Theft is a crime in Scots Law which can broadly be defined as: the taking (or appropriation) of the property of another without the owner's consent and with the intent to deprive them of that property.
Theft Defence Lawyers Edinburgh, Scotland
In essence, to prove a charge of theft, the prosecution has to show beyond reasonable doubt that you took property belonging to someone else without their permission and with deliberate, dishonest intent. You cannot commit a theft accidentally.
It is possible to be prosecuted for 'theft by finding' where a person finds or appropriates property and keeps it without taking reasonable steps to establish whether the property has an owner by, for example, handing it in to the police.
Some crimes of theft can be made more serious by the circumstances in which they occur. For example, housebreaking (referred to as 'burglary' in other countries) involves breaking into or overcoming the security of a house or other premises and stealing items.
Robbery is an act of theft which is aggravated by the use of threats and/or violence to obtain the property of another.
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