Hi. I'm a 17 year old girl who was caught stealing today at Primark. First of all, I know what I did was wrong and I deserve some kind of consequence for it. But I really need advice on my situation. I took 3 clothing items and a bunch of cosmetic items which I did not intend to pay for from PRIMARK this afternoon. Stealing is not something I would do normally, but I'm at a difficult point in my life where I've been cheated by many people and I have lost a lot of my hard-earned money unfairly. (This has no relevance to my current dilemma, so I won't go into further detail). I decided I wasn't going to just allow myself to be cheated by these greedy companies. I view retail corporations as one. I see no difference between these stores as I believe neither of them care about consumers..all they are interested in is getting as much profit. Therefore, I sought to recover my money that stores have unfairly cheated from me, from a big store like Primark. Long story short, I walked out of the store with a total of £47 worth of items in my bag which I didn't pay for. However, I did buy a few things from Primark, which shows that I wasn't just stealing the other items for the sake of it. My motive was really to recover money I've been cheated from in the past. Within 10 seconds of leaving, 2 security guards came after me and escorted me into their office. They recovered all the goods I had taken- none of them had suffered damage: they were all intact and in perfect condition. They took my name down and age etc. I gave them my old address and postcode because if my mom found out, she would go ballistic and wouldn't understand. They then called the Police who came and took down all these details. The Police told me because it was my first offence, I would not get a criminal record. However they gave me an official warning/caution and called it a "community resolution order". They said it won't affect me unless I want to apply for jobs which involve me working with vulnerable adults or children. Lastly, I was told I would receive a letter which would contain details of a "fine" that I would have to pay to Primark. Some people are saying it could range from £300-£400. Since I gave them my old address, I won't see the letter unless I go to my old house and ask the current occupiers for it. To be frank, I don't think I will be doing so because I don't have 400 pounds to dish out to a company like Primark who is already stinkingly rich by unethical means. I just have a few questions which I really need someone to help me answer 1. If I don't pay the fine, will a court proceeding be made against me? They told me that if the letters are ignored, police will apparently be knocking on my door..also they will take legal action to prosecute me. 2. If I don't pay the fine, will it ruin my credit score ? I'm scared that it will affect me later on in life if it will be recorded as debt. 3. Will this record of a community resolution order actually be visible to employers when they do a CRB check? 4. If this record will be visible, does it get cleared eventually after a while ? I'm turning 18 in about 3 months ..will this record still remain visible even after I'm 18? 5. Will this minor occurrence mean that employers have a right to reject me on the basis of dishonesty? I've heard that there is a list which RLP makes and sends to companies.. 6. Will they be calling the phone number I gave to the police about the fine if it's not paid? My mother is my only parent and she is currently not in the country..so I gave them my older brothers number but told them it was my moms. I haven't told him and I don't think I want to unless there's a chance that they may give him a call. 7. If I don't pay and I want to travel abroad, will the border agencies be able to restrict my travel because of the fine? I'd appreciate any contribution to assist me right now. I have never been in this situation and I don't know what to do.