 17.

Today I was caught shoplifting £62 worth of products in Boots. I was spotted by the security guard (who wasn't in uniform) and I was taken to the security room. I was searched and the stolen goods were seized while the security guard made some very strange comments about me being a "godless woman" and having "the devil inside me". I am 17 years old so he asked for the details of a parent/guardian. Although I live with my mother, I decided to give my dad's details and address because if my mother ever found out about this I would be beaten black and blue and I'd probably end up in hospital. They called my father to confirm the details, they took some pictures of me and then I was given a piece of paper confirming my ban from the shopping centre for 6 months and from Boots for 6 months. They said that they'll be giving me a fine(?) of around £130, I can't really remember. The police were not involved. I've not stopped crying or shaking since being let out of the security room, I know it's silly, it could have been a lot worse. I just want to make sure that it's not possible for anything to be sent to my mother's address. I gave them my father's address, told them I permanently live there and even said that I'm not in contact with my mother so I can't see that anything would be sent to her but I want to check because I'm really on edge right now. Thanks

I was stupidly accused of shoplifting at a local Sainsburys store after using the Scan and Go system. As my Visa Electron card doesn't work on Chip and Pin machines in supermarkets, I'm forced to use cash at all times during transactions. I naively scanned half of my shopping and paid for it with the cash I had in my wallet and moved towards the exit of the store with the intention of leaving my trolley within sight of the ATM machine so that I was able to withdraw cash to pay for the remainder of my shopping. It was at this point I was apprehended by 2 Security Guards and the Store Manager and asked to go out the back while my trolley was scanned again as it was believed I hadn't paid for my entire shopping, which on the face of it was true. I suffer from anxiety and depression meaning that I struggle to communicate and as I was being questioned on shoplifting allegations , I was accused of shoplifting and felt unable to communicate and defend myself in front of this audience and felt belittled. I naively thought that if I admitted to the accusation and offered to pay the outstanding balance on my shopping then I would be free to go. I was wrong. The Police were called and I have now been summoned for interview at a local Police station. As I hadn't actually left the store, are they going to be able to prove that I had the intention of shoplifting and failing to pay for my goods? I offered to make full payment on several occasions despite my admission and it's only my own naivety that's got me into this mess. Help!! I'm so scared of this interview!

Today I was accused of shoplifting items from a supermarket. I was leaving the store when they asked me to come back in I did they did not take me to the back of the store I was stood by the checkout. I did not give any information and out of sheer embarrassment I left all of my items and left the store. Will anything happen now

I was in TK Maxx on friday and i saw a 3 pack of Nike socks (£5) that i needed for basketball. i removed the paper packaging (around the socks) and stuffed the socks into my trousers. I made it out the store but i was then stopped by 3 guards who brought me back into the store and into a room. they took a picture of me, noted my address, name and school. Then they made me sign a sheet saying i was banned for 12 months and said that I was going to be fined. no police were called. I've read other threads saying i should absolutely not pay the fine so I probably wont. The issue is that I don't want my mum to find out. so, Will the letters be addressed to me or my mum? Will my school find out? How much letters will they send after the first? Also, I was told that someone would come to my house if I didn't pay, thats not true right? Thanks

Hi guys. Firstly i apologise for creating a thread similar to those posted but my situation seems slightly different to those i have came across as i did in fact admit i was guilty and police were called. The threads i came across didn't seem to involve police. I did in fact shoplift from boots around 2 years ago, police were called and i admitted i was guilty. Attended police station and paid a fixed penalty notice of £80 so i didnt have to attend court. received a letter from boots not long after asking for payment of £147.50 which i threw in the bin. Although i admitted guilt i was not prepared to pay for 1 mistake twice. 2 years later i have received a letter from County Collections Ltd on behalf of boots saying they were instructed to recover the outstanding liability against me... if i fail to pay or contact them within 7 days boots may issue legal proceeding against me whih may incur further costs etc. Also informing me that unsatisfied CCJ may result in my credit rating being affected. So, my question is.. what should i do now? I obviously admitted to the police i was guilty, but the way i see it is i paid the fixed penalty notice so why should i pay further costs? I understand the amount they are asking for is to cover losses etc.. the items i stole were re-sellable as i didn't actually damage anything and they were recovered by the store. The security guard also added to the total items which i had paid for which i asked to tske home with me upon showing them my receipt which i was allowed to do so i guess the amount of items they want to recover is wrong. also the security guards time whilst dealing with me.. he infact sat looking at his camera and caught another shoplifter whilst we were waiting for the police to arrive, so did not infact keep him away from his job at all. Do boots actually ever take court action for these amounts? The surname on the letter is also spelled incorrectly, if that makes any difference Thanks in advance.

