Business Crime Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business Crime - Case Study Example Before proceeding to the topic of Christies Ltd. and business crime, it is important to understand how and why the Theft Act 1968 came into existence. This Act was original for it was the first British legislation, which the dealings of criminal law accessible to all citizens and not just limited to attorneys. An article from bbc.co.uk (2001) tells this history: Before 1968, theft and other, similar, offences were governed by a mass of conflicting legislation and common law and was over-complex. Before 1968, if 'ownership' passed by means of deception, the offence was 'obtaining by false pretences'. If 'possession' was passed, the offence was 'larcency by a trick'. Other offences existed, including 'larcency by a servant', 'fraudulent conversion' and 'embezzlement'. It had reached the point where it was harder to discover which crime the accused may have committed rather than whether or not the accused was guilty. The 1968 Theft Act, as well as the 1971 Criminal Damage Act, did much to overcome this problem. All previous theft legislation and common law were overruled, resulting in the creation of the first codified definition of law in England and Wales.... codified definition of law in England and Wales. Understanding the history of the Act allows one to understand why it was and still is needed. Now we shall begin the discussion of Christies Ltd. The situations at hand and the topic of this piece of writing are now presented: Business Crime--Christies Ltd 4 Phil Jackson has approached David asking for a higher salary, as he believes he is underpaid. David refuses. Phil then decides to augment his salary in a number of ways:(A) Phil decides to open a flower stall at the weekend. He obtains a large selection of daffodils and tulips from the roadside and aims to sell these at 2 per bunch.(B) Phil decides to go for a drive through the countryside. He sees anunattended pick up truck loaded with live wild pheasants. Phildecides to put these into his own vehicle, intending to sell them to a local butcher.(C) Phil decides to enter the safe of Christies Ltd and look at the plans for a new "HyperScoop". He draws the design of the scoop andoffers it for sale to Scooperman Ltd, a direct competitor ofChristies Ltd. The Theft Act 1968 lists the basic definition of the word theft. According to this Act, a person is guilty of theft if "he dishonestly appropriates property belonging to another with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it; and 'theft' and 'steal shall be construed accordingly". Let us look at the term "permanently depriving" more closely in order to gain abetter understanding of theft and dishonesty. Webster's II New Riverside Dictionary(1984) defines the word permanently as "lasting