Steal £18k. Avoid Jail

He's one very lucky b****r i say:eek:
 
hmmm, theft is serious and I guess if I was the employer I would want him jailed too. However taking a slightly more dispassionate view, first offence, he can can afford to recompense, he still has that criminal record which will have a pretty lousy effect on his future employment [and you assume he wants to be employed if has been at university] - prisons are rammed full, every prisoner costs the tax payer money, is he really such a danger to society that he should be taken off the streets? Was the judge convinced he would pay back the money and the fine and not reoffend? If the answer to the first one is no and the second one yes, then perhaps it was the right decision.
 
I like how he gets to repay it in instalments :)
 
I agree with Yv.
No risk to society really. It's extremely costly to imprison. The monies stolen will be repaid.
Considering how many people who commit violent offenses also don't receive custodial sentences, I'm amazed this even made the news.
 
dinners said:
I like how he gets to repay it in instalments :)
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many years ago, my dad had parked his car in the car park of the club we used to visit a lot. Some woman got very drunk and was asked to leave, so in retribution, she found a lump of 2x2 and went round smashing the cars up, managed to do about 10 cars by the time security were told and had got down to the carpark and restrained her until the police arrived. Can't remember the exact details [insurance pretty much paid out for the car] but she was on a low income and was made to pay all the car owners some form of compensation, which amounted to a £1 a week for each person. I kid you you not, every week for nearly two years, a postal order for a quid would come through the post! :lol:
 
daugirdas said:
No different to tax avoidance, except the likes of Starbucks, Amazon and their bosses completely get away with it
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That's because they're not breaking the law.
 
daugirdas said:
Tax avoidance is illegal and may result in jail time
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There are plenty of entirely legal ways for individuals and businesses to avoid huge taxation.
 
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daugirdas said:
Tax avoidance is illegal and may result in jail time
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no, tax avoidance is totally legal, tax evasion is the illegal one - it is the current laws that mean StarBucks, Amazon, etc can avoid paying some tax, not illegal book keeping.
 
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ST4 said:
They operate within the law. Stealing isn't. I take the point though he's no danger though but I'd have though he should have had to repay the £18k to them straight away
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The story, rightly, doesn't give us too many details on his financial circumstances, so my next comments are of course just speculation. Just because he can afford to pay it back, doesn't mean he can afford it in one lump sum. It more likely means he now earns enough [be that from a job or a monthly income from a wealthy relatives trust fund] to be able to pay it back over a reasonable period of time.No, no idea what would be considered reasonable btw, but I think the point is probably that he isn't living on the dole and has a steady income that allows this decision.
 
He was a bit lucky but this is a reasonable outcome and others have covered the reasons why. There may be a caveat about the repayments - eg failure would result in another court appearance. The debt will be repaid in a bit under four years, which is a good while to wait but it was probably a balance between a fairly reasonable repayment schedule and not putting undue pressure on the guy. I can understand anyone wanting quite a lot of pressure being put on him, but if he had to pay it back at once or very quickly he could easily end up with nothing and then claim benefit.

If I had a large amount stolen from me I would feel aggrieved but I do think too much emphasis is put on non violent crimes. This was a first offence, involved no breaking into property and no one was threatened or physically injured. There has to be a deterrent element in the sentencing of all crimes but I'd much rather see someone who attacks another person go to jail than this bloke.

Dave
 
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Not really surprising.
Many years ago I worked in internal audit for a large retailer - amazing how many staff we caught with their hands in the till, fiddling banking or liberating stock.
All of them lost their jobs (plus any chance of future employment with other retailers) and had to re-pay the theft in one way or another. I only recall one ever getting a prison sentence though - and that was an elaborate, well thought out scam that had been ongoing over several years.
 
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ST4 said:
Fair enough. Well, I hope it makes him a reformed man and he does repay and at the same time, hope he retains employment
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Article states former employer, so I guess he didn't.
 
ST4 said:
He might have got another job, he's got £400pm to pay every month. I sure hope he has
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In the interest of not paying him benefits I will agree, however it better be emptying rubbish or something just as unattractive.
 
Yv said:
WHAT?!?! He didn't put it into an ISA? :naughty:
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He probably spent it on camera equipment with which to set up as a wedding photographer ... he'll be along shortly asking for advice " Hi I've just invested £18k in 2 5D mk3 and some glass, can anyone tell me how i can guantee at least £400 of income every month..." :whistling
 
overpayment is paying more than you are meant to - amazon and starbucks were legally paying significantly less than they are meant to - thats avoidance
 
ST4 said:
Its not avoidance, IMHO. It is just to ensure you do not overpay your tax. Paying anything over and above the legal requirement of you is overpayment surely?
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As I said tax avoidance is NOT illegal. It's ensuring that by legal measures do not pay more tax than required.
 
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chadders said:
As I said tax avoidance is NOT illegal. It's ensuring that by legal measures do not pay more tax than required.
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It's important not to mix them up talking to your accountant :)
 
ST4 said:
How? If its legal then that is what they are meant to pay surely?
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Exactly. They use legitimate means in order to pay only those taxes they are liable for under those circumstances.
 
daugirdas said:
It's important not to mix them up talking to your accountant :)
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I can give the name of a good accountant if you wish. A good accountant will help you (and your business) avoid paying unnecessary tax. He or she (in my case) will not be discussing any form of tax evasion.
 
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ST4 said:
How? If its legal then that is what they are meant to pay surely?
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I think you are being deliberately obtuse - they are meant to pay the same as everyone else , they avoid it through loophoioles which for whatever reason (whether thats bribery, quid pro quo or sheer lack of guts) polticians haven't yet closed
 
big soft moose said:
I think you are being deliberately obtuse - they are meant to pay the same as everyone else , they avoid it through loophoioles which for whatever reason (whether thats bribery, quid pro quo or sheer lack of guts) polticians haven't yet closed
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No I am not. They are meant to pay their tax liability, no more, no less and they check the laws at their own expense to work out what they have to pay. The law is the law and they didn't break it. It's a simple fact.
 
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