will i get jail ?????

[birchy08]

On octber 2006 i was selling concert tickets on ebay for a gig which was taking place on july 2007 but i sold these tickets 23 in total and to the sum of �3500 with p+p then i got bad feedback on ebay cause of my computer crashing and i was blocked off ebay and couldnt get into my account , then in 2007 i was arrested for suspion of fraud and at the interview i asked the police for their help in tracking down the buyers but i had no reply off them until last week where they have charged me with nine counts of theft stealing money.
i am so scared because i dont want to go to jail as all that i ever wanted to do is pay these people back their money but having no means of contact to them it was impossible for me but all the people had my details but not one got in touch by post and then i would have explained the situation......
i have to go to magistrates court next week and im so worried that i will go to prison for this because i have only ever been charged with twoc back in 1991 when i was 17 and took my moms car and im now 36.. i will be giving the court �300 and will be able to offer �50 a week if they fine me !!!!!!!!!!
can any1 help ???????????

[RufusDufus]

lol@nono!

The bottom line birchy is if theres proof that this is all a "Friendly mistake" then why the hell is your brief telling you to plead guilty to a crime you did not do? NO ONE DOES THAT! The evidence against you must be overwhelming,so now you've got 2 choices guilty or not guilty? Do you bend over for the system and take it knowing that your an innocent man and knowing that this new theft conviction my block you out of many jobs in the future? Or do you stick your finger up at the system knowing that you may get a harsher sentence but is ready to fight to the death for your innocense and morals? The choice is yours.......

[birchy08]

those are good links cheers mate but i never intended to scam any1 and if i would have got the tickets they would have been sent out , which was the plan from the start

[RufusDufus]

If thats the case then good luck!

[birchy08]

im not being charged with fraud ,, i have been charged with 9 counts of theft by stealing money

[danchip]

1: if they paid by cheque or bank transfer you would have their bank details to return the money to

2: you asked the police to help you trace them and then waited 2 years, if it had of been me i would of been on the phone every day till i got an answer from the police

3: you could of contacted ebay explained the situation and they could of helped you return the money

4: you could of opened a new ebay acoount and posted on the forum explaining what had happened and ask the people to get in touch

5: what happened to the money that you received?

6: you sold something which you did not own or were in possesion of which i believe is fraud!

From what you have said you haven't made enough effort to get the money back to the rightful owners and have enjoyed a decent amount of money for nothing!

these are all things the court will consider so you'd be better off pleading guilty in magistrates where you would be found guilty anyway than pleading not guilty going to crown court and being found guilty and getting a much stronger sentence

[no-knowledge]

lets hope they don't bang you in the same cell as Steven Fitzpatrick.

[chas2008]

danchip got there before me, like he says you were in control of the money and when they paid either by cheque or bank transfer there would have been details with the payments.
I have to admit there are planks on e bay that send cheques with no explanation , but not 23 !!!
Then theres that all important question, where did the money go ???

[paraffin]

"I was selling concert tickets on ebay........to the sum of �3500" AS YOU DO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How did YOU get the tickets in the first place?

Bona fide ticket agencies DO NOT conduct their business via E Bay !

Just put your hands up, it's only three and a half grand - if that's the extent of this, I cannot see you getting banged up - community service and a fine.

Just stop playing the innocent victim card !!!

[sara3]

what did you do with the money? how much effort did you make to repay? why do you expect the police and Ebay to help you out?

I'd agree with your legal rep. you're guilty in my opinion but if you really think you're not, plead not guilty. if you're then found guilty you'll get a higher sentence. the court will want to know the answers to the questions above. if you plead guilty at the earliest possible time you will get a third off your sentence, including fines.

[sandmaster]

Even if the prospect of you getting the tickets was real, selling them on to fans at inflated prices is despicable.

[VHG]

>wasn't SCUM a great film !

I think THIEVING TOE RAG was a better film.

Or maybe LYING BA5TARD was better