What is a theft charge? Police lay it when someone is accused of taking another person’s property or services without permission, intending to deprive the owner of it. The item can be anything from a shoplifted shirt to a bike or a package.
Theft Is a Criminal Offence, So Act Quickly
A charge like this can follow you for years, and there’s no reason to let it run your life. Get the defence you deserve.
Types of Theft charges
Larceny
Larceny is a crime involving the intention to take or steal personal property of another person or business.
For larceny to occur, three conditions must be met:
- (1) The goods must be removed from the possession of another without the owner’s consent
- (2) The goods must not only be taken but also “carried away,” in movement of the entire object
- (3) There must be an intention to steal, which is ordinarily defined as an intention to deprive the owner permanently of his property. The unauthorized borrowing of another’s property is not larceny if there is an intent to return the property.
Examples of larceny include: Thefts of bicycles,motor vehicle parts and accessories, shoplifting, pocket-picking, or the stealing of any property or article that is not taken by force and violence or by fraud.
Robbery
343 Everyone who commits a robbery
- (a) steals, and for the purpose of extorting whatever is stolen or to prevent or overcome resistance to the stealing, uses violence or threats of violence to a person or property;
- (b) steals from any person and, at the time steals or immediately before or immediately thereafter, wounds, beats, strikes or uses any personal violence to that person;
- (c) assaults any person with intent to steal from them; or
- (d) steals from any person while armed with an offensive weapon or imitation thereof.
R.S., c. C-34, s. 302
Burglary
Breaking and entering with intent, committing offence or breaking out
348 (1) Everyone who
- (a) breaks and enters a place with intent to commit an indictable offence therein,
- (b) breaks and enters a place and commits an indictable offence therein, or
- (c) breaks out of a place after
- (i) committing an indictable offence therein, or
- (ii) entering the place with intent to commit an indictable offence therein, is guilty
Definition of place
(3) For the purposes of this section and section 351, place means
- (a) a dwelling-house;
- (b) a building or structure or any part thereof, other than a dwelling-house;
- (c) a railway vehicle, a vessel, an aircraft or a trailer; or
- (d) a pen or an enclosure in which fur-bearing animals are kept in captivity for breeding or commercial purposes.
R.S., 1985, c. C-46, s. 348
R.S., 1985, c. 27 (1st Supp.), s. 47
1997, c. 18, s. 20
Get an Honest Opinion on Your Theft Charge
One mistake shouldn’t cost you years. Still, a theft charge can mark your criminal history, and the legal costs and lost work add up fast. A free consultation will tell you how serious yours is.
Consequences of a Theft Charge
In Ontario, the penalties depend partly on what was taken. Whether it’s a first offence or a later one, expect some of the following:
- Fines, usually scaled to the value of what was stolen
- Jail or prison time, also tied to that value
- Restitution in some cases: returning the property or repaying the victim’s losses
- Loss of certain rights
- Difficulty immigrating or applying for citizenship
- Ineligibility for some careers
- Trouble entering certain countries
- A conviction that may be reported publicly
Don’t wait until your court date
A Lawyer Who Has Defended Theft Charges for 25 Years
Fines and jail time are possible, but you’re innocent until proven guilty. Hire a skilled lawyer who will do everything possible to get your case and your future in line.
Why Hire Jonathan Lapid
- Free initial case assessment, and an honest one
- Reasonable fees with nothing hidden
- Hundreds of clients defended to date
- Lawyers who practise criminal law rely on him for theft charge advice
- Jonathan himself brings 25 years of experience
Theft Charge Lawyer Jonathan Lapid
A few years ago, a Brampton police officer facing a DUI charge asked his police friends which lawyer they lose to in court. Jonathan Lapid’s name kept coming up, so he called.
Jonathan is a criminal defence lawyer and DUI expert with over 25 years of experience in the GTA. His clients have included police officers, lawyers, doctors, pilots and flight attendants, an NHL player and a Canadian Olympic athlete, along with prominent senior executives, limousine drivers, factory workers and many other hard-working Canadians. Clients at every level, high-profile ones included, have trusted him with their cases.
Serving Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area
Where you were charged shapes how a theft case unfolds. The police service, the court and the region all matter, whether it’s Toronto, Mississauga or Brampton. Jonathan Lapid has spent many years defending clients across the GTA and knows how local practice differs.
Contact Jonathan for a free case assessment and a practical plan, even if your situation is complicated. If you’re facing a theft charge anywhere in the region, get a lawyer who will treat it seriously and give you the best chance at a better future.