Crown Courts
| Published date | 01 January 1967 |
| Date | 01 January 1967 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/002201836703100102 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
Crown Courts
ASSISTING
IN
THE DISPOSAL OF A THEFT
R. v. Scott
IN this case heard at Manchester Crown Court it was con-
tended by counsel for the defence that to assist in the
disposal of the proceeds of a crime is not in itself a crime.
This
defence succeeded.
The
facts elicited were that one Saturday afternoon three
men
entered abutcher's shop in
the
city and told the woman
in charge that they were police officers;
but
as they kept their
faces covered she became suspicious. Thereupon they tied up
the woman and stole the safe. On the following day one of
them
telephoned to the accused in Buckinghamshire, told him
about the safe and asked him if they might
put
it in his yard.
As he consented to this they came to the yard and were
attempting to blow open
the
safe when
the
police, hearing
the
noise they were making, came in and arrested the accused.
The
accused admitted his part in
the
matter.
The
Recorder was of opinion that as
the
accused had
come on
the
scene after
the
fact of the robbery a vital ingredi-
ent was missing, in that
the
accused might have had no
intention of assisting
the
thieves to evade justice, and an
allegation that he meant to assist in disposing of the property
was not sufficient.
Accordingly
the
accused was discharged.
9
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