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Hi, I’d be grateful for any help and information with regards to the following. I was detained for shoplifting yesterday at a Wilko store. I had already been in store and not purchased (or taken) anything and at the entrance to the store they had some indoor and garden plants. I saw a few that I wanted to buy but there were no bags or baskets to place the items in so I used a carrier bag of my own & as I was about to turn to re enter the store a person claiming to be security grabbed me & told me to go back into the shop with him.
In the office he said he’d seen me bag the items and had stopped me for stealing. He refused to listen to anything and kept going on about being in the job 22 years, had heard it all before, etc.
He then grabbed the rest of my bags and said he was allowed to search everything else too. He asked for receipts for everything & all I had was 7-8 items of food I’d bought from the Asda earlier on & had thrown the receipt in the bin at the exit of the store.
I told him all this and he then said if I couldn’t prove I’d paid he was confiscating everything.
There was also a pair of pliers (in a bag) at the bottom of one bag and straight away he started going on about going equipped to commit more serious thefts (taking tags off items). I tried to explain they’d been bought earlier too but again he kept going on about he’d heard it all before, etc and confiscated them and my shopping bags too (again saying the bags were me going equipped).
He told me if I wanted anything back I had to prove I’d paid and to go back to the shops I’d got the items from and get a receipt reprinted and if I could get back to the Wilko before it closed in 20 mins I could have everything back.
Also in my bag I had a bank statement of my own and one of my sister’s which she had given me as proof of identity to collect a parcel on her behalf. He took a picture of both and then told me I was going to be given a barring letter and that he would send those details to head office & I’d be getting a fine letter (about £150) and that also he’d be passing on my details to the police and to expect them to come round about me going equipped to commit offences.
The barring letter needed to be signed by the store manager & whilst we were waiting another staff member came in & she said she recognised me from another store years ago and it turned out she knew me from where I lived and going out for walks with my dog. She started saying to the guy that she bet I used to steal right under her nose for years at the other store even though I’d only ever been in there a couple of times.
They both also started going on about another guy that came in earlier and when he realised he was about to get caught he dropped the bag and ran off. The security guy started bragging about how he’d ‘sorted’ him out before and he ran off scared. They both carried on about how scum like us come in and steal and wgo did we think we were and why don’t we get a job like everyone else, etc.
My worry now is about the fine letter (which sounds like a civil recovery letter), the visit from the police and also if they decide to send both to my sister’s house as well. Her husband opens their post and we don’t get on anyway but he’d be really angry about it and would tell everyone about it just to make me look bad.
I was just also doing a little research and was reading that apparently the security guy had no right to search the rest of my bags without my consent? I didn’t give it he just grabbed the bags and said he was allowed to do what he wanted and if I didn’t let him he could easily call the police and let them do it and I’d be spending a night in a cell (scare tactics which he kept threatening me with).
I’d be grateful if anyone could tell me what happens next and if there is anything I can do to sort this out? I work but am self employed and due to the Covid situation have had a dramatic fall in earnings over the last year so can’t really afford any legal representation or advice.
Thanks in advance for any help and advice.
In the office he said he’d seen me bag the items and had stopped me for stealing. He refused to listen to anything and kept going on about being in the job 22 years, had heard it all before, etc.
He then grabbed the rest of my bags and said he was allowed to search everything else too. He asked for receipts for everything & all I had was 7-8 items of food I’d bought from the Asda earlier on & had thrown the receipt in the bin at the exit of the store.
I told him all this and he then said if I couldn’t prove I’d paid he was confiscating everything.
There was also a pair of pliers (in a bag) at the bottom of one bag and straight away he started going on about going equipped to commit more serious thefts (taking tags off items). I tried to explain they’d been bought earlier too but again he kept going on about he’d heard it all before, etc and confiscated them and my shopping bags too (again saying the bags were me going equipped).
He told me if I wanted anything back I had to prove I’d paid and to go back to the shops I’d got the items from and get a receipt reprinted and if I could get back to the Wilko before it closed in 20 mins I could have everything back.
Also in my bag I had a bank statement of my own and one of my sister’s which she had given me as proof of identity to collect a parcel on her behalf. He took a picture of both and then told me I was going to be given a barring letter and that he would send those details to head office & I’d be getting a fine letter (about £150) and that also he’d be passing on my details to the police and to expect them to come round about me going equipped to commit offences.
The barring letter needed to be signed by the store manager & whilst we were waiting another staff member came in & she said she recognised me from another store years ago and it turned out she knew me from where I lived and going out for walks with my dog. She started saying to the guy that she bet I used to steal right under her nose for years at the other store even though I’d only ever been in there a couple of times.
They both also started going on about another guy that came in earlier and when he realised he was about to get caught he dropped the bag and ran off. The security guy started bragging about how he’d ‘sorted’ him out before and he ran off scared. They both carried on about how scum like us come in and steal and wgo did we think we were and why don’t we get a job like everyone else, etc.
My worry now is about the fine letter (which sounds like a civil recovery letter), the visit from the police and also if they decide to send both to my sister’s house as well. Her husband opens their post and we don’t get on anyway but he’d be really angry about it and would tell everyone about it just to make me look bad.
I was just also doing a little research and was reading that apparently the security guy had no right to search the rest of my bags without my consent? I didn’t give it he just grabbed the bags and said he was allowed to do what he wanted and if I didn’t let him he could easily call the police and let them do it and I’d be spending a night in a cell (scare tactics which he kept threatening me with).
I’d be grateful if anyone could tell me what happens next and if there is anything I can do to sort this out? I work but am self employed and due to the Covid situation have had a dramatic fall in earnings over the last year so can’t really afford any legal representation or advice.
Thanks in advance for any help and advice.
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