A Hampshire man has been convicted of stealing biscuits from a hospital.
Alfie Smith, 41, of Kingsway Gardens, Andover, admitted an offence of theft when he appeared at Basingstoke Magistrates' Court on Thursday, 21st March 2024.
Theft is an offence under section 1 of the Theft Act 1968. The maximum penalty for theft is 7 years' custody on conviction on indictment; 6 months' custody and/or an unlimited fine on summary conviction. We have previously written an article on the legalities surrounding theft.
There's not much detail about this particular offence, as it seems to have been scraped from the results list. What we do know is that Smith has admitted stealing the biscuits (aff. link) from the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Winchester, on Monday, 30th October 2023.
Smith was sentenced to a six-month conditional discharge. It would appear there has been no order for costs or surcharge, which would suggest the court was of the opinion he was of limited financial means.
A packet of biscuits? Did you ever. Reminds me of an earlier case I once dealt with.
Don't get me wrong, stealing of any sort is unacceptable. Anyone who has co-workers will know how annoying it is when someone takes your biscuits from your desk or milk from the fridge.
Wrong as it may be, I do not think this particular offence justifies the time and public expense that has been invested in it.
And the hospital didn't even get compensated for its loss!
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