Page 5 | A CF caught in the act

Kinelll · 2023-02-21T17:04:50+00:00

I have a plant pot outside my front door and a couple of little garden ornaments sitting next to it, a zebra and a gnome. My children picked them and consider them to be theirs. I spotted somebody loitering so opened the blinds and caught an elderly lady red handed putting the zebra in her bag. To be honest I'm surprised they've lasted as long as they have around here but I didn't expect the culprit to be an elderly woman😂

Gwen82 · 22/02/2023 12:23

The second one was when I was married to first DH, who had a reputation locally as a bit of a hard man. He bought the rusty old frame work of a trailer, intending to do it up and use it for his frequent tip runs. Overnight it was stolen, but a few discreet inquiries and he found the culprit. Went round and frog marched him to his garage where sure enough, the trailer was hidden. Not only did exh get it back, but he made the thief do all the work to board it out and paint it. 😁

sounds like an episode of Last of Summer Wine. Let me guess the scoundrel turned out to be a damn hard worker and your ex, who was a hard man with a heart of gold, employed him from then on?

Snazzysausage · 22/02/2023 12:26

I don't think the older thieves of today have suddenly started pinching stuff, it's no doubt more because they've always had sticky fingers and no morals and just got older as everyone else has. The younger thieves of today won't suddenly see the error of their ways, they're going to be the older thieves of the future. Some of these stories are gobsmacking!

lovescats3 · 22/02/2023 12:28

I'd put those ornaments in your back garden if the children are fond of them or they may be stolen again

Aposterhasnoname · 22/02/2023 12:35

Gwen82 · 22/02/2023 12:23

The second one was when I was married to first DH, who had a reputation locally as a bit of a hard man. He bought the rusty old frame work of a trailer, intending to do it up and use it for his frequent tip runs. Overnight it was stolen, but a few discreet inquiries and he found the culprit. Went round and frog marched him to his garage where sure enough, the trailer was hidden. Not only did exh get it back, but he made the thief do all the work to board it out and paint it. 😁

sounds like an episode of Last of Summer Wine. Let me guess the scoundrel turned out to be a damn hard worker and your ex, who was a hard man with a heart of gold, employed him from then on?

😁 but no, exh was a cunt, as was the thief.

HectorPlasm · 22/02/2023 13:42

I see your Christmas wreath and raise you a door knob - we had our front door knob stolen twice!

I'll raise again - many years ago, I went back to my rented university house and found that our front door had been stolen

Woodandsky · 22/02/2023 15:01

We had our dusk till dawn security light stolen from our back garden many years ago! The cable (which was live) had been cut through and was all black and melted, I like to think they had an almighty shock!

Neededanewuserhandle · 22/02/2023 15:23

Gwen82 · 22/02/2023 12:23

The second one was when I was married to first DH, who had a reputation locally as a bit of a hard man. He bought the rusty old frame work of a trailer, intending to do it up and use it for his frequent tip runs. Overnight it was stolen, but a few discreet inquiries and he found the culprit. Went round and frog marched him to his garage where sure enough, the trailer was hidden. Not only did exh get it back, but he made the thief do all the work to board it out and paint it. 😁

sounds like an episode of Last of Summer Wine. Let me guess the scoundrel turned out to be a damn hard worker and your ex, who was a hard man with a heart of gold, employed him from then on?

And ended up with them both racing downhill in a bathtub, and ending up in much heap at the bottom.

Neededanewuserhandle · 22/02/2023 15:25

Some of these stories are gobsmacking!
It's one of the things I like least about this country - the staggering amount of casual theft.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 22/02/2023 15:51

I'll raise again - many years ago, I went back to my rented university house and found that our front door had been stolen

Ooh, that makes me think of the current nasty trend in Birmingham city centre, where innocent people return to their parked cars and find the bonnet has been opened and all the parts inside stolen. Mainly just ordinary cars, too - nothing massively expensive.

Emotionalsupportviper · 22/02/2023 16:17

diddl · 22/02/2023 08:06

As a guinea pig owner I couldn't go past it (have you any idea how much those things eat?), and pulled it up and put it in my shopper, only to hear a furious banging on the window of the house.

Why didn't you just knock & ask?

Never occurred to me.

It was a monstrous weed - I would have thought it was obviously a weed, but it seems not.

