hHELP - maybe charged with a crime I did not commit

[Yardbent]

Why would the police be involved iif the fuel had been paid for??

read the posts mate --- it was a £70 'drive-off'...........

 

[Yardbent]

was the petrol paid for by cash or on card? I cannot see if this has been answered. If card and a chip and pin then if not in your name would be very difficult to say its you.

crap situation! sorry to hear of it.

read the posts...it was a £70 'drive-off''

 

[PsiFox]

I don't suppose you have an Iphone do you. They log where you are and when, dont they? It's been all over the press in the last week or so.

 

[Yv]

John I know there are two cars.

What I am trying to say is....car 'A' the thieves car with your number plates goes into a garage and fills up with £70 of petrol, which would fill most cars.

You fill your taxi up - car 'B' - with £30 of petrol which is approx just under half a tank of petrol and 1 hour later you supposedly fill up your taxi with £70 of petrol.

If your taxi was already approx half full of petrol, how could you have supposedly got £70 of petrol in your taxi.

So the only answer is you couldn't but the thieves in car 'A' could because their tank was empty.

I think what John is saying is that the 'drive-away' car is definately not his, not even his [forged] plates nothing, ergo, if he filled his car somewhere else, even had he brimmed it, it's irrelevant, because sainsburys and the police both agree 'he' was in a different car for this driveaway - alledgedly of course.

John, as already said, stop panicing, the ONLY evidence they have is a witness claiming it was you - nothing concrete - that may well be enough to arrest you, but is no where near enough to press charges, especially if you have a solicitor present to which you are entitled via legal aid, and also probably through you vehicle insurance if you have legal cover with that - few, even commercial insurances, come without it these days.

 

[Yardbent]

John I know there are two cars.

What I am trying to say is....car 'A' the thieves car with your number plates goes into a garage and fills up with £70 of petrol, which would fill most cars.

You fill your taxi up - car 'B' - with £30 of petrol which is approx just under half a tank of petrol and 1 hour later you supposedly fill up your taxi with £70 of petrol.

If your taxi was already approx half full of petrol, how could you have supposedly got £70 of petrol in your taxi.

So the only answer is you couldn't but the thieves in car 'A' could because their tank was empty.

you are seriously messing with my head...

I put £30 into the taxi and drove home ...end of

somebody drives into Sainsburys with a silver Vectra - puts in £70 and drives off

the ONLY connection is the staff thinks it was ME in the 2nd car

 

[CT]

At a guess I'd say the staff at the garage have viewed the tape and decided between them that it was you (as someone they know) - despite the fact that it was a different car. If that's the case then as idenifications go - it's a non starter unless the CCTV tape is good enough to conclusivley show it was you. It would appear it isn't from what the desk copper told you.

Sounds like a farce all round mate. Go and have a pint and stop fretting.

 

[Yardbent]

........................and also probably through you vehicle insurance if you have legal cover with that - few, even commercial insurances, come without it these days.

thanks - had not thought of that - will phone Insurance Co tomorrow

 

[Yv]

thanks - had not thought of that - will phone Insurance Co tomorrow

Its many years since I did insurance but at the time the cover that came with the motoring policies we sold covered you for any legal problem - that may have changed in recent years, given the increase in litigation for all manner of perceived ills, but there should be an explaination of the legal cover part in your documents, so you can check that this evening if you have them to hand.

 

[gumbo-67]

thanks....i asked this evening if i could see the CCTV to point out errors

answer....no ...but your lawyer can......i cannot afford one..........:thumbsdown:

in that case i am sure someone on here will tell you better than i CAB or a one hour free guy until they do something..

 

[rssmrry]

Incidentally, you should get the police to check if you appeared on any ANPR elsewhere on the roads that day, then you have some proof as to your location.

I would have thought that this is a pretty flimsy case, why would someone known to the staff steal fuel in a car that he doesn't own, with plates that'll lead right back to him? Also, if there was no staff interaction, identifying a regular paying customer from a poor CCTV image seems pretty poor. I bet you'd be able to win this in court without any lawyer.

Have they charged you with any crime, if they have then you are entitled to see any evidence I would have thought.

Maybe ask the guys at the garage where you actually filled up if you can have the footage of you filling up so you can provide that to the police for comparison, perhaps showing differences in gait, or some other identifying characteristic.