Hello , I have read many different stories on here and so far , Ive learnt that I have to ignore them . What happened was I took something only worth £3 out of stupidity as I clearly can afford it. I got taken to the small room, I'm only 16 and didn't have ID with me so they made me write my name , date of birth and address down and checked if it was the same as what one of my siblings gave in. The police weren't called and they took my picture to stick up on their .."wall of fame " which I thought was stupid as I already wasn't feeling well and it seemed as if they were making a joke out of it . Anyway , they then gave me the RLP letter and let us go . I have already learnt to ignore their letters because I honestly think £100+ is too much to pay for something only £3 . What I am worried about is that will the letters come through with my name or my parents as I am only 16? They also asked for my phone number as well . I will just ignore all of their letters , but I am worried that they won't give up sending letters , and if they say that they will redirect the issue back to their client , does this mean they will contact boots and let them know about me not paying ? Surely boots will then have the right to get the police involved ? Also can I rest assured about this not getting noted down in any criminal records of mine ? Therefore I don't have to tick any boxes if I apply for jobs and get asked for my record ? Please help , not that I am worried sick as I'm not . But I still am anxious about the issue getting the polive involved for something so minor . It's also my first and last time shoplifting ... Thanks

I was caught shoplifting £27 worth of goods from a superdrug store. It was a moment of madness. EXTREMELY out of character and I'm deeply ashamed. I gave the goods back to the store and it was my first offence. The police were called and they did an identity check but that's it. I was handed a civil recovery form and told I am going to get a fine from RLP in the next few weeks. After reading various threads they all say to ignore the letters. As I am moving out of the address I gave in a few months is this still a wise thing to do? I'm tempted to just pay it and get it out the way even though I'm a full time uni student and will struggle to afford the amount. I'm extremely scared, if I ignore the letters will I get taken to court or will it affect my credit rating? Also am I on a database that employers can check? I'm graduating in a few months and this has scared me a lot. I want to be 100% sure I can ignore the letters as I am moving out in a few months. Please will someone give me some advice? Thank you

Hi All,Firstly I am very sorry of this.I was caught shoplifting with my wife a few days ago from Debenhams. The security guard took me into a room in the top of the store where they checked stolen items and found few other items from others stores. They took our details and gave us a 1 year ban from the store. Then they called police because there were some other items stolen from other shops.The police officers got the details about our stolen items and wrote down in a notepad.They did not arrest us or take us to the police station.We have a 1 years 6 months baby. They told us that we will receive a letter from court after few days and will have to attend court for our offenece.It is our first time offence.We are both over 18.Value of stolen property was 180 pounds from debenham and 120 pound from other shops.Please help me in the my below question. 1.what are the punishments for the shoplifting? 2.how can we resolve this matter with less punishment? We would never do anything so stupid again.please help us.

Hi everyone, I made a mistake, I know I was wrong and I feel bad for that. First of all, allow me introduce myself. I am from Spain and I went to a little city called Newquay in order to look for job and improve my english level. That was in November 2013. In December 2013, I rented some surf stuff (surf board, gloves, wetsuit and slippers). As deposit, I provided my English number phone, email address and English address. That day, I went back to Spain, so I had just enough time to give back the surf kit and I decided not to give back. Days later, my friends told me that police had gone to the house a few times looking for me. Although I already am not in England, I am nervous and I do not know what to do. My doubts are the following: 1. What should I do after this? 2. Do I have to pay a fine (It seems it would be RLP - Retail Loss Prevention)? 3. Having my email address, Why have not police made contact with me? 4. What I did is reason to arrest me? 5. What would be the period of limitation? 6. I anticipate going to England in the future. Can police catch me in airport passport control?. I mean, What I did is a reason to be in the "blacklist" of passports?. I know what I have done is bad and I will never do it again. I feel embarrassed. Please, help me with my doubts, I am really worried with this situation. Thank you very much.