I have knocked on a door and asked if I could tae privet cuttings from their hedge (stick insects) - that was different because it was a garden plant and I wouldn't have dreamed of chopping bits off a hedge without asking. The lady very kindly told me to help myself any time I wanted. Embarassingly I saw her a few days later as I was harvesting a couple of twigs and said - "Honestly - it's OK. The lady said I could have them" and she said "I know. I'm the lady". I just hadn't recognised her in the street coming home with her shopping vs in her doorway without a coat on.

She was lovely. I actually used a couple of her cuttings to grow my own little privet (now a huge privet) so I didn't have to scrounge.

mackthepony · 22/02/2023 16:19

I once saw an elderly lady stealing flowers from a public garden

Shocking

Emotionalsupportviper · 22/02/2023 16:19

diddl · 22/02/2023 08:09

A woman let her dog crap just outside our drive.

I wasn't quick enough to stop her but I put it into a bag & sent the kids after her.

I'll never forget the cries of "Lady, lady, you didn't pick up your dog poo. Here it is. Here's your dog poo lady!" that followed her down the street.

I hope she was suitably chastened, the mucky mare! 😂

Emotionalsupportviper · 22/02/2023 16:26

TattiePants · 22/02/2023 09:54

I can’t believe the audacity of some people (well actually I can). There’s a Facebook post doing the rounds on my local neighbourhood groups this week. A delivery driver delivered a takeaway then picked up the neighbour’s cat, put it in the car and drove off with it! Fortunately it was caught in cctv, including the car ref, so hopefully they get it back.

Jesus wept!

A pet of any type is part of your family - that's just awful!

Emotionalsupportviper · 22/02/2023 16:36

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 22/02/2023 11:00

I'm sorry to say seniors can sometimes be among the worst

Can we not make this about age please.

But it is relevant here, because a lot of older thieves exploit the fact that society naturally expects more mature people to be more honourable and honest.

Nobody is saying that there aren't also a lot of younger thieves, but this isn't being spotlighted, because nobody is surprised by them.

Agree.

Like the "Friday Night Dinner" family I had a nice Grandma ana a Horrible Grandma.

My particular "Horrible Grandma" would crow that she could just steal anything as she was (and I quote) "an old woman on tablets".

She was on all sorts of "tablets" but never actually took any of them as we discovered when she died (aged 98) and we had to clear her hellhole of a house out.

There were (literally) hundreds of prescription medications which her home helps had collected but that she hadn't bothered taking.

All I can say is- Thank God she didn't know the street value of those meds.

Latenightreader · 22/02/2023 16:41

I was at a holiday trade fare a few years ago. We were trying to encourage coach groups in particular to come to our attraction, but lots of individuals came to the event as well (probably for the freebies). There was a full bowl of wrapped chocolates on the next stand, and I watched an elderly woman pick it up, tip it into her trolley - she had clearly come prepared - and then walk off into the crowd. The woman in charge of the stand said it had happened a few times. I have no idea why she didn't challenge the thief; perhaps it happened too fast. We moved our bowl of mints to firmly behind the counter so we could offer them around but they weren't grabable. We did get individual attendees take handfuls of things we gave away, but the entire bowlful was the most blatant.

TattiePants · 22/02/2023 17:26

Emotionalsupportviper · 22/02/2023 16:26

Jesus wept!

A pet of any type is part of your family - that's just awful!

Show quote history

I’ve just checked and ‘Dexter’ the cat has been returned!

ancientgran · 22/02/2023 17:36

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 22/02/2023 11:00

I'm sorry to say seniors can sometimes be among the worst

Can we not make this about age please.

But it is relevant here, because a lot of older thieves exploit the fact that society naturally expects more mature people to be more honourable and honest.

Nobody is saying that there aren't also a lot of younger thieves, but this isn't being spotlighted, because nobody is surprised by them.

Maybe I'm a one off but I'd be surprised at anyone having the cheek to walk up my drive and pinch something whatever their age.

ancientgran · 22/02/2023 17:41

Emotionalsupportviper · 22/02/2023 16:36

Agree.

Like the "Friday Night Dinner" family I had a nice Grandma ana a Horrible Grandma.

My particular "Horrible Grandma" would crow that she could just steal anything as she was (and I quote) "an old woman on tablets".

