James Campbell's response

This question does not specify whther you have been charged yet or whether you have been arrested, interviewed and released on police bail pending further police enquiries.Whichever it is you should seek immediate advice from a local specialist criminal solicitor.

If it is the latter and you admit you are guilty then the first option is to try and see if the police would agree to caution you for the offence or perhaps offer a fixed penalty.

If you have already been charged and you are an adult then your case will proceed to the magistrates court.If you are intending to plead guilty then there are a range of possible options regarding sentencing.If you are charged with an offence contrary to section 1 of the theft act then the maximum penalty available in the magistrates court is a custodial sentence of 6 months however on a guilty plea this should be reduced by up to a third.If however the offence is relatively minor such as a shoplifting offence then given you have no previous convictions it is likely you would receive either a conditional discharge or a fine .

If the court felt that the offence was too serious for a fine they could consider imposing a community penalty of some sort.It is impossible to give accurate advice without receiving full information about your case and therefore it is essential you seek the advice of a solicitor who can give you proper advice in this case.

If you are a youth then the sentencing options are different to the above and again you should seek specific advice from a solicitor in this regard.

If the case were one that was too serious for the magistrates to deal with then it could be committed to the crown court which has a maximum penalty available of 7 years imprisonment and an unlimited fine.