Due to Torie government cuts i lost my job and i have been shoplifting for a couple of years now to carry on trying to support my family as best as i can until i find another job. Sadly for me my luck ran out and I was caught shop lifting via the self checkout service in Tesco just before Christmas, i stole £93.67 worth of goods and police were called etc. I was fined £90 on the spot fine which i have paid. I recieved a letter today from RLP today asking for the sum of £147.50 which i will be ignoring as unenforceable etc and i have already paid the fine for my punishment to the police. I was banned from the Tesco store but i did not sign anything at all in the security office as the security guard didn't seem to have a clue what he was doing and it was actually one of the store workers who spotted me and alerted the security guard. Was i meant to sign anything at all in the security office to aknowledge anything/Accept that i am now banned from Tesco for shoplifting there? What will happen if i am caught Shoplifting again, say within a year? I am aware that i will be arrested but will it just be another fine via the court room or am i looking at community service as well? Thanks

Hey, so im gonna try and not bore you all with unnecessary detail basicly i was caught shoplifting yesterday at tescos, it was not a mistake i knew i was doing it and i accept my wrong doings. They treated me fine and took down my details, i gave them back the products (a shampoo and conditioner) that total cost came to £8 something (which i was not asked to pay as i returned the products), i was not treated badly or wrong by them. I was informed that i would be getting a letter from the RLPicon with a fine of between £70-150 and i am banned from tesco for 3 months. I am 17 and live of benefits and have very little money, basicly over the last year i have been diagnosed with complex post traumatic stress disorder and have spent between 5-6 months in an inpatient unit due to me being highly suicidal and a self harmer (please do not express negative opinions towards this), the last incident was 2 months ago when i had to be treated from an overdose at my local hospital, now i am not making excuses or trying to say its not my fault as i knew what i was doing but at times i get a overwhelming erge to be reckless or self sabotaging acts one of which was this shoplifting. I am wondering when i get this fine and can not pay it where do i stand and what is the best thing for me to do? I can not tell anyone around me this is happened down to shame and anxiety.

Hi everyone, My story: I've been caught with a pair of headphones for 25 GBP. I know what I did is very wrong and I apologise and I swear to myself that I'd never do it again. I did not get any letters yet but they said that I will. Police was involved and they came to my house to confirm that I live there (my parents were at home). I also have no criminal records and I am 16. Can you please tell me what is going to happen and what are the procedures? Any suggestions? Yes, I will never do it again. Thank you

Hi, I completely lost the plot this evening. I went to my local Tesco Express (it's attached to a petrol station) and suddenly got a craving for cream cakes. There were some which were reduced but they weren't the one's I like. In a moment of madness I swapped the price labels to not 1 but 2 packets of cream cakes. I took just 1 packet to the cashier along with some other legitimately reduced items. The cashier realised the what I had done I pretended I had no idea what was going on. In fact I went back and grabbed a packet of legitimately reduced cream cakes, paid for my total shopping using a Tesco Credit Card (I was obviously having a total meltdown) and left. Total value of the swap 43p or 86p if you include the 2nd packet of cakes I left behind in the chiller cabinet. So my questions are: 1) The store staff didn't take me anywhere to question me, didn't make me fill in any forms, no Police were called I guess they couldn't really apprehend me as they don't have a security guard. However they do have my credit card details s o could they review the CCTV footage and then tell the Police? Would the Police be interested in a 43p matter? 2) Can Tesco pass the matter onto RPL anyway just on the basis of the cashier's suspicion and possibly some CCTV footage? 3) Could Tesco subsequently ban me from all their stores? 4) How quickly do RPL / Tesco work in such matters. If I don't hear in a month from anyone should I assume I've got off? I'm hoping that as nothing was done at the time, that Tesco aren't going to involve the Police over 43p. However whether they can get RLP and a ban in place after the event is another matter. Has anyone had a letter from RLP and /or a ban from Tesco after the event, or are you always told at the time the offence was suspected/caught? Of course this would all be moot if I hadn't been stupid enough to use my Tesco Credit Card to pay for it all! PS Yes I know I am a total moron. I have never done anything like this before and never will again!