Do you know what you were doing at the time of the theft?

Think about ways that this can help you prove your innocence.

I'd be tempted to call their bluff, as far as I know you're not obligated to give them any information unless they've charged you. Find out what your rights are.

 

[IanT74]

I've been labelled as a "drive away" before. I got home from filling up and couldnt remember how much my fuel cost. I looked at my receipt and all that had been charged to my Visa was 22p for Wrigley's Airwaves. This was back in the day when you didnt pay for every little item on a debit or credit card, I was surprised such a small transaction could go through.
The cashier had been so distracted by some guy she was blethering to that she had forgotten to add the fuel from my pump. I went back (within about an hour) to pay for the fuel and she said, I had you down as a non-payer and was going to phone the police. Dozy cow!

I hope you get it sorted!

 

[peter62]

sorry, but they see a blurry cctv image and identify you, how do they know you, do they know where you live?
Were you identified via the plates on the wrong car

Seems a bit strange to me, you must know where you were at 5:30 or whenever

 

[essexguy78]

I take it the garage staff know your name and address, other wise how did the police trace you if the car didnt have cloned plates?

 

[Yardbent]

sorry, but they see a blurry cctv image and identify you, how do they know you, do they know where you live?
i believe they made a 'guess' as in ''hey that like the taxi driver'' regardless of the fact the car was not my taxi

Were you identified via the plates on the wrong car
what..?

Seems a bit strange to me, you must know where you were at 5:30 or whenever......do you remember where you were on 23rd April ../

 

[The Greek]

WELCOME TO SCOTLAND.....

sorry - seem to have a case of caps-lock

Scotland or outer Mongolia, you can not be charge with theft because someone said it look like you .........They need proof!

 

[Splog]

believe it or not ...the police have CATEGORICALLY stated it is NOT my car BUT if the forecourt attendants say it was ME filling the tank, they can press charges ...CRAZY

YES ...the police do not think it was my taxi just that i filled up another car with £70

read the posts mate --- it was a £70 'drive-off'...........

you are seriously messing with my head...

I put £30 into the taxi and drove home ...end of

somebody drives into Sainsburys with a silver Vectra - puts in £70 and drives off

the ONLY connection is the staff thinks it was ME in the 2nd car

So...... This second car of yours that you put £70 of fuel into.... is it your taxi?


and..........................


Was it diesel or petrol? and was it paid for using visa or mastercard?

 

[Yardbent]

I take it the garage staff know your name and address, other wise how did the police trace you if the car didnt have cloned plates?

please think about what you are asking ...dont muddy the waters

what difference does it make if the suspect car had real plates or not

IT WAS NOT ME...!!!!!

i had puzzled how they came to my door -- I ''assume'' after 2 weeks they had time to investigate

Taxi - Strathaven - silver Vectra - there probably is only me as Strathaven taxis [6 cars] dont have a silver vectra

 

[essexguy78]

please think about what you are asking ...dont muddy the waters

what difference does it make if the suspect car had real plates or not

IT WAS NOT ME...!!!!!

i had puzzled how they came to my door -- I ''assume'' after 2 weeks they had time to investigate

Taxi - Strathaven - silver Vectra - there probably is only me as Strathaven taxis [6 cars] dont have a silver vectra

Not trying to muddy the waters at all just wondered how they ended up at your door thats all.

 

[rssmrry]

please think about what you are asking ...dont muddy the waters

what difference does it make if the suspect car had real plates or not

IT WAS NOT ME...!!!!!

Well, if it wasn't a cloned plate why didn't they trace it to the real owner through the DVLA?

 

[Yardbent]

So...... This second car of yours that you put £70 of fuel into.... is it your taxi?

and..........................

Was it diesel or petrol? and was it paid for using visa or mastercard?

Steve ....either a funny sense of humour, or you are an idiot

I'm struggling with a tough situation...and you are being a fool

read the posts........

''I put £30 into the taxi and drove home ...end of

somebody drives into Sainsburys with a silver Vectra - puts in £70 and drives off

the ONLY connection is the staff thinks it was ME in the 2nd car''

 

[Yardbent]

Well, if it wasn't a cloned plate why didn't they trace it to the real owner through the DVLA?

