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

[Houseofmirth66]

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?

25% of women have a criminal record? 35% of men?

I must live a sheltered life.

Saying that, I rarely pay on the train. The ticket office is never manned, the ticket machine is often out of order and the barriers at the other end are mostly open. I see that as their problem.

The above I hope I don't get flamed for.... Seeing as some people here tend to be holier than thou!

My mum also often buys a mars bar or pack eats it then pays at till with food shop. Fine to them to others that's theft.

I have gone legal for 20 years now, and am still waiting for the supposed advantage. My bills are massive, I don't feel like I can travel anywhere, my diet is awful, and I am more badly treated at work as a conformist than I ever was as a rebel, and get worse results too.

That's it, I'm buyingnicking a snorkel parker and resuming the sliding of double deckers into the sleeves..

I had the most amazing coat with big sleeves and pockets as a teenager. Absolutely perfect for shoplifting toiletries from the local chemist and the 50p +£1 stall at the market

I cant believe the nerve I had really. I havent done anything like that in decades and just wouldnt.

i used to bunk the train all the time too, and if i was caught, id give the name and address of my old ex neighbour that used to knock on the walls constantly and complain every time I put music on or did the hoovering

I once picked daffodils from peoples gardens to give to my mum for her birthday. I felt so guilty that I threw them away. I was about 8.

A few years later I reluctandtly agreed to sweep a make up item into my friends bag in Superdrug. I did so, but it wasn't there when we checked later. I swept, but it must have missed the bag. I was so relieved.

Usual! You rebel.

Sometimes I am amazed by the holier than thou types on here. There's always someone who accidentally walks out of Tesco with a kiwi fruit and everyone says you must take it back - you're a criminal - weirdos.

I was wild when I was younger, did all sorts of stupid stuff. I cringe when I think of some of it.

I used to shoplift a bit, mostly clothes and makeup. It was pretty common amongst the kids at school, our whole school was banned from the local Superdrug because of it. I've never really done the train dodging thing, there have always been barriers/inspectors here.

I used to do some dodgy document-editing as well - it wasn't even that convincing, but always worked and never got caught out on it. Would probably get a lot more skepticism today when all the kids have Photoshop skills.

All of that is behind me now, and I'm pretty relieved that I never got caught.

I never used to pay on trains ever. I got caught twice and had to pay fines but the amount I got away with over the years would have been hundreds.

Never got caught for this but I have given a false alibi for my boyfriend at the time so it was never proven that he robbed a corner shop I would hate it if my DDS done half the stuff I did as a teen!

When I was at school I fell in with a bad crowd for a while. One day I made the mistake of meeting them at the cafe in the local Tesco. I didn't know they had been on a shoplifting spree at all the shops in the retail park opposite, then picked up a selection of sandwiches and drinks from the shelf and carried them into the cafe to eat.

An eagle eyed tesco employee noticed and the police were called and I was arrested with them. My dad took me to the police station and I was interviewed about a BLT sandwich.

I stole a soap once when I was 13. I didn't feel the thrill I just felt fear of being caught. I didn't get caught, but it was enough to stop me for life. Now, if I get undercharged, I go back and DEMAND to pay. And I dream of a world where everybody does the right thing without being asked and without exploiting loopholes.

When I moved to London, they told me I could be an expat and pay less taxes (I was in a highly paid job then). I said no, I want to be domiciled in the UK.

So, maybe I am a reformed criminal, one soap changed my life...

I clearly remember stealing a roll of sweets from my local newsagents when I was about 13/14. It was Munchies.

I was so scared! My friend egged me on. I ate them so quickly once away from the shop so I wouldn't be spotted by anyone. Disposing of the evidence.

When I look back I'm absolutely shocked at some of the things I did and how I got away with it. Shoplifting, trespassing, breaking into a place at night (not someone's home, a private building though), buying cannabis is broad daylight, smoking cannabis is broad daylight, possession of class A drugs. Christ, I could kick myself.

It was spread out between 13 and 18- funny how it looks so bad all written down while at the time I thought I was living the most pedestrian and dull life possible. And compared to other people I knew I was- a lot of friends were doing every single drug under the sun and ketamine was absolutely rife among the teens/early twenties in the sweet little market towns near my city.

As soon as I went to university all of this stopped, even the cannabis, and all I did was drink too much during my first and second year.

Something that makes me paranoid now is how my parents didn't have a single clue about what was going on. It makes me worry how easy it would be to spot it now. There are so many clever little tactics to avoid raising suspicions, especially with the drugs.

In the interests of full disclosure I 'may' have been involved in a cheque book fraud incident at university too. It's all coming out now.

Wow - I was/am so law abiding!
Never stole anything as a teenager. I would have been too scared but also never would have wanted too. I can actually remember feeling very self conscious in shops as a teenager. I was worried that they may think I would shoplift or worse be falsely accused.

When I was 18 I opened a savings account with Sainsburys bank. I opened it with the minimum deposit of £10. They only sent statements quarterly and when I got my first one I was shocked to see a £500 cheque had been wrongly deposited. I promptly rang the bank. At the time I thought they were very nice - they sent me £100 shopping vouchers. I realise in retrospect it would probably never caught up with me although I couldn't have lived with the guilt!

I was recently interviewed under caution for a driving offence and the lovely policeman said it was pretty unusual these days for someone to get to my age (53) and have no police record. Backhanded compliment but they didn't charge me so I forgave him for making me feel old.

The most criminal thing I've ever done is use old daysaver bus tickets as if I bought it that day.
When I first met DP years ago I used to get two buses to his flat and I never wanted to waste £4 on a ticket so I would use daysaver tickets saved in my pockets from going to work and back.
I was never caught and I learned how to act normal and I shoved the ticket right up to the window even though the drivers don't read them.
The weird thing is whenever there are ticket inspectors or where drivers wanted to properly check the ticket I always had one bought that day which made me relieved.
I did it for about 1 and half years on and off then me and DP moved in together.
I used to see loads of people get kicked off for trying to use old tickets and I could tell how they acted they were old ones.

I was reading this thinking what a sheltered life I'd lead, then invisiblegorilla's post reminded me about all the cannabis I'd bought and smoked at uni before I dumped ExDP and started having much more fun drinking heavily. I'd completely forgotten that was illegal! Don't do drugs kids.

Regular fare evader here, back in the day before Oyster. Used to go into zone 1 (just one station in) on a zone 2 ticket. Never got caught and did it almost daily for many years.

Had a very small dabble in shoplifting but never got the buzz, I just felt terrified.

Smoked the odd joint between ages 16-20.

Other than that I'm clean as a whistle!!

Just to clarify shoplifting was when I was early teens - 13ish. It wasn't last week!!

I have been done for shop lifting when i was 15, now i wouldnt dream of nicking something out of a store. I also have been arrested several times, most of which for things i didnt even do which is the sad thing but only shop lifting is on my record.

When I was 15 I stole some money from the till I worked on only about £10. Haven't done anything since.

I've never stolen anything, but I dealt drugs as a teenager.

I committed many crimes in my youth, some of which I would be too ashamed to describe here. I am now fully reformed and a total square.