On 28th July I was falsely accused of shoplifting by a very intimidating security guard at Tesco. I was marched into an office at the rear of the store and the duty manager called. I was accused of concealing a mascara under my bag in my trolley. I explained that I had place it there to stop it falling out and that I had had a long emotionally hot draining day at training and was not concentrating. They then found a birthday card and a pack of pens and some spot cream that I had also forgotten about - having paid for the rest of my shopping I offered to pay immediately and explained my lack of focus. I was told that I had already had the opportunity to pay and they had cctv to prove I had concealed the mascara. As the items were less than £10 they said that they would not involve the police. I (stupidly ?) supplied my name and address and was issued a life time ban from all stores in the UK. I received a letter from RLP saying I owe £147.50 for this "act of wrong doing". Having not read this forum at the time I replied by email stating that I would not pay as this was a genuine mistake and that I had offered to pay for the items on 2 occasions. I have now received a 2nd letter saying that I now owe £90 and that if I had paid for the items after being apprehended it would not be a deterrant to me doing this again!! 1. Should I just ignore this after stating my innocence and mistake? 2. Can I be arrested for trespass if I enter any Tesco store and petrol station ( yes I asked them this at the time! was in shock) ? Many thanks in advance - wish I had read this forum before emailing them!

Hello everyone, I have already read quite a lot of things here, and I have seen that everyone is trying to help as best as they can, and I was just amazed by that. I'd like to apologize if there are some things that you don't understand, I am french, just trying to do my best. two days ago I stole 3items from Primark in Picadilly with my boyfriend. I know how bad it is, and how I should have thought about that before doing that stupid thing. It was the first time I ever steal and same for my boyfriend. We are both 16. Even though, we bought some stuffs (3items) the security obviously got us. I have the Algerian/dutch nationality so he used to be like 'if you can't talk to me in Arabic, than I will only let your boyfriend leave'. we gave our ID, gave the items that we have stolen, they took a picture, and then he asked us our email address saying that if our parents aren't checking on it, then we're lucky because they won't know about it. No police were called, and as we were alone in England, he let us leave without a 18 year old person. Now, I have different questions: Would it be a letter? Or could it be an email as well? I know that what we've done was so so wrong, and we'll just never do it again. But the thing is, my parents just CANT know at all. I should have think about that before, right. Also I read that we don't have to pay the fine etc, but if we pay it, would they only send one letter? I know that I shouldn't pay for that, but I'd just like to think about something else, because I feel so ashamed and guilty about it even if I deserve it. Thank you to all the people trying to help me, thank you a lot..

Hi everyone I'm wondering where I stand with RLP. In Tesco myself and a friend were taken to the holding room by Tesco security for concealing items. We are both 20. We were told that only I would receive a fine as the items (adding up to around £15) were only in my bag, and not my friend's as well. However today (almost 3 weeks later) we have both received a fine letter adding up to £188.75, even though Tesco told us my friend wouldn't have one, and gave their word that she wouldn't because she was just an associate. On the day of the incident, Tesco called the police in but they decided not to prosecute us or give us a criminal record or anything on our CRB/DBS because we have never done it before, and we are not wanted by the police for anything else. Tesco decided that we couldn't pay for the items on the day and that I would instead receive a fine from RLP. Does anyone have a similar experience or can they tell me if the police can be involved again seeing as they've already been called? Has this gone from a criminal to a civil issue now or is there still the possibility of being arrested for this incident or having a mark on my CRB? Thanks in advance Edit: I confessed to concealing the items as we had been seen on CCTV and my friend confessed to knowing I had done it/being an associate. There is no breakdown on the letter for what the £188.75 fine is for, i.e. security time, damaged goods, etc.