She was on all sorts of "tablets" but never actually took any of them as we discovered when she died (aged 98) and we had to clear her hellhole of a house out.

There were (literally) hundreds of prescription medications which her home helps had collected but that she hadn't bothered taking.

All I can say is- Thank God she didn't know the street value of those meds.

Show quote history

I love the image of horrible gran dealing drugs at 98. I might have to have a think about DHs morphine. Maybe I'm not quite old enough yet, perhaps I'll give it 10 years and I'll be able to say, "but I'm 80 and need the money."

ancientgran · 22/02/2023 17:43

Emotionalsupportviper · 22/02/2023 16:17

Never occurred to me.

It was a monstrous weed - I would have thought it was obviously a weed, but it seems not.

I have knocked on a door and asked if I could tae privet cuttings from their hedge (stick insects) - that was different because it was a garden plant and I wouldn't have dreamed of chopping bits off a hedge without asking. The lady very kindly told me to help myself any time I wanted. Embarassingly I saw her a few days later as I was harvesting a couple of twigs and said - "Honestly - it's OK. The lady said I could have them" and she said "I know. I'm the lady". I just hadn't recognised her in the street coming home with her shopping vs in her doorway without a coat on.

She was lovely. I actually used a couple of her cuttings to grow my own little privet (now a huge privet) so I didn't have to scrounge.

Show quote history

You'd love it where I live, we have more dandelions per square metre than anywhere else on earth. I spent lockdown fighting them in my garden but it is pointless as we are surrounded by them. I think they are massing for a takeover, given my murderous attacks on them I reckon I'll be the first to die by dandelion.

ancientgran · 22/02/2023 17:47

ancientgran · 22/02/2023 17:36

Maybe I'm a one off but I'd be surprised at anyone having the cheek to walk up my drive and pinch something whatever their age.

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Thinking about it I might be shocked as I seem to live in a crime free cul de sac. The postman/woman and delivery drivers just leave parcels by the frontdoor. Never had anything taken even if we've been away for a few days and parcel has just been sat there. It took some years for me to get used to it.

Emotionalsupportviper · 22/02/2023 18:10

ancientgran · 22/02/2023 17:41

I love the image of horrible gran dealing drugs at 98. I might have to have a think about DHs morphine. Maybe I'm not quite old enough yet, perhaps I'll give it 10 years and I'll be able to say, "but I'm 80 and need the money."

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😂

Emotionalsupportviper · 22/02/2023 18:14

ancientgran · 22/02/2023 17:43

You'd love it where I live, we have more dandelions per square metre than anywhere else on earth. I spent lockdown fighting them in my garden but it is pointless as we are surrounded by them. I think they are massing for a takeover, given my murderous attacks on them I reckon I'll be the first to die by dandelion.

Show quote history

Alas, our umpteen guinea pigs (we had lots - every time you opened the door of the hutch they'd had quads) are happily munching greens in the Elysian fields now.

I do still miss their cheery little "whoop, whoop" as I opened the door of their living room to pin them against the back of the hutch with 4 stones of assorted fresh greenery as well as a bowl full of bunny mix. (!0 minutes later all the food would be gone and they'd be gently burping on an enormous pile of droppings . . . ).

Emotionalsupportviper · 22/02/2023 18:16

TattiePants · 22/02/2023 17:26

I’ve just checked and ‘Dexter’ the cat has been returned!

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I'm relieved to hear that.

I have both dogs and cats myself and would hate to lose any of them (even though they drive me crackers!)

CoorieInByTheFire · 22/02/2023 19:09

Spanielsarepainless · 22/02/2023 12:15

Did you confront her?

Fourth post on the thread gives you the answer. 🙄

ancientgran · 22/02/2023 20:05

Emotionalsupportviper · 22/02/2023 18:14

Alas, our umpteen guinea pigs (we had lots - every time you opened the door of the hutch they'd had quads) are happily munching greens in the Elysian fields now.

I do still miss their cheery little "whoop, whoop" as I opened the door of their living room to pin them against the back of the hutch with 4 stones of assorted fresh greenery as well as a bowl full of bunny mix. (!0 minutes later all the food would be gone and they'd be gently burping on an enormous pile of droppings . . . ).

Show quote history

I hope the dandelions are good in the Elysian fields.

Maybe I should get some guinea pigs to save me from revenge of the dandelions.