Me And My Girlfriend Got caught Shoplifting In primark Yesterday!

[Ilovelife]

Can any body help please?

 

Me and my girlfriend went into primark,

we had no intentions of stealing as we was meant to be buying a couple of bits for my mum

 

 

when we got there we seen stuff that we wanted but didnt have enough money

for so we put stuff into bags that we had we got carried away and started picking up more and more stuff!

 

 

I noticed a man in primark watching us i didnt think much of it as he was just looking at all of the stuff

but then we started to get a bit worried so we just walked out. I felt so relieved but

 

 

then a security guard and an under cover security guard stopped us and asked us to come back into the store!

They took us up the goods lift and took us onto the top floor of the store and took us into a room,

they asked us to empty the bags and

 

 

then asked us questions and

made us fill out some forms with name address and number on it!

They added up the stuff and it came to £140

they called the police.

 

 

I asked the one of the security guards what was going to happen and

he said the most we would get is 14 months barred from primark and half of the shops near the store he was recording us on a little camera recorde

r that was round his neck and got pictures of us.

 

 

The police arrived and asked us the same questions as what the security guards asked us

and told us we had to go to the police stations for statements.

 

 

The security guards called both of our parents and my girlfriends parents were in poole anyway so they came straight up

and she had to go with them to the police station and the police officers took me in there car as my dad was going to meet us there.

 

We then arrived at the station we was not held in a cell

i just had to Wait for my dad to arrive,

 

 

my girlfriend had her interview first and then she was aloud to go,

then my dad got here, and in the interview they recorded me and asked if i wanted a solicitor any legal advise,

 

 

She said on the recording of the tape that i was under arrest for suspension of theft

anything you do say may be given as evidence something you later relay on in caught

anything you do say may be given as evidence,

 

 

But after she said that she said that it will not go to court

she just had to caution me because she was recording the tape,

she said that i have to go to a workshop and that i will be getting a letter from the civil reunion

or something like that and i will have to pay a fine,

 

 

But i don't have a job and i have been looking for ages so i dont no how to pay

but i have seen people saying that you dont have to pay it,

i was then aloud to go home with my dad and they said i to except a phone call or letter.

 

I just want some advise on what to do now and will i have a criminal record,

because the police never handcuffed me or put me in a cell or took my finger prints or took my picture,

 

 

but the primark security guard took a picture ?

What does this mean?

and they did not say if i was banned or not they said maybe.

they also gave us a Letter witch i have taken a picture

and will post if it will let me about RLP or someting.

 

We both no that it was a stupid thing to do and we will regret it for the rest or are lifes,

and have woken us both up and we would never do anything like this again before anyone judges us,

It was a moment of maddens we just got carried away.

 

WILL THEY GET IN CONTACT WITH MY COLLEGE?

Please can anyone help!

Edited March 8, 2015 by Ilovelife

[silverfox1961]

Hi and welcome to CAG.

 

With regards to what the police will do, that is in their hands. You were arrested, cautioned and interviewed under caution. I suspect the police did the same with your GF. If this is a first offence, it will likely be a caution but you never know. that is a case of wait and see.

 

With Primark, they participate in a civil recovery scheme and use a company called Retail Loss Prevention.

 

What will happen is that RLP will write to you demanding a fixed sum. This is an invoice, not a fine and the only way RLP can get any money out of you is to encourage RLP to take court action which Primark are very reluctant to do. In fact, in all my time here, I have not hears of any Primark court cases.

 

The crux of this is DO NOT PAY RLP A PENNY. Please take my word for this. This 'invoice' has no legal basis. Do not fall for their 'mistruths in the letters they will send. The store got the goods back so there is no loss whatsoever.

 

If you ignore the letters RLP send, they will contact your parents as you are under 18 but as your parents already know, direct them to these boards to show them just how much power RLP have which is NONE.

 

One thing you must do. Stop shoplifting. Enough said!

[Ilovelife]

Thanks, and yes we will never shop lift again the police said if we attend the workshop then nothing further will happen but they have not said anything when or were, But how come i was only arrested in the interview they said that we was at the police station vol-entry and we cold leave at any time? And will they Contact my college ?

[silverfox1961]

I can't say anything about these workshops as I have not heard of them before but if the principle behind is that you do the workshop then no further action taken then I would encourage you to do it. I have no idea if there is a cost to doing this.

 

I cannot see any reason why they should contact your college, they have your home address.

 

I have read in the past that some police will invite a person to come to the station for a chat but then arrest them. As it is, I don't think it makes much difference now.

 

Wait and see what the police come back with then you can go from there.

 

If you need more assistance then others will be able to help as I am now off to bed. The joys of being old

[Ilovelife]

Thanks you for your help, Good night!

[silverfox1961]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]56443[/ATTACH]With regard to your latest PM, Ignoring RLP will have exactly zero effect on you. It cannot make it worse. The leaflet you were given is full of rubbish about what they can claim.

 

I bet the 'letter' is the one I have attached.