Hi there I did a really stupid thing and shoplifted some items from IKEA. I was caught and the security guard, after checking my receipt, said that he would not call the police and proceeded to issue me with a lifetime ban from all UK IKEA stores. He told me that my picture (which was taken with the security camera in the questioning room) would be posted to all the IKEAs and I would be recognised if I entered any IKEA stores in the UK. This is my first offence and I was very lucky he did not call the police and I missed a criminal record (as this would have prevented me working), but I still felt the consequence was very harsh. I was made to sign the letter banning me and in it, it quotes that I am unable to access any UK IKEA governed space (including carparks and grounds for ever). I am so gutted and can not believe that I was so stupid as to try and steal such rubbish. The problem is that I like IKEA and it is really useful for work things etc.. ...I wondered if IKEA would recognise me if I entered another store? Surely they would not have face-recognition cameras and surely their security guards would not be checking facial images of every person that enters a store? Do you think it would be safe to enter a store? Or could I write to IKEA head office and ask if they could reconsider there ban as I have learnt my lesson? Am I being crazy even considering this or being worried that I can no longer visit an IKEA store. Should I just cut my losses and thank my lucky stars that it was not more serious consequence? Please help me or share your experience if this has happened to you Thanks

Hey all, Today i was caught shop lifting from boots. .. i dont normally do this but i just did it and got caught, the guy took my details and i lied about my name but not my address. .. i dont know why i did but i was worried about future jobs, im only 19 and im worried about the fine he said i will have to pay, they refused to give me water and i was confused when they kept making me sign things and not giving me enough time to read them. .. im currently waiting for the letter how long will that be here? also i cant afford to repay it, the value of the item was £12 and he was like it will cost £130ish and they didnt lose anything out of it. will they be able to get money off me?

Hello I have been caught shoplifting in Primark around a month ago. i have received a letter a few weeks ago and one in the past few days from RLP, the recent one saying how they may contact my parents from now on as they don't know if i am able to understand the implications of these letters (as i am under 18). Will RLP actually contact my parents? I was caught shoplifting with a friend, who is over 18, and my friend's letter doesn't include anything about parents or such. People have said not to pay so I don't think I will pay, but what could happen if I don't? I am very worried Thanks

Hi, I've been reading a lot of threads here similar to mine so didn't know if there was any point in me posting but in the end thought it was best to because I don't know what to do. Last month I did a really stupid thing and tried to shoplift groceries from Tesco. It was nearly £200 worth. I was caught, arrested, held in a cell overnight and the next day I was cautioned. I'd never done anything like that before and I'll never do it again, I don't know what I was thinking. I just want to forget about it because I'm ashamed it ever happened but about a week afterwards I got a letter from RLP saying I owe Tesco £197.50. I don't have that kind of money so at the time I was terrified but since then I discovered CAG and after reading up on RLP I've decided to ignore the letter, and any more letters they decide to send. Only thing is, today I got an e-mail from a solicitor company called Buchanan Clark and Wells saying they've been trying to contact me and I need to speak to them urgently. They've given me a reference number to quote but I'm scared of what they're going to say. If I do phone them I'll have to do it outside as I'm 19 and still live at home so I'm trying to hide all this from my Mum and her partner. I know it's completely my own fault but Tesco banned me from the entire retail center the Tesco's store was part of as well, apparently indefinitely, which is really stressing me out as it's practically next door and it's getting harder and harder to make up excuses not to go there... and it's only been a few weeks, let alone however long the ban is for.

