Stealing

[Historyrepeating1234]

Hi my brother was shoplifting all last year, he has been fined most weeks since last summer. My mum is paying these fines. CCTV is sent to the police and they then ask for payment of the stolen goods or face a sentence. All this can happen weeks/months after the incident. I am deeply suspicious of my brother (compulsive liar). He says he has stopped stealing but the fines keep coming. My mum hasn’t dealt with the police directly. What I want to know is, does this sound odd? Or is this something the police will do indefinitely? Or do we think my brother is lying ? I know the law was changed a few years ago and you can be fined for theft. But there have been so many occasions I can’t believe the police wouldn’t prosecute. This situation is destroying my family. TIA for any help or advice

How old is he?

I didn’t know they did this, just send fines.

Is it your brother telling her that or does your mother see actual letters?

If real then she must not pay the fines as she may think it’s keeping him out of prison but all it’s doing is giving him the green light to commit more crime.

Let him be punished properly for what he is doing.

He’s 30, has addiction and mental health problems too. My mum is desperate for him not to go to prison. I know it’s hard for people to understand that.

Are these civil recovery type fines?

Is he sending the fines and sending them to her to get the money?

Have you seen these letters? Is he maybe faking them to get her to transfer money to him? Seems odd he has never been to court after being caught so often.

But I’d it got to court it would all come it and he might not go to prison they might recommend a mental health facility or addiction centre. He would get the help he needs.

Your mother is making the situation far worse.

I haven’t seen any paper work, I’m not sure my mum has either. She gives him the cash and he goes to the police station to settle it. He completes the paperwork there. I know and she knows she has dug herself a very big hole, she’s hidden the whole thing from my dad as she knows he would kick my brother out. I know most people would want rid of him, but she says she couldn’t live with herself if something happened to him. I find the whole situation suspicious and just wondered if anyone else had come across these sort of fines. Thank you for your replies.

Bumping for you.

I’ve never heard of fines like this but I’m not a criminal so wouldn’t know.

But how does the shop issue a fine unless they know him by name? And wouldn’t the CCTV have to be crystal clear so as to be 100% it was him?

I’ve seen CCTV footage on Facebook and it looks like it’s been filmed with a potato!

Can you go into the police station and ask if that’s how shoplifting fines work?

This isn't true. Police may issue a fine, either by way of Penalty Notice or Community Resolution to pay for the goods, but only once or twice, not repeatedly. They are an alternative to court proceedings for low value theft, and used to give the person 'one more chance'.

Tell him no. And ask to see the paperwork. I'm guessing he is addicted to something?

Your mum is being conned. There are no such fines.

Your mum is basically funding his addiction, she has no proof of where the money is going, surely she's not that naive?

An £80 fine + £5 levy can be issued if goods stolen are less than £100 and are recovered in a saleable condition.

NB: this is for first time/non habitual offenders only. It is not available to repeat offenders who will be sent to Court.

I’m sorry History but it really sounds as if he’s conning your Mum outof money.

He’s lying and fleecing your mum, the police do not issue fines and you would never go to the police station to pay them.
Tell your poor mother to kick his lazy good for nothing lying backside out of the house now. 🤬

Sorry OP but that is not right.

Serial offenders would not get an out of court settlement. Even Magistrates courts fines are paid at a bank or over the phone by card, even courts don’t take cash now.

Your brother is spinning your mum a line.

As an aside, small value thefts are very unlikely to go to prison unless there is a long history of similar offences.

He's stealing from your mum.

I'm not aware that the Police issue a fine for stealing. Usually it's Restorative Justice or a Local Outcome where it's agreed that items are paid for but it gets done then and there, however, if he is a prolific offender they wouldn't use that as an option and I would have thought he'd be arrested and processed.

This sounds like a big lie to me just to get the money.

Ring 101 and ask for some advice. See if you can book an appointment with a local officer and ask them, i'd also be concerned that if he is lying, he is defrauding your mum of her money.

Alternatively, pop into your local help desk and ask about the process and if these "fines" actually exist.