To want my parcel - woman denying accepting it but I have a photo..

[BitOutOfPractice]

I ordered some stuff off sports direct (about £20 worth) and, because I haven’t ordered off there for a couple of years, stupidly got it sent to my old address which was stored on the web site. Yes I know it’s annoying and stupid so I don’t need that lecture.

So once I clocked on what had happened, I went round there to collect it - couple of days later. The woman who bought the house off me completely denies having received it, despite the courier’s photo showing it being accepted at the front door. I can see two sets of children’s feet at the door on the picture. I obviously recognise the doorstep - I lived there for nearly 20 years.

Please note, I did not shout or accuse, I was very polite, I said I was “puzzled” and that there must have been some sort of confusion but she was adamant she hadn’t had it. It was a shoe box sized parcel so not massive to store and not easy to lose either.

Do you clever lot have any idea if there’s anything I can do?

I half expected her to come to the door wearing my gym gear 😆

@kimonok I was more irritated by the way you were saying it, than what you were saying iykwim. It sounded supercillious to me, but if it wasn't meant like that, fair dos. I am going to drop it, I think but just wanted to ponder, talk it out with BF and DP first then move on

The police seem to like getting involved in postal theft, I was a witness a few years ago for the postie nicking stuff and my package was something barely worth a few quid.

No idea why some people are being arsey on this thread, I for one appreciate a non-disappearing OP!

If it was me I'd probably go round there and say - I know you had it. You know you had/have it. Hand it over and I will tell the police it's shown up again, and ask them to drop the case. She could even drop it on your doorstep. She may not agree as then there's potentially definitive evidence she stole it. But she may do. And then less police/court/witness time needed to be spent on it. But aside from that I wouldn't let it drop if I were you - it may be a crappy £20 parcel (crappy in terms of value not content!) but do you believe that people who behave like this with a £20 parcel wouldn't do the same if they happened on £800 an elderly lady dropped on the floor from her pension? It is highly likely they would. She should just tell the truth now (whether she stole it, the kids trashed it, she binned it, or whatever) and then she would just get a warning.

Prosecuting or not isn't your decision the police need the data you have for a charging decision. I've had items delivered at my house that weren't for me...I ALWAYS contacted the company and most times they were gifted to me ...so if they took the parcel and were dishonest to your face...that's on them. After lots of police involvement surely you need to give them your data and move on.

OP, I think it would be unfair to the Police if you decided to drop it now.
They've supported you, it's reasonable you support them.

OP don’t drop the case, as in similar cases the Police will not bother in future!

That was behind my suggestion that she ask them what they hope to achieve. If there is some wider potential benefit that might make a difference.

To the person who said that the prosecution is not OP’s choice, that is true in the sense that the whole “choosing to/not to press charges” is a myth. But the reality is that the prosecution will not be viable without her as a witness.

DH had something similar in the sense of surprise police followed up etc. In our case there was so much evidence from cctv the police would have pursued either way. But like you, the flat out denials were the most irritating thing. Police went on to successfully prosecute.

One thing I would consider OP, other than the various good points upthread about not letting people get away with this shit, is how bloody demoralising it must be for the police if people report crimes, then withdraw support as they take a moral position that it's not worth it to pursue and it ruins the case to prosecute.

We can't keep moaning that the police do nothing to investigate minor crimes, then when they do back out and say "oh shit no sorry I didn't mean it".

Think of the PC who's put in some effort to investigate this and consider how annoying it would be for that person if you pull out of what seems like an open and shut case.

Everyone who makes a statement is first asked if they are willing to go to court.It saves time that would otherwise be wasted taking written statements from people who are not willing to attend.

It may be that they are going to invite her in for an interview, so they need your statement first. That doesn’t mean she will end up in court, just that she is giving her account. After that the police will assess whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed or not.

Wonder whether she's got a record for them (the police) to pursue it. Don't back down as you'll have wasted police time and good luck!

Court for something like this won't be that bad - you may not even need to be present!

DO see it through though, and don't feel bad - there was a simple way to avoid this, not stealing your fucking parcel!!

I've seen Mumsnet moderators remove threads when there was formal police involvement and an inquiry, sometimes before I could catch the OP's update. I wonder if they'll do the same with yours, OP.

Shamelessly placemarking!

I forgot to wish you good luck and hope everything goes great for you.

Maybe also talk to the police about your prior experience as a witness and find out exactly how this one might play out? Could be totally different.

I know it’s unlikely as it was on her door but there’s a slim chance she legit didn’t know and the kids just took the parcel and never told her.

When I was little my brother and I used to go to the arcade while my mum had her hair done. One day out of pure stupidity we decided to steal something and hid it in her bag. When leaving the shopping centre we were approached by the security guard, my mum and him got into a bit of a tense back and forth but eventually he gave up and let us all go.

Let’s just say she wasn’t happy when later she saw something bright orange in her bag that wasn’t there before….. kids are stupid.

Let the police deal with her.. Why would you not accept her being punished? .. She's a fucking thief!!
AND I bet my last rolo she'll be wearing your stuff to court...
Your dc will be proud you stood up for yourself. And it's an example to them as teens not to steal!!

Nooo keep following this all through!

You would definitely be wasting police time if you cease engaging.

Ultimately the police never investigate things like this, there’s gotta be a reason they are interested. Maybe she has previous, maybe they found something suspicious, maybe they caught her wearing the item or trying to sell the item ie evidence beyond reasonable doubt that she stole your stuff as opposed to innocent mistake? The police can’t give you all the evidence because it would influence your statement. I genuinely think this is one of those “trust the process” moments especially as it’s just ticking over in the background.

I say good on you for reporting it and on the police for following it up because if this happened more often the uk would be a much safer place. Too much petty crime goes unchallenged. I bet the poor shopkeepers constantly being targeted by shop lifters would love more police response and support.

It's not likely to actually go to court - more likely to be settled prior.

I'd be tempted to send her something like one of those glitter bomb parcels

Police do indeed investigate theft. What they don’t do is investigate crimes where there are no viable lines of enquiry. That is not the case in this instance.

Then she would have told OP that then, not flat out deny any knowledge.

OP, yes she's a thief, but it was your mistake and it was only 20 quid, so I would probably let it go, it's probably already on Vinted.

Urg, just seen this was from months ago.

Thanks for the update @BitOutOfPractice

The police will be honestly grateful to you for reporting this and for participating in making a statement and giving evidence in court.

The police performance statistics are based on the percentage of crimes reported that eventually lead to a guilty verdict. They will have wept with joy when they got this in their inbox because it's going to be so easy to prove. It would be more of a waste of police time if you pull out now.