Hello to everyone, Thanks for exist and thanks for the support. I don't want stay behind...and i must admit that today i tried to shoplift 2 t-shirts from Primark...why this stupid things? I'm not a thief, i'm just searching a bit of justice in a system that don t protect me...however... I'm not English, RLP found me and bringh me in a small room in the back of the shopping center. They tryed to intimidate me...with a bit of success... They took mine 3 photos, and ID copy. They said to me that i m dishonest and i must pay for what i done and face it. They said to me that they not called the police only for hlep me, but in the same time that if i ll not pay the amount , the police can bringh to me in Prison. The Amuount was 12 pounds or 16 i don t remember....however i read some posts and i appreciate what wrote about ( silverfox1961 ) I would ask a small thing....how can be maximum the fines? Whae i was in the room i saw to them that mine picture was a violation of mine privacy? was correct? Please someone help me, i can t pay a lot of money..... Thanks to everyone and sorry for my english. Turrican

Hi, if I explain the details then i'm hoping that someone could offer advice. Me and hubby shop in my local Tesco every Saturday morning. We go in together then he goes for his magazines while I walk around. After 5 or 10 minutes we find each other and he puts the items he's picked up in the trolley, I push the trolley coz it saves me using my walking stick, i'm registered disabled. Then he goes off for other items and I also shop, we find it's quicker if we separate rather than shop together (iyswim) We then find each other, head to the fruit & veg section and he has the shopping list so he asks if I've got items on the list. If I have forgot something he fetches it while I find a checkout. He meets me and asks if I remembered something else off the list, if I say I forgot that, while I load the conveyor belt he gives me his wallet and any vouchers he has, then fetches the last items we need. At the checkout, because we have lots of the same things, 2 bread, 2 buns, 6 milk etc, I just put one of each item on the belt and tell the checkout person that I have 2 or 3 or 6 of these items, then it either goes in a bag or back in the trolley. We get the total, I pay then give him his wallet back and I push the trolley and he carries the 5 or 6 bags we have. Did this today as normal, but stopped by security passed the checkouts but not passed the cigarette kiosk or the alarms. We were taken to the 'little room', the police were called, arrested us both and charged us both with shoplifting. They were a couple of items I had forgotten about, I realised as soon as he stopped me, but he wouldn't let me pay for them. He said we'd done it the 2 weeks previously but the didn't have enough staff to stop us. Obviously I denied this, I don't remember 'stealing or forgetting about' anything last week or any other time. there are 2 questions - hubby wasn't with me when everything went through the checkout, only at the end. Can he still be charged with shoplifting when he didn't see everything I put in the trolley? Also, I take morphine for pain relief, I have arthritis, fibromyalgia, depression and memory problems. I offered to pay for anything we'd forgot to pay for, but they insisted that the police were called. If they think I've done it before, shouldn't they have stopped us then instead of 'letting us get away with it'? They insisted that we be charged so we are at court in two weeks, which seems really quick. Don't know where we stand or why it's so quick. Any help/advice gratefully accepted, thanks

Hi, i got a problem and hoping someone here could help me out, would be greatly appreciated, about a year ago (i just turned 17) i got caught shoplifting from BnQ, total came to around £100 in goods, they took me to a back room and called the cops, BnQ people took my details, then the cops asked me why i done it and who was my friend that was with me ( he got away) cops took down my details ( i also lied about my age, said i was 1 year younger than what i was). i then got arrested and got my miranda right read to me and taken to the copper station, on the way there i kept asking what will happen to me and the cops said i will get my details taken, my prints, mugshot, and i will get questioned then do a weekender and probably go to monday court. i started 'begging' them to let me go and all that, in the station they confirmed my address by calling parents, they took my details, and asked me about my religion and some other pointless stuff along the lines of that, took my photo, then let me go and said they will send me a letter saying if i get a warning or whatever. Its been almost a year now and ive still had no letter apart from a civil recovery letter thing from some company representing BnQ or something, it said im banned from BnQ for 6 years, and if im caught in a BnQ they will press charges and same with shoplifting from them again, but no fines or anything. because of the line of work i will soon be in i am going to have to get a US visa from their embassy in London, and i know that if you have a criminal record you may not get a visa and may be banned for ever from the states, i will also have to declare any arrests/cautions/convictions, and if i am passing through the US border and they do a criminal record check and see that i have a record i will be deported and banned. Does anyone know if i have a record? and if i will have to declare that i was arrested ? im considering requesting a CRC from disclosure scotland but i need a copy of my passport which will also have my real DOB, will this also be a problem ? Any help is GREATLY appreciated, and please dont judge, i have learned from my mistakes. Thanks.