Christ ...dont you all read the posts............

who said it wasn't a cloned plate

because the plate was probably stolen --- see graham

and so the driver felt free enough to ''drive-off''


PLEASE I dont need any more agro ...just solid advice...thanks

 

[odd jim]

Christ ...dont you all read the posts............

who said it wasn't a cloned plate

because the plate was probably stolen --- see graham

and so the driver felt free enough to ''drive-off''

PLEASE I dont need any more agro ...just solid advice...thanks

Solid advice = solicitor, end of. But at this stage you don't even need one and I doubt it'll get any further.

You can't expect an Internet forum to solve this.

But as stated, don't worry, their evidence is baseless.

 

[The Greek]

John, relax man. If you didnt do it then theres nothing to worry about.

 

[Splog]

Steve ....either a funny sense of humour, or you are an idiot

I'm struggling with a tough situation...and you are being a fool

read the posts........

''I put £30 into the taxi and drove home ...end of

somebody drives into Sainsburys with a silver Vectra - puts in £70 and drives off

the ONLY connection is the staff thinks it was ME in the 2nd car''

...... Just my sense of humour.. hence the winky smilie thing at the end of the post.

 

[Cobra]

What a total screw up I hope that it all comes good for you

Its easy to see how mistakes are made like that, you just have to see the confusion in this thread,
when you have made the circumstances etc perfectly clear

 

[Yardbent]

Solid advice = solicitor, end of. But at this stage you don't even need one and I doubt it'll get any further.

You can't expect an Internet forum to solve this.

But as stated, don't worry, their evidence is baseless.

thanks.......didn't expect it to be solved..just needed to chat

nevertheless................

IF the forecourt staff state it WAS me in their opinion , I CAN be charged

a shocking situation where an innocent party can then be subjected to trial based on the word of others

of course it may not come to trial BUT I will have been charged -

just sick of the stress of it...............:bang:

 

[rssmrry]

Christ ...dont you all read the posts............

who said it wasn't a cloned plate

because the plate was probably stolen --- see graham

and so the driver felt free enough to ''drive-off''


PLEASE I dont need any more agro ...just solid advice...thanks

I'm done then. I read the posts, and it wasn't particularly clear. Tootles :|

 

[archamedes]

its a hard case to prove its you as you said the evidence is on your side and it doesn't seem right that you would go back to the petrol station an hour later in a car you clearly dont own, so to be honest it will fall apart if it ever went to court.

Just hope you didn't own a white fiat in france around august 1997

 

[odd jim]

thanks.......didn't expect it to be solved..just needed to chat

nevertheless................

IF the forecourt staff state it WAS me in their opinion , I CAN be charged

a shocking situation where an innocent party can then be subjected to trial based on the word of others

of course it may not come to trial BUT I will have been charged -

just sick of the stress of it...............:bang:

But you have to ask how they are identifying you. I know at this stage it's not clear but if they have looked at the CCTV and said they "think" it's you, that's not good enough. They have to do so positively, that's to say "yes that's definitely 100% him, without a shadow of a doubt". If they had already done this then they would have arrested you!

If they are identifying "you" from the 20 or 30 metres across the forecourt, again I'd struggle to see how they could do that positively.

Then in the unlikely event it goes to court (which it won't) they'd have to prove it beyond all reasonable doubt. Which they can't do as it wasn't you!

It's easy for us to say not to worry, but honestly, don't worry - I've also been accused of doing something I categorically havnt done (which is a lot more serious than a drive off!) so I know how hard it is to switch off from it!

 

[gramps]

Think compensation.

 

[seashaker]

Why would the police be involved iif the fuel had been paid for??

It was a long day :bonk::bonk::bonk::bonk: hehe

 

[Flash In The Pan]

Think compensation.

If it was me, once the nonsense is over I'd be seeing a lawyer regarding a defamation of character claim against Sainsbury's.

I'm sure the papers would love the story too.

Btw, you're entitled to one free legal aid consultation with a solicitor, so use it

 

[SpikeK6]

This must be an awful time for you just not knowing whats going on.
I have read all the posts on here about this and the only ones that are making any sense at all are the ones saying "seek legal advice" I know you said you cannot afford one from your own back pocket but a trip to Citizens advice will appoint one to you and listen to your side of things free of charge.
Please do this and stop getting involved with things being siad on here that have little or no relevence to yuor situation, only you know whats been said and exactly whats happend everyone else is just speculating.
Get a good bnights sleep and seek advice tomorrow.

