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Original poster

Will I go to prison

39 replies

user1496147688 · 28/01/2018 10:00

Hi,
So I’m 19 years old and I got caught with fraudulent receipts.
So I created fake receipts, with stolen items on them. Then these items were returned by me and someone else. It would at least be £200 worth of this. I told them I had done it because they had CCTV of everything and it was so clear I couldn’t deny it. They called the police and said that the police would come to my house or call me soon which could be any day. Maybe today, tomorrow, weeks, I don’t know.
This is the first time I would be in trouble with the police, and I go to college.
Would I be sent to prison for this or what else would happen?

OP posts:
Hoppinggreen · 28/01/2018 10:01

You need legal advice not employment advice

Saz1995 · 28/01/2018 10:02

No sympathy from me.

EveryoneTalkAboutPopMusic · 28/01/2018 10:03

You’d better start looking at how to set up your own business. Nobody is going to be employing you for a very long time.

Bluntness100 · 28/01/2018 10:05

I'd guess community service, but who knows. You may get a custodial sentence. This is a legal question not an employment one,

ButteredScone · 28/01/2018 10:09

It is unlikely. You need legal advice, obviously.

If this is your first offence, can I ask why? Why did you do it?

palmfronds · 28/01/2018 10:10

For a first time offence I would be very surprised if they send you to prison - more likely to be some sort of community sentence. You need to speak to a solicitor but they will probably recommend you plead guilty (especially given the evidence), which means you won't have to go through a trial and will probably be sentenced fairly quickly.

Why did you do it? If you have a drug habit (like most shoplifters who end up in court) this could be a good opportunity for you to get some help. You say someone else was involved - have they also been found out?

It was a stupid thing to do but ignore people saying you'll never get a job etc... yes it will make things more difficult having a criminal record but this doesn't mean your life is over.

NewDOOFUSfor18 · 28/01/2018 10:12

It's entirely possible that you could receive a custodial sentence, especially as this was clearly premeditated and you knew exactly what you were doing. Your employment prospects are pretty bleak now too. All for a couple of hundred quid. The mind boggles.

misscheery · 28/01/2018 10:15

See? I admit you're young. But at 19 you are a full on adult. What you did is by no means okay, regardless the circumstances.

What do your parents think? Do they know? You need legal advice and possibly a lawyer

BewareOfDragons · 28/01/2018 10:19

I would think prison is very unlikely for a first time offence.

But you have proven yourself to be dishonest and a thief. When the police do get around to visiting you, you will end up with a criminal record which you will have to declare each and every time you apply for a job.

You have fucked up your life over a couple of hundred pounds.

Why?!?

daisychain01 · 28/01/2018 14:21

No sympathy from me. I guess all the judgey types have never done anything ill advised before. How nice for you.

OP you do need to get legal advice ASAP, can you contact citizens advice CAB ( there are branches in most towns even if part time hours). Check online. Cab can advise you and help locate someone to represent you.

Original poster
user1496147688 · 28/01/2018 15:11

I did it just because I needed money.
Yes my parents know, they are so angry especially since my mum is also one of the supervisors there.
The other person involved didn't know what was going on, I just asked them to return items for me

OP posts:
retirednow · 28/01/2018 15:22

You've let yourself and your mum down, and you got an innocent person involved in your scam. Call the citizens advice, I hope you are going to learn from this.

Terfinater · 28/01/2018 15:25

You won't go to prison for stealing £200.

TheGrumpySquirrel · 28/01/2018 15:28

Isn't this fraud ? Because of the fake receipt creation? Not just shoplifting. Fraud carries much more serious consequences I believe

Original poster
user1496147688 · 28/01/2018 15:33

Yeah i guess it is fraud because I put a sale through that didn't exist. So the tills were £50 short

OP posts:
Olddear · 28/01/2018 15:34

Yes, I'd judge a thief.

EmmaGrundyForPM · 28/01/2018 15:37

Courts view offences like this more seriously than shoplifting because it's a breach of trust as well as theft/fraud.

You really need legal advice.

Saz1995 · 28/01/2018 16:14

No I haven't because I'm not a criminal, I don't care if I'm a judgemental person for not showing sympathy to an idiot

Giraffesarequitetall · 28/01/2018 16:17

Is this somewhere you work?

BakedBeans47 · 28/01/2018 20:58

Wow.

I have no idea if you will go to prison although for £200 with no record I would anticipate it is unlikely, but embezzlement is pretty serious due to the breach of trust involved.

Imagine your mum loses her job as well OP. What a disgraceful thing to do. Never get a job involving handling money of any kind again.

EveryoneTalkAboutPopMusic · 28/01/2018 21:10

I guess all the judgey types have never done anything ill advised before.. Yes, I’ve done ill advised things. I once shaved my legs with a blunt razor and nicked my skin twice. This is a bit more serious though. I don’t know if you realise but fraud is more than ill advised. The Police don’t usually get involved unless the action is illegal.

BhajiAllTheWay · 28/01/2018 21:33

What on earth did you need the money for that you simply couldn't get any other way??? What's your defence here? Hard to say as fraud carries extremely stiff sentences if it's construed as that. You need legal advice asap.

daisychain01 · 29/01/2018 13:12

Everyone my point is that if a poster comes on here for support and people throw judgement at them and how they've got no sympathy, it's unhelpful in the extreme.

AKA kicking someone while they're down. I think they know they've cocked up, they don't need it rubbed in.

balljuggla · 29/01/2018 13:30

You silly thing. I'm not going to judge you, many of us will try at one point or another to fuck our own lives up but the important thing is to learn from it.

Never, ever do anything like this again.

Take responsibility. Plead guilty. I would be surprised if you got custodial (assuming this is a first offence?), apologise to all parties until you are blue in the face. Take the consequences.

You'll be able to work, but not handling money. The suggestion of starting your own business isn't a bad one, actually, if you can think of something.

These things can be turned around. In the future, be open and honest about it, own it, admit that you screwed up massively. Don't treat it as a deep, dark secret that other people have to find out.

Good luck.

SandyBabyToes · 29/01/2018 13:36

Didn't you post this yesterday OP, in Legal Matters?

Anyway, I think the situation is very 'meh'.

It'll be further aggro for Primark to prosecute. So I doubt they will.

You'll lose your job for gross misconduct but that's about it, I would imagine. If Primark try and have an 'interview' with you, claim you're pregnancy and unable to attend due to pregnancy related illness. They'll most likely drop it there and then

Please think carefully before doing anything like this again. It'll hurt long term next time.

Police won't be that interested and would only really act if Primark insisted. They have bigger fish to fry.