Property Offences P1 Flashcards
What kind of offence is theft
A triable either way offence
What is S1 of The Theft Act 1968 (definition)
Dishonestly appropriates property belonging to another with the intention of permanently depriving them of it
What section is appropriation in
S3
What is the definition of appropriation
Any assumption of the rights of an owner amounts to appropriation
What is included in appropriation
Taking property
Destroying it
Using it in an unauthorised way
Selling it
Offering to sell it
Refusing to return it after having come by it legally
The defendant does not need to assume all the rights, instead he must assume any but…
Assumption must be an adverse interference
Which case said switching labels amounts to appropriation
Morris (1983)
Which case stayed appropriation of goods is sufficient to find a charge of theft when consent is obtained by deception
Gomez (2003)
What was the ratio of Lawrence V MPC (1971)
An appropriation can take place despite consent of the owner
What is the difference between the consent in Lawrence than Hinks
In Hinks (2000) the D argued they were gifts over a period of time
What is S4 of The Theft Act 1968
Property
What is the definition of property
Money and all other property, real, personal, including things in action and other intangible property
Which case showed that unusual items come under property
Kelly (1998)
What are things in action
Right which can only be enforced by taking legal action as they have no physical existence E.g debt
They are changing or can change
What is intangible property
Things that have no physical existence and are fixed E.g copyrights
What did Oxford V Moss (1978) establish for property
Confidential information contained in the exam paper did not amount to intangible property. Information cannot be stolen
What does S4(2) state - property
Land cannot be stolen unless:
A person who doesn’t own it severs something from it
A tenant takes fixtures which should have retained attached to it
What does S4(3) state - property
It is not theft to take wild flowers etc
Would be theft if took whole plant with commercial purposes
What does S4(4) state - property
It is not theft to capture a wild animal that is not tamed
Cannot take from zoos or domestic pets
What is S5 of TA 1968
Belonging to another
What is classed under S5 Belonging to another
Property can not only belong to the actual owner but also to those who currently posses it or have a right over it
Can belong to more than one person at a time
Can steal own property
Abandoned property
Which case involves stealing own property as service station was in possession and control of the car at the time
Turner (1971)
What does ownerless property state
Lost property still belongs to the owner
Abandonment of property at time of appropriation cannot amount to theft
Why was small not guilty for stealing the car
D believed the owner could not be found. Had reasonable belief the car owner could not be found as it had been left for 2 weeks. A normal person would have contacted DVLA to find owner
Which case involved abandoned golf balls that were on property therefore owned by the property owners
Rostron (2003)
What does s5(3) state
Property received for a particular purpose
Property will ‘belong to another’ if those people holding it do anything unauthorised with it