Hi Need Advice About My Poor Boyfriend

[Cherlou1]

Basically he was coming back from a yard where he's uncle works after helping out and needed a lighter.. He saw a man in another part of the yard and asked him for one. The man questioned why he was there.. My boyfriend said because he was helping his family in their part of the yard. To put the man at ease he showed him is tattoo with his last name when the man was still not satisfied he showed him his ID. The man believed him Ofcourse and said yes il get you a lighter. He walked over to a house 30 seconds from the yard and got him one. He said in his statement that my boyfriend looked 'dodgy' by this he ment because my boyfriend had his Parker coat hood up and ear phones in (this was mid February and very cold) he always wears hood up and always has ear phones in. The man in his state not says that he specifically watched my boyfriend leave and turn the corner. My boyfriend continued his journey home where he come across a little dog say half mile or so down the road. He rang me saying what shall I do I told him that I didn't want it at mine as I have a cat.. He said shall I phone the police or a vet.. I had had a incident with a pervert who was *** at me that day and had the police coming out to me that evening so I said do not phone the police They take ages (I was scared as was getting dark and just wanted him to get over) I said give it to someone and il tell them where it is or something ( my sound bad but I didn't care about the dog I just wanted it gone so he could come over) he did that and the girl he gave it to decided to go on Facebook trying to sell it (my bf did not tell her to do that he just wanted it out of his hands) the police didn't end up coming out to me they took a statement over the phone and I completely forgot. The owner turned out to be the one who gave him the lighter. The owners saw the dog on Facebook and gave the girl £40 reward. The dog is home. Unfortunately my boyfriend didn't tell the police about what I said about not ringing as he didn't want to bring me into it but I'm disgusted with this and I'm so upset that he hadn't sooner or he may not be where he is now. The only evidence is this paranoid mans thought that he took the dog and my boyfriend admitting to finding the dog. My boyfriend said he saw cups of tea with the people who he asked s lighter from. How do they know the silly dog didn't slip past them while they was carrying their tea? They done a id parade where he wasn't chosen out until the man come out of it and then changed his mind and picked him why they done that when my boyfriend will admit to being there is beyond me. How can they use a id parade when he wasn't picked out during it? There's no forensic obvs because he didn't do it and no witness to say they saw him go in or out obvs because it's not true. He's asking for a lower charge to be accepted of theft by finding as this is what it is. The case management and plea hearing is next month. Do u think there is sufficient evidence to convict him? It's literally the owners word against my boyfriend?

[Cherlou1]

Sorry forgot to say they are trying to charge him with burglary. It's gone to crown court God knows why.

[SirOracle]

Suggest an early visit to a solicitor.

[EDDIE51]

Sorry but your post is so confusing I can't understand what happened.
Why did your BF get involved with a stray dog in the first place? why did he not just ignore it? How did the police come to be involved, has he actually been charged with an offence or just told that he might be charged?

[EDDIE51]

There has to be MUCH more to this! You can't be charged with burglary for finding a stray dog. Are they saying he broke into the house and stole the dog?

[Cherlou1]

Yes been charged with burglary.. There is nothing more to it except the police man in charge HATES my boyfriend. He has had one pervious charge of burglary as a youth over tabacco!! This police man has tried to do him previously on other accounts and NEVER got a conviction. he is racist as my boyfriends family are travellers.. He got involved with it because that's the type of person he is he is very loving and caring and didn't want to leave it on the street as it was approaching 6pm in feb and was getting dark

[Cherlou1]

Yes Hun they are saying that when he got the lighter he must have 'saw the dog and wanted it' lol. It's very pathetic the whole thing. It's just that pig of a police man trying his hardest to convict him again. If it was anyone else I truly believe they would not Persue it the way they are. His solicitor thinks he get not guilty. And yes they can do that because it seems they have

[Prudie]

You must understand how it looks though. Why would he 'give' the dog to another girl he didn't even know?

[Cherlou1]

His uncle drove him around to look and see if they could see anyone who looked like was looking for something but couldn't see anyone.

[Cherlou1]

Because I told him to!! I said pecifically to not ring police as they take ages. They were taking all night about a pervert why would they run out for a dog. I told him to give it to someone who would know what to do with it and either find owners or ring a vet or keep it who cares I just wanted it dealt with and out of the way, he knows the girl very well.

[Prudie]

Cherlou I'm not meaning to be judgemental just pointing out how it looks. So he knows the girl very well but not enough to know she's the type who would immediately sell it on FB? If you have the support of a solicitor then hopefully he can prove your BF's innocence.

[Cherlou1]

I understand how it looks.. Looks are deceiving though. There's a million ways that dog could of got out where my boyfriend found it. NO ONE in their right mind and my boyfriend is very sane had a full time job everything. Would show someone their ID face description everything then go and rob a house... For a dog!! Surely u can see that??

[Peter Pedant]

I thought a lighter was a kind of boat

You need to see a lawyer

[EDDIE51]

Burglary means forcing entry to a house to steal from it. There HAS to be evidence to bring the charge. Stealing by finding is a crime but it is a long way from burglary which is a far more serious charge.
What evidence is there to support a charge of burglary? There HAS to be evidence of forced entry to the house, and evidence linking the suspect to the scene of crime!
Despite what you say about the police officer 'having it in for him' there MUST have been evidence sufficiently strong for the magistrates to refer the case to crown court. If it was as obvious as you say that the charge was groundless, the magistrates would throw the case out, not send it to Crown. Sending the case to Crown means they consider the case is too serious for their sentencing powers.
I have worked as a tutor inside a prison . I heard stories like this everyday, sorry, but the story you and the BF tell just does not add up!

[EDDIE51]

You need to tell us the whole story, there is nothing about how he came to be charged with burglary. Your story tells us he was walking home and saw a dog then talks about an ID, parade nothing in between.

[Cherlou1]

Lol bless you.. Read my question Hun!!! The fact that my boyfriend admits to being outside the house and that he admits finding the dog!! The owner is saying there's no way it could of got out! That's how the charge is standing apparently! There is NO forensic NO witness to say yes I saw him go in or out. The owner says himself that he saw him walk off and around the corner before he (owner) went back to the yard. He said that he went back to check the house within 5mins. They are saying that in this '5mins' my boyfriend went in and stole this mutt!!

[Cherlou1]

The only witness statement there is is from the owner saying what I've said above about my bf asking for the lighter.. Him asking why my bf was there.. My bf clearly voluntarily showing his ID.. Him getting the lighter for my bf.. Him standing at the door and watching him leave and go around the corner.. Then him going back because he thought my bf looked 'dodgy' (lol) and going back to check the house. That is his statement!!! There is nothing other than that and my boyfriend admitting finding the dog! that's ALL there is!

[Cherlou1]

The owner has said he left the door unlocked and went back to the yard after watching my bf leave.. If u thought there was someone dodgy about would u go and leave your door unlocked? It's not me who don't make sence it's this paranoid old fool who don't make sence!

[Cherlou1]

Btw the owners house is 30 seconds from the yard where him (owner) and my bf had come from.

[EDDIE51]

It is you that does not understand. I am asking what was the sequence of events between finding the dog and the charge of burglary. How did he come to be arrested? What statement did he make? What evidence did the police produce? How long did all this take, hours , days, weeks?
No matter what you think or say he could NOT be charged just from admitting being there and finding the dog!

[EDDIE51]

Reading this again I see your BF admits stealing the dog but says he found it and gave it away to someone he didn't even know who then sold it on facebook.
The story about as plausible as the one a guy in prison told me!
He said he came home from holiday to find someone had broken into his house and left it full of stolen TVs and computers.