Borrowing friend's ID - fraud?

[hoodiemum]

Oh dear. DD tried to go to a club about 3 weeks before 18th birthday, using a friend's ID. Club took ID and said friend should collect it the next day from police station. The next day, friend went to police station but no sign of the ID. Police have now written friend a letter saying she is guilty of fraud if she allowed a friend to use the ID, and that club has good CCTV of the incident.
DD is beside herself. On the one hand, I'm keen for DD to learn consequences of stupid (and illegal) decisions, and if this letter is just a way of frightening stupid kids, I'm all for it. But it seems truly awful that her friend, who was doing her a stupid favour, might be penalised to the extent of getting a criminal record. Also, grades permitting, DD was heading for a place to study medicine. Is this going to scupper a life-long dream that she's worked really hard for? Anyone got any advice? I presume full honesty and apologetic attitude the only way to go at this stage? God I wish I'd got pregnant a month earlier, then DD would have had no temptation to do this.

Yes it's legitimate - I think it started in 2011.

www.gov.uk/government/news/new-guidance-to-help-pubs-clubs-and-shops-spot-fake-id

I only know because my 16 year old granddaughter borrowed her sisters ID and it was confiscated. This was 2 days before older sisters driving test at which she had to produce the ID used otherwise her test would have been cancelled. Cue frantic chasing around to retrieve it. Her sister didn't know she'd borrowed it

@iamspartacusthesecond. Thanks for the link. I guess we'll have to wait and see how far the police want to take it.

@iamspartacusthesecond So no criminal prosecution in your granddaughter's case?

I didn't know this cos my dd borrowed her sisters. Thankfully they are both legal now!

Are you from in England or Wales?

If I'm brutally honest I think your DD needs to tell the police her friend didn't know. It seems a bit unfair for the friend to get a conviction for trying to do something nice. That said I think your DD getting one is a bit much too.

Hopefully it comes to nothing. Did the friend get her ID back?

Oh god this is brutal! Who didn’t do a bit of ID sharing in their younger days? Poor DD and her friend

Everyone does this. It's a rite of passage surely?

Thanks for the sympathy, everyone.
@Manclife1 We're in England.
@InTheHeatofLisbon Yes, we've talked about her saying she took it without friend's knowledge, to get friend off the hook. As you say, it seems the right thing to do. But then we're looking at theft as well as fraud (as well as more lying).
Reading the email again many times, I think they're trying to scare the kids into not asking for ID back. Which is effectively a not-too-big fine from DD's point of view (having to pay for friend's new ID) and no paperwork for police. Everyone suitably chastened and lesson learned. So I think we may just take the 'do nothing' approach and wait and see. Obviously if police follow through then time for a big fess up, with legal advice of some sort first.

Highly unlikely this will be taken further. However, I would check to see if your daughter is shown as the offender for a fraud crime. Could be disclosable later in life.

Presumably they don't have your daughter's details though? So it can't go on her record

I think your plan sounds fine. And just to say, when I trained as an HCP one of my fellow students had to embarrassingly explain a silly blemish on his record (think drunkenly trying to dance with a police officer type thing) but it didn’t affect his registration. And many many nurses and doctors get registered or reregistered after much more serious misdemeanours are ‘spent’. It’s a fair process and in my experience wouldn’t affect prospects.

This happened to a very good friend of mine, her DD was the person who lent the ID. She is a lovely girl avd went very, very apologetically to the police station and was given the ID back with a telling off but no record/caution etc, hopefully it will be the same for your DD & friend.

So it may be there are no consequences?

Though it would be unjust for it to affect future studies/jobs, there should surely be some penalty?

Else it's just teaching your daughter how to get away with it.

@Malvinaa81 Well, best case scenario, from DD's point of view, is that she has to pay for new ID for friend, which isn't cheap, and has had several days/weeks fretting about whether she's going to lose her opportunity to do the career she wants or be fined £6000 or get a prison sentence. Also an expensive journey to a city where she didn't get to go into the club that all her friends went into and had a miserable time. I don't think she'd advise anyone else to risk going through that, let alone going through the worst case scenario of actually being prosecuted. So I think a lesson has been learned even if she does 'get away with it'.

Hi hoodiemum, I've PMed you.

If she is offered a caution, take legal advice before deciding whether to accept it. IIRC cautions are never “spent” in the same way as convictions so they never really go away.

If she is offered a caution, take legal advice before deciding whether to accept it. IIRC cautions are never “spent” in the same way as convictions so they never really go away.

Accepting a caution (you can refuse) is admitting the offence, so a guilty plea without a court involved. Sounds wonderful at the time, but a few years down the line, you now have a criminal record to disclose. Can come as a nasty shock to some

If you refuse a caution the case may go to the CPS for a summons and court appearance. Or the CPS may not progress the case in which case ... well nothing.

The stupidity of youth transcends generations 😂

Back in the day my then 17 year old knob head of a boyfriend doctored his paper licence to make him a year older than he actually was. He then lost it in town.
Not being the sharpest tool he went to the local police station the following day to report it lost. All good though as some kind soul had handed it in....

He got a stern talking to and had to pay for a replacement.
I suspect your DD will get similar.

Thanks for all the wise words, everyone. Much appreciated.