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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think I can't be the only reformed criminal on mn

126 replies

Houseofmirth66 · 05/03/2016 00:06

I spent most of my teenage years cheerfully stuffing my pockets with loot courtesy of Boots, Woolworth's and WH Smith. Nowadays it would be unthinkable to take something without paying. Although I have to admit I can still summon up the thrilling feeling of an illicit nail varnish dropping into my pocket. I can't be the only ex juvenile delinquent on mn. Or am I?

OP posts:
Meeep · 05/03/2016 00:10

I imagine some mumsnet users have been in prison, others will have been to court, others will have committed a variety of crimes without being caught, there is a large population here after all.

SaucyJack · 05/03/2016 00:12

I must confess these days I always buy a ticket before boarding a train whether there is a barrier or no, just because it's the right thing to do.

Melbournemel · 05/03/2016 00:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Queenbean · 05/03/2016 00:15

I once stole a ring from Tammy Girl. It was the a great thrill but I was so scared that id get caught that I never did it again.

Then when I was drunk once I accidentally pulled my debit card out of the card machine while paying for wine and walked off with it, so stole that too

Otherwise I'm clean, I promise!

TrappedInAWitchesCurse · 05/03/2016 00:16

I stole a sweetie from a pick and mix once. And a yellow pepper from Sainsbury's but that was by accident, honest guv!

LucyBabs · 05/03/2016 00:18

Blush yes as a 14 year old I would pocket nail varnish and glitter eyeshadow from Miss Selfridge almost every Saturday. I would almost shit myself at the time. I wouldn't dream of taking anything now

MariontheSteamShovel · 05/03/2016 00:26

I got caught aged 14 in Superdrug. I was mortified as I'd rather have been caught in House of Fraser or somewhere more 'designer'. I have now been known to walk a mile back to the Co-op to return a lemon Dd had shoved into her cosy toes!

Original poster
Houseofmirth66 · 05/03/2016 00:28

My friend and I used to chuck most of the stuff into a hedge on the way home so our parents wouldn't find it. She's a solicitor now and I'm sworn to secrecy about her past as a tea leaf.

OP posts:
MattDillonsPants · 05/03/2016 00:33

I had friends who did this OP but I was always far too scared.

bloodyteenagers · 05/03/2016 00:37

Nope, your not.
it's scary to think how my life would have panned out if I hadn't been given some of the chances I was back then. Especially that chance to reform before young offenders.. Yes I was that close.

BillSykesDog · 05/03/2016 02:31

I bunked a train once and got done for that.

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 05/03/2016 03:05

I went through a very short phase of being a teen vandal - my friend's mother had just died and she went off the rails a bit, some of which led to us going out at night and "borrowing" signs. We "borrowed" a knocked-over "no cycling" sign from an alley, we "borrowed" a few road cones, we "borrowed" a couple of lanterns off skips (never all of them, that would have been totally irresponsible and we weren't that). We climbed into closed parks at night and played on the equipment - didn't break it though, we weren't destructive like that.

It stopped after a couple of weeks - it just stopped being fun, or whatever.

Didn't nick stuff from shops though. Not that what I did was any better, just different.

Bogeyface · 05/03/2016 03:07

I am too nervous to shoplift, was the same when I was a teen.

I am 42 now, but when I was about 15 I was in Boots just before Xmas with my best friend. We were drooling over the expensive (to us) No7 sets and one had a lovely eye pallette with a proper full sized lippy in it. We were testing the eye colours and the lipstick fell off the display, we couldnt find it so left the shop. I put my hand in my (large patch) pocket to find the lipstick. It had obviously fallen in there.

BF and I were terrified! We were certain we would be followed home and arrested so set about putting it back. Except we couldnt work out how to do that without holding the lippy as we walked in, advertising our "theft". Eventually we snuck it back into a bin full of gift bows.

We probably looked more suspicious doing that than actually pinching something, but we had given it back and it was no long on my person which was all that mattered. If it happened now, I would keep it, no question!

roundmyway · 05/03/2016 03:47

I have a real life criminal record

Have behaved since my daughter arrived but had to do 100 hours community service while I was pregnant.

Cringe.

