My son came to me recently and said the police want to speak to him. He says he was at a footy field with some mates when a lady came up with a purse. She said she had found the purse and was asking if anyone knew who it belonged to. My son lied and said it belonged to his Nan. He brought the purse home. It had a large amount of cash in it but no other identifying features. The police now want to speak to him about obtaining property by deception. Can there be a deception if the purse was lost anyway? It’s not his fault the owner lost it.
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Answer by Jo Wilson, Macleod 3085 VIC
- There is a difference between losing and abandoning property.
- Property no longer belongs to a person if they have intentionally abandoned it.
- Property that is merely lost still belongs to the owner and can be obtained by deception.
- You should hand the purse in to your local police station and your son should speak to lawyer about his situation immediately.