Re: Yarra Trams Article in Sunday Age

[Vaughan Williams <ender2000@my-deja.com>]

> Vaughan, so "you've allowed a reasonable time to buy a ticket (5
> minutes, perhaps) then I don't think its reasonable to expect you to
> miss your train ..."  Does this apply to supermarket checkouts which
you
> can easily queue for 5 minutes on busy days (such as Friday nights and
> Saturdays lunchtimes), then you can just walk out the store ** without
> ** paying for your goods because "you've allowed a reasonable time to
> buy your grocery"?

Interesting question. Its been a while since I did any coursework on
property offences, but I'll have a crack at it

If your taking the groceries off the shelves and putting them in your
trolley constitutes "appropriating" the goods, and at the time you do
so you intend to pay for them, but later change your mind (upon seeing
the checkout queue) and leave without paying (assuming you can get
out), then I don't think you can be done for theft.

This is certainly the case at petrol stations. If you intend to pay at
the time you put the petrol in, and subsequently you either realise you
can't or decide not to (like if theres a long queue), then there is no
criminal liability, only a civil debt.

Anyone who did Crim more recently care to correct this?

VW


  I think not!  So why should public transport users
> be any different to shoppers?  Let me put it another way, if you have
> waited for 5 mintues and the shop assistant  still hasn't serve you
and
> your train is coming, will you simply walk out the shop with the goods
> because you "don't think its reasonable to expect you to miss your
> train"??

You probably could, as a matter of law... whether anyone would is
another story.

Vaughan


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