Summary
Our client was an employee at Harrods who was accused of stealing over £4.5k worth of items while on shift. Our client accepted taking the items and expressed great remorse for her actions. At the police station, Solicitor Apprentice Christopher Wilson provided strong mitigation on our clients behalf, which resulted in our client receiving a community resolution and avoiding court proceedings entirely.
Details of the Case
While on shift at Harrods, our client was captured on CCTV entering the employee stockroom on 11 separate occasions and taking at least 25 testers amounting to over £4,500. Later, our client voluntarily returned 7 of the stolen items which were valued at just over £1,000.
Our client attended a voluntary police interview where she was represented by Solicitor Apprentice Christopher Wilson. As our client accepted taking the items, Christopher advised her to give an account during interview to provide the Police with a full understanding of her personal circumstances.
Our client maintained that most of the items taken were solely for personal use during a time of financial difficulty. A few items were sold to friends but never for commercial value. Our client was very remorseful and had already lost her employment as a result of her actions.
Our Defence
Christopher made extensive representations to the Police where he urged for our client’s matter to result in an out-of-court-disposal due to her remorse and the admissions she’d made during her interview.
As part of these representations, Christopher drew attention to the fact that our client had already returned several stolen items and was willing to repay the remaining amount. As the items taken were only testers as opposed to new retail value stock and given that her employment had already been terminated, he submitted that further punishment would be excessive given our client’s specific circumstances.
Community Resolution
Following our client’s interview, the Police were satisfied that there was sufficient evidence to justify prosecution at court. However, given the strength of the mitigation put forwards by Christopher, the Police decided that a community resolution would be appropriate instead.
A community resolution is not a criminal conviction however it is a method of restorative justice that requires the individual to admit guilt for the offence. Thanks to the strength of Christopher’s pre-charge action and our proactive, results orientated approach, we were able to secure this early resolution for our client despite the value stolen and the breach of trust.
This case is a clear example of Lawtons’ expertise when handling sensitive criminal matters and the different that our specialist team can make to the outcome of your case. Without Christopher’s intervention, it’s likely that our client’s matter would have proceeded to court and she would have faced a criminal conviction.
Client Testimonial
“I am very grateful to Lawtons Law for their assistance in resolving my case. Christopher Wilson provided clear communication throughout and helped bring the matter to a formal conclusion. I appreciated the straightforward advice regarding the outcome and the next steps. Highly recommended for their professional service.”
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