Taxpayers had to fork out around £6,000 to bring a teenager to court for burglary after he helped himself to a fizzy drink worth £1.09 from a fast food restaurant.
The cheeky 16-year-old was ordered to pay £60 costs for helping himself to a Coca Cola drink from KFC in Walsall Wood while a worker’s back was turned.
The youth denied a charge of burglary and was due to face a day-long trial, but the offence was downgraded to theft at the start of yesterday’s hearing, to which he pleaded guilty.
Mr Nigel Ford, defending, said preparing the case against the teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had cost up to £6,000 and branded it a “complete waste of money.”This included police time, lawyers’ fees and bringing the matter before court five times ahead of sentencing.
Mrs Hilary Peters, prosecuting, said the teenager was among a group of “disruptive” youths who entered the restaurant off Lichfield Road on February 20.
She added a worker at the front counter felt intimidated and when her back was turned he leaned over and poured pop into his container.
Mr Ford said witnesses described the offence as a “cheeky act” and it would have made more sense for the youth to be warned.
Mr Ford told Walsall Magistrates Court: “He should not have leaned over the counter and helped himself to a splash of Coca Cola but it has probably cost between £5,000 to £6,000 for a £1.09 drink. The expense is enormous and this is not an issue that should be here at court.
“There are far more important matters to be spending money on.”
The teenager was also given a 12-month conditional discharge.
By Craig Hughes
10 Comments
For gods sake, if he was that desperate for a drink you should have let me have it for free.
Now we have to paid this ridiculous bill! Twits.
This is absolutely ridiculous a company turning over billions world-wide.
9,000 stores in 86 countries and costing taxpayers £6k just for £1.09 drink.It’s pure joke!!
Imagine how many KFC’s could have bought for £6,000!
I’ve done that at a bar, got kicked out… got away lightly. Was thinking about the taxpayers. Not like that scruff!!!
He’s my hero!!! I’m gonna do it. watch out KFC
If the lawyers on each side in this case earned as much as the workers at KFC the legal bill would have been no more than £15.00. If we choose to create a society with such disparity of wealth (lawyers work for around £200 an hour) then legal issues which concern ordinary people become too ‘expensive’ to enforce. If the victim in this case had been a person rather than a rich multinational no action would have been taken by the police. If you are KFC however you can ensure that loads of taxpayers money are spent on enforcing your position. Mad……..
If the law was to show a blind eye to the theft, then what would stop anyone stealing?
Hang on if your sacked in the UK and you have to take your employer to court, the sacked employee even if he is innocent, has to pay his own legal costs, it cost me £25.000, this guy should be made to pay the full legal cost of £6000. as well as being fined.
Jim of Bearwood
Complete joke. When I did jury service I sat on a jury for a guy who robbed a pound - yes a pound off a lady in the street. It turned out he was a beggar asking for the money and then she reported it to the Police - complete waste of tax payers money!! - why do the CPS let these cases go through!
A prinicipal is a prinicipal.
It’s a shame it has cost so much money but it’s the only thing that they can charge the kids with. They are actually more of a menace than the news article makes out. Having worked for many years in retail I know how frustrating it is to be harrassed and terrorised by youths of the ASBO generation. All the police can do is move them on.
In many of these cases, if there were sufficient evidence, these youths could be charged with assault for the fact that they make staff fear for their safety. Unfortunately this is hard to prove and the police know the English criminal justice system is so poor that there is little or no point, gone are the days where the local bobby will give naughty boys a clip round the ear and take them home to mommy and daddy. EU legislation and child protection laws have put paid to that. Kids now get away with murder and it’s great to see that the police have managed to make an example of somebody.