joyriding in the UK?

Question

Don't you think it's time to change the law regards joyriding, it appeers that in the USA if you take a car it's Grand Theft Auto which I think means you are charged with the theft of the car at it's street value. Is it time we took the same attitude

Answer 1

To make taking a vehicle without the owners consent theft you would have to change the definition of theft and hence half the criminal statues in UK criminal law.It would be better to change the penalty and street value should not be an issue the danger to others should be the priority.This crime is treated like dropping litter by magistrates and judges,most'joyriders' are are only so if they are caught but when they arent then they burn or wreck the car ,It needs the courts to show these people that it is serious and should be dealt with accordingly.

Answer 2

I think so too. Heres the differences:-
In the USA there are two different kinds of auto theft. Petit theft auto, which basically covers things like breaking into a car to steal the stereo and that sort of stuff, then grand theft auto which is where somebody actually takes the car and drives it away.
In the UK legal system, before a person can be charged with theft, the prosecution has to rpove certain points. The theft act 1961 states that 'a person is guilty of theft if he dishinestly appropriates property belonging to another with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it' so the prosecution has to prove that a joyrider intended to permanently deprive the rightful owner of the car. Most joyriders know this and when arrested and interviewed say 'i didnt plan to keep it i was just going to drive it around for a bit and then leave it in a car park' which opens them to the lesser charge of taking without consent which carries much larger sentences, although technically a joyrider can be charged with stealing the petrol from a vehicles tank this is seldom done. I think we need sterner punishments for this sort of behaviour

Answer 3

Twoking (Taking without consent) s not theft because the one who takes the car does not intend to permanently deprive the owner of the vehicle .

Frankly I think it is an artificial definition you can not take a car without it being theft. What about the fuel in it which the owner is deprived. That is theft. A car is almost always damaged in some way even if it is only the lock. Charge two Criminal Damage. When mine was "borrowed" some years ago I found it had been revved so much that the thermostat had ceased to function and the car overheated, fortunately I was able to repair quite quickly but the clutch pedal was bent up to the brake pedal which although repaired by the agricultural method was a problem for the remainder of the time I had the car

Answer 4

You've received some good points here. Even considering the source of the article, it says that these are kids of deployed folk and although it is a joyride for them, it serves two purposes. It allows those kids to get a small taste of what their fathers are going through..to allay their fears and at the same time allows the crews doing that to receive much needed training. All of the force is not capable of being in that deployed area due to equipment and design issues and you don't put all your eggs in one basket. As far as a Chinook saving lives in Afghanistan, last time I checked, they do not do fire support and they don't usually come flying into a hot LZ as they make a big fat juicy target. So, more of them when those guys died would have made little difference. More UH-60s, Apaches and Cobras are needed. Finally, the editor of that article seems to just have an axe to grind about the UK military anyway siting holes in fences and assumed security issues not necessarily in evidence. It would be more credible if this editor claimed to have sneaked into the base via some of these holes themselves and were not challenged....don't see mention of that.

Answer 5

Theft is a dishonest act with the intention of permanently depriving the owner of the property. With joyriding, there is no intention to permanently deprive, so technically it is not theft. Joyriding is covered by Taking a Conveyance Without Consent, and is also in the Theft Act. It carries with it much the same punishment as theft does, so there really isn't a need to change things

Answer 6

Yes. In the UK this is treated simply as a road traffic offence, albeit a very serious one. It is, however, theft of a vehicle and very often involves criminal damage to that vehicle. A severely disabled friend of mine once had her specially adapted vehicle stolen and was in trouble for a long time, as she could not hire a vehicle suited to her needs. I think that it is a very serious business indeed. The trouble is, many of the people who commit this crime are under 18 and there are limited ways of punishing them or, for that matter, of obtaining compensation from them. Another problem in dealing with them and with older offenders is that there will also be a charge of driving with no insurance, which carries a heavy fine. The total of the sentences handed down reaches overwhelming proportions and very often offenders end up in the means court having their sentences whittled down by notional terms of imprisonment.

Answer 7

I think for car theives the following punishment shall be dealt , they should be sent to a place far away walking over broken windscreen glass and serve hard labour , repairing the cars of the unfortunates who have had to suffer at their theiving hands and on release they should be given large doses of laxatives at 3 pm every day to stop them from venturing very far from the toilet at home and if they did they would be picked up by their scent , better than tagging anyday anyone agree!

Answer 8

Yes definately ASAP, because car theft is rampant throughout Britain.

Answer 9

i totally agree with you, they are getting away with everything over here, look how many people get killed and hurt by joyriders, they should throw the book at them, keep safe, all the best

Answer 10

Hell.I think the scum should be beheaded.
People who vandalise cars should be publicly flogged,and if under 18,their parents too