BillSykesDog · 05/03/2016 03:49

I think I was quiet an efficient delinquent in that I was extremely good at not getting caught. The fact I looked like butter wouldn't melt and talked quite posh probs helped too.

Bogeyface · 05/03/2016 03:58

Round how long ago was it? And wtf did you do?

Yes I am being nosey! Happy with a "mind your own" response though :o

LeaveMyWingsBehindMe · 05/03/2016 04:44

I shoplifted a few times but I was ten or under. Never after that. Although I did nick some stuff from work once when I was about 25.

We had a stationery room which I was responsible for keeping stocked and at the back of a cupboard was a little pile of probably quite expensive but ultimately quite useless luxury items that I can only imagine had been corporate gifts, prizes from golf days etc, things like a crystal dish and some silver teaspoons and a pearl brooch. No-one seemed to be aware that they were there and after two years of going in and out of this cupboard and seeing them just sitting there it seemed wasteful so I took them. Shock Confused

A few years later after they'd sat in my cupboard for years I got an attack of the guilts so I sold them in some untraceable way and gave the money to charity.

I shudder to think I ever took them in the first place to be honest. Even though I thought about it long and hard and made tentative veiled enquiries to ascertain whether they'd be missed and planned my crime well, I still can't quite believe I was that stupid.

Gobbolino6 · 05/03/2016 06:30

I took a notebook from work once for my shopping lists. I wasn't a particularly moral teen, just a scared one. Grin

Gobbolino6 · 05/03/2016 06:31

Leavemy, I'd like to think one of your colleagues had nicked the items and hidden them there in a fit of remorse...

heron98 · 05/03/2016 06:35

There was one Christmas as a teenager I stole all my Christmas presents. I had enough pocket money, I'm not even sure why I did it. It certainly wasn't a thrill.

To be honest, it was a crime but there are worse things.

ChristmasZombie · 05/03/2016 06:47

When I was 14 I had a boyfriend who would steal CDs from HMV for me. He'd line his coat pocket with tinfoil to stop the store alarms going off, and I would ask a staff member something to distract them while he slipped the CD into his pocket.

And I once bought a rucksack from Woolworths that turned out to be stuffed full of stationery and sweets! I think perhaps someone had filled the bag with the intention of then buying it and smuggling out the other goodies, but I inadvertently got there first!

MyBreadIsEggy · 05/03/2016 06:54

Only about two weeks ago, I was in Asda with my mum. My DD started had a bit of a temperature, so I picked up a digital thermometer and some calpol and put in the the child seat of the trolley on top of my changing bag. My original Intention was to take DD's temp and give her the calpol before I carried on with my shopping and pay for it at the end.....DD ended up falling asleep while I was carrying her, and the thermometer and calpol just stayed in the child seat. Mum only noticed on the way to the car after we had paid for the rest of the shopping. She turned to me with a look of horror on her face and said "Eggy!! We've just shoplifted! Shock" Blush
Genuine accident.....the only properly illegal thing I think I've ever done was buy cigarettes for some of the year 10s when I was in year 11, at the time when you could still buy tobacco at 16.

NynaevesSister · 05/03/2016 07:12

Ah the buggy thing. Sleeping baby, and there's no way you can balance the basket and push the Pram so heavy stuff goes in the bottom or on the hood. The number of times I'd get home to find a bag of potatoes or a 40p bottle of own brand diet lemonade forgotten in the basket under the pushchair. I bet that happens all the time. Would be really useful to have a trolley that clips on the front of a stroller, like you can get for wheel chairs.

agapimou · 05/03/2016 07:18

I have a pretty impressive record including shoplifting, assault, possesion and drunk driving no tax insurance and leaving the scene of an accident. I also spent a good ten years as an escort. I had a horrid childhood and went seriously off the rails. Now I have a beautiful dd and I say thank you every day that I am able to give her a better life. I live abroad now and dp and friends cant believe i used to be such a little shite. I wouldnt change my past for anything though, made me tough as old boots Wink

Cinnamon12345 · 05/03/2016 07:19

I work for an airline an am astounded at the amount of people who Nick, things like teabags coffee as well as the high end duty free. A lot of them would never consider themselves as thieves.....

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