 

I could go into great detail about what they can or cannot claim from that leaflet but it is easier to say only the first section has any relevence

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]56444[/ATTACH]

[ericsbrother]

With regard to your arrest, the police have the powers to "unarrest" you and avoid processing you throught he system , which for you is a blessing. No, you couldnt walk out of the police station at any time, you could have requested that you were released and they would then have to let you leave or go through the formalities of arrest, which wouldnt have done you any favours so consider yourself fortunate.

As for RLP? follow the above advice and dont be afraid to ignore them, your parents already know so you dont have that to worry about. If your dad thinks that you should do something when the letter drops on your mat show him the threads here and hopefully he will understand.

[silverfox1961]

This workshop you mention may be used as an alternative to a caution. I happened to be checking out what they were and found some info on a Dorset website. Can I find it now? Nope. Didn't even come up in my search history.

[Ilovelife]

Okay, How come you cold not find the website again, And the thing is i can not afford to pay for anything anyway it was my dad that said he would pay, But the find will be massive the police said it would be in the hundreds, I feel so bad because i dont want him to pay, and that is the same for my gf, But he would still pay it i i need good proof and stuff to prove to him not to pay other wise he will, because he does not even know how to use a computer, he won't even but his bank stuff online, so he would not trust anything that anyone says on a computer i need help and need to no more about The RLP Thingy

[silverfox1961]

This is what I found. sorry it took so long to find it.

 

https://www.dorsetforyou.com/406087

 

As for your parents position regarding paying, there is a court document that is in the public domain which you can get him to read

 

http://www.farrarsbuilding.co.uk/cms/uploads/A-Retailer-v-B-K_001.pdf

 

the link above is the short version. If you want the full version, just ask although it runs to 150+ pages

[Ilovelife]

Were abouts in that link does it say not to pay rlp and cold I have full version too please

[renegadeimp]

You don't have to pay rlp anything because they can't do anything to you. Ever. Stop worrying about those parasites

[Ilovelife]

Hello, Its not me that is worried its just that my dad he will pay i need proof on were it tells me not to pay rlp like were in that link does it say not to pay rlp?

[silverfox1961]

[ATTACH]56476[/ATTACH]

 

Hopefully that is the full judgement. Although the court documents do not state that no payment should be made to RLP it does confirm that they cannot claim for the things they are claiming for. Also the fact that it is only Primark who can take action and to my knowledge (which is quite extensive) they have never taken court action as the costs would outweigh anything they can get in judgement.

 

I suggest you forget about RLP for now and deal with the police issue. Nobody can state for certain what will happen. Wait for them to make that decision and then we can move on.

[Ilovelife]

Okay when do you think the police will get back to us about the workshop

[silverfox1961]

Okay when do you think the police will get back to us about the workshop

 

Sorry, we are only human and psychic abilities are not something we are known for (that is meant to be a joke)

 

The police may do something soon but if you need those answers, you will have to contact them.

[Ilovelife]

Okay thanks for your help, So the rlp will not contact the police if I don't pay

[silverfox1961]

Okay thanks for your help, So the rlp will not contact the police if I don't pay

 

Nope. RLP will send all sorts of letters saying they will do this and that but they actually cannot do anything as they are the agent of Primark. Any comments from them are pure bulls**t. they have no legal authority to pass on your details to anyone-ever.

[renegadeimp]

Rlp can't do ANYTHING. THEY ARE A PRIVATE COMPANY WITH NO PWER AT ALL OVER ANYTHING.

[Ilovelife]

Okay thanks

[Ilovelife]

I have searched up more on this and i have seen people saying that they have to pay and stuff i dont know what we should do

[BazzaS]

I have searched up more on this and i have seen people saying that they have to pay and stuff i dont know what we should do

 

You can take the (consistent) advice on CAG (in this thread, and many others : search "RLP") to not pay a penny to RLP.

 

Other people on other sites might say other things.

"You pays your money & you takes your choice".

If replies so far haven't persuaded you, what might?

 

Hmm... "You pays your money" .... Or not

A) Don't pay RLP is the general advice

B) Advice on CAG is free

C) it was not paying (shoplifting) that was the cause of all this ........

[Mike_hawk]

Don't steal and don't pay RLP. I could paper my lounge with some of the trash this outfit has sent me over the years...... my bad for publishing name and location in the press for others to 'borrow'

[ScarletPimpernel]

I think we are starting to go round in circles, as so often happens with RLP cases.

 

CAG's view is that theft, including shoplifting is wrong, but that the criminal justice system is the appropriate way to deal with it. There is no place for a parallel system such as RLP, and so no-one should pay them.

 

This is the advice that has been given, and reiterated several times in this thread.

 

Once you have the advice, and/or have done research elsewhere, it's up to you to make a decision on what to do; no one else can make it for you, and asking the same question over and over again won't change our advice.

 

Consequently, I'm locking this thread.

[silverfox1961]

ILovelife has received a letter so I am going to reopen this thread. Please keep this on topic this time.