Good luck and try not to worry too much

spike

 

[lawrenceots]

Every pertrol station has CCTV, it would be easy to identofy that its not you when your iflling up I'd think.

Damn nasty thing to happen, but sure it'll work out fine

 

[Lynton]

John,

In amongst the crap on this thread (from various responders) there is a good deal of truth....

Seriously from the information offered, I am 99.9% sure, you have little to worry about, given it is up to "prove beyond reasonable doubt"

It is unfortunate as to timings that you cannot conclusively prove where you were at any given point today... and to be honest on reflection I don;t think i could......... ok I flex in and out at work, and have a card that opens doors etc, however into and out of the building is by pressing a button and or keypad entry........ it is feasible that I could leave the building and return without being "tagged" as doing so.... buy that's irrelevant.....

It is obvious it is bugging you, and I understand that. If you have legal cover on your Motor Insurance (usually DAS Legal services) contact them for advice.... yuo get about £50k or £100k of legal cover.......... if you don't then Cits advice will help out to an extent.......

People are all yadda yafdda yadda and screaming compensation... for me, the 1y objective is to clear your name.

 

[big soft moose]

thanks.......didn't expect it to be solved..just needed to chat

nevertheless................

IF the forecourt staff state it WAS me in their opinion , I CAN be charged

a shocking situation where an innocent party can then be subjected to trial based on the word of others

of course it may not come to trial BUT I will have been charged -

just sick of the stress of it...............:bang:

you need to consult a solicitor - a lot of solicitors do a first 30 minuite consultation free. - when they tell you not to worry because theres no case (unless the police have other evidence than you've mentioned here there isnt) then you'll have considerably less stress.

The police might mention/threaten to charge you, but they won't without a decent case - it reflects badly on them with the fiscal if they charge cases that cant be prosecuted.

If by some small chance the police did arrest you say nowt other than that you want a solicitor - they have a duty to provide one if you cant afford one as you have an absolute right to legal representation.

A decent breif (even a duty solicitor) will **** all over their case and it wont come anywhere near a charge.

And remember you dont have to prove your innocence - you are innocent until proven guilty.

 

[Lynton]

you need to consult a solicitor - a lot of solicitors do a first 30 minuite consultation free. - when they tell you not to worry because theres no case (unless the police have other evidence than you've mentioned here there isnt) then you'll have considerably less stress.

The police might mention/threaten to charge you, but they won't without a decent case - it reflects badly on them with the fiscal if they charge cases that cant be prosecuted.

If by some small chance the police did arrest you say nowt other than that you want a solicitor - they have a duty to provide one if you cant afford one as you have an absolute right to legal representation.

A decent breif (even a duty solicitor) will **** all over their case and it wont come anywhere near a charge.

And remember you dont have to prove your innocence - you are innocent until proven guilty.

IF & ONLY IF YOU DON'T HAVE LEGAL COVER ON YOUR MOTOR POLICY! IF YOU DO, SPEAK TO THEM, IT'S FREE!!!!!

 

[gramps]

Calm down dear, it's only a forum!

 

[Doog]

I can understand your worry. I'd be up the pole so to speak. Thinking rationally though. The police will have to be pretty certain that it was you before charging you, and even if they do charge you it doesn't mean it will ever see the inside of a court. They'd need more than a CCTV image to prosecute. Write down everything you did that day, and try to find out if a neighbour or someone you know can verify where you were around that time. Even if you went home and watched telly. Something that'd verify you were where you said you were. The sooner you put it all down in writing the better. You must get some legal rep as soon as possible though. Good luck with it.

 

[big soft moose]

IF & ONLY IF YOU DON'T HAVE LEGAL COVER ON YOUR MOTOR POLICY! IF YOU DO, SPEAK TO THEM, IT'S FREE!!!!!

No - if the solicitor is free on a 30 minuite consultation speak to them first - dont call your motor legal unless you have to (like if you get arrested) because it might be "free" but its also a claim and it will put your premium up significantly (no claims protection doesnt usually apply to motor legal claims)

and theres no need to shout