A HARD-UP woman filled her fridge with £220 worth of discarded pies, ham and potato waffles in bin bags outside Tesco Express, only to be arrested and charged with 'theft by finding'.
Sasha Hall, 21, works part-time at a rival supermarket in Chelmsford and struggles to afford weekly food shops.
So when she looked out of her window to see opportunists taking food – put out because a power cut hit fridges and freezers at the Tesco Express in Dorset Avenue, Great Baddow – she grabbed the chance of a few free meals.
However, she was reported and soon found police at her door.
"They knocked at the door and said if I didn't open up they would use a battering ram," she told the Chronicle. "They handcuffed me and treated me like I was a hardened criminal and when we left they raided my house.
"I haven't got lots of money. I only make £600 a month. I'm on the brink of getting kicked out of my flat because I can't pay my arrears.
"There was £3,000 worth of food going to waste on the street. It had been thrown out, so I thought I could put it to better use. But when the police came round I was so upset. I felt like a terrible criminal.
"I would think the police have better things to be doing with their time than going after people who pick up potato waffles from the street. It's all been blown totally out of proportion."
She added: "Tesco clearly did not want the food. They dumped it and rather than see it go to waste, I thought I could help feed me and my family for a week or two."
A Tesco spokesman said: "We are assisting the police with their inquiries. We seek to minimise waste in all our stores and where possible will seek to reuse and recycle it."
Sasha says she fears if she pleads guilty on February 16 she would probably get a fine and a criminal record.
http://www.thisistotalessex.co.uk/news/ ... ticle.html
She's a rubbish theif..
She's a rubbish theif..
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
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oldr_n_wsr
- Posts: 10838
- Joined: Sun Apr 18, 2010 1:59 am
Re: She's a rubbish theif..
Sounds like a public dole applicant to me.
Re: She's a rubbish theif..
What happened to the great safety net you brits are supposed to have?
yrs,
rubato
yrs,
rubato
Re: She's a rubbish theif..
She should have said she was a Somali immigrant...
Re: She's a rubbish theif..
Wait, the UK has a 'theft by finding' law? In the US, we call it Dumpster Diving -particularly if it's for food, and it's not illegal per se. For some of the economically downtrodden, it's a way of life; I do it myself on occasion
...for cans! Aluminum cans, sheesh!
...for cans! Aluminum cans, sheesh!