Woman charged after finding money on the ground

It’s not something that you think would happen.  If you saw a money note on the ground with no one around it and you picked it up and put it in your pocket, you could be done for stealing.

A 23-year-old woman in the UK is finding this out after finding a £20 note on the ground.  Nicole Bailey found it on the ground of the store freezer and put it in her pocket.  The customer who lost it returned to the story to ask if it had been turned in.  After checking the CCTV footage they saw that Ms Bailey had taken it.

Police were called and after first denying that she took it, Ms Baily was shown the footage of her taking it and admitted to it.  She has now given a six-month conditional discharge by the courts and ordered to pay £175 in legal costs.  Her lawyer told the court, “She didn’t know who the money belonged to. People don’t realise that picking up something you have found amounts to a theft. She has been quite naive in doing so.”

The Cheif Inspector told the press after the case, “We’d actively encourage any member of the public who picks up money that’s been dropped to be honest. Do the right thing by taking all reasonable steps to try to find the owner.”

What do you think?  Do you think that the woman should have had to go to court over it?  Should she have admitted it and given the money over?