Was arrested for shop lifting

If the bags were never moved when she was paying for the other goods, it’s quite possible - admitting you walked out without paying is not stealing- it’s a mistake.

However, I grant you though, that having not paid for an expensive headset item along with “many other items” as the OP has mentioned, sounds a little fishy, especially as the bill only came to 60 euro and the OP isn’t flush with money as she admits herself- - it might be a bridge too far for a judge to believe- one or two very small items like a lemon or a pack of chewing gum for example, are totally understandable . Shopping for a number of extra goods, not seeing them come past at the checkout, not packing them away, paying less than you expected given the goods you put in your trolley? It’s harder to believe.

OK, you’ve convinced me- the adult caution is the best worst option in this case.

No problem taking the caution.

But I would want to know what the other allegation was based on, from a peace of mind perspective, if nothing else.

I despise that attitude. That suggests that you should shoplift at will and if you get caught, just pay and walk away.

BTW, guess who pays for all the security and lost goods? - Yep, YOU do. Maybe if stores took away the built in theft and security cost and added 3% at the end of your bill and called it Shoplifter's premium you'd take a different attitude.

For the OP, it is highly unlikely this is your first time. The security guy is probably right in saying he has seen you do it. But you yourself won't accept it as it was possibly an alter-ego at the time. You then say menopause is not the excuse when it probably is. The menopause can be hugely disruptive especially if you are peri-menopausal. But you don't seem to want to accept it and using the excuse that the GP has a long waiting list. A GP will always have cancellations and will always see serious issues in a timely manner.

So change your thought process. Accept the menopause is most likely the disruption that has caused this and get onto your GP and say you need an urgent appointment. There may be other underlying issues within the head that are coming to the fore with the menopause and a good GP will have seen it before, but be 100% truthful to the GP.

Unlikely you’ll ever find out I’m afraid - my own view is it could all have simply been a standard practice thing to say to someone who has obviously walked out the door without paying for something- in other words, EVERYONE, who walks out the door without paying for goods, gets told the same thing- it’s likely they’re correct in most cases, but not necessarily in all cases- but I’ve no doubt people steal regularly from the same supermarket so every possibility a supermarket has a list of offenders they wish to catch in the act over time.

If the OP did this innocently once, might she have innocently done it many times? Possibly- BUT- when I lift my shopping bags from the trolley into the car, the shopping bags I’ve packed myself- the ones I’ve filled with the goods that I’ve purchased with my hard earned money- if I saw some expensive items and multiple groceries at the bottom of my trolley unpacked, I’d certainly check my bill first, and having found I didn’t pay for said goods, I’d return straight away to the shop.

So it’s stands to reason that if the OP didn’t experience such circumstances as above then it’s unlikely they actually have any evidence that she previously shoplifted

You took the adult caution- it’s done now or will be. My mistake as citizens advice mentions it doesn’t appear in Garda vetting so I don’t think you have to worry about that- go to your doctor - I think you need some good old reassurance that all will be ok. After that, forget about it- move on - you’re not a thief. You are innocent under the eyes of the law. Go out and treat yourself with something nice- just remember to pay for it 😀

I would imagine reading this thread hasn't helped.

People are so quick to condemn on an anonymous forum, it's probably the last thing you need. This is partly why I suggested telling your friends all about it. Talking with real people who know and like you will help you to see this in perspective. It's unpleasant, it's embarrassing, but it's not the end of the world.

Chat to your friends, have a bit of a laugh about it and put it behind you.

It's highly unlikely you've been having blackouts during which you've become a serial shoplifter. It's possible you've been having foggy moments and messed up a few times. It's more probable you just had an absent-minded attack of the stupids and accidentally forgot to pay for something.

Whatever the explanation, this discussion is unlikely to make you feel better. The tone of a lot of the replies suggest you are either the reincarnation of John Gotti or you are mentally deranged. It's terrible to see strangers taking such glee in your misfortune.

Get offline, go and chat to real people. You'll feel better.

I never said that- it’s up to the courts to find that a theft took place- who knows what might come out at a court hearing had it gone ahead. We can only go with what the OP says which is that it was a mistake- you seem to be implying otherwise- off you go to the OP so, I can’t help you.

It’s up to a court to prove she stole- likely it would come down to who the judge believes on the day - right now, her claim was that she didn’t know she didn’t pay for those items or simply forgot to pay for them. It’s not up to you thankfully to decide whether she did or not- that’s the role of a judge. Right now, she’s innocent under the eyes of the law.

considering she’s now saying she’s suffering from anxiety and what not, who knows what a judge will believe on the day or how they might proceed - but since it’s not going to happen now, that’s the end of it.

I disagree and I don’t see the OPs medical conditions as a laughing matter- it’s possible that at least one of these conditions is what has caused this misunderstanding.

The main point the OP made was, she didn’t know she had unpaid for goods in her cart. Maybe she had half a dozen bags from other shops in the trolley as often happens; maybe she brought 8 reusable bags and only needed 5 and the other 3 covered these goods, as can happen. She has now said she suffers from a condition- being in a busy shop may have brought on extra anxiety, she got distracted and simply forgot about the items- who knows- people innocently leave supermarkets every day without paying for goods/

from my own experience it’s that small bit of cheese shaped like a wedge that actually wedges itself into the corner of the trolley; or a roll on deodorant that literally “rolls” into the corner of the trolley- they are the sort of items I find when I check my trolley after I load what I think is all my shopping onto the counter.

I admit it’s harder to put forward a case for multiple items, one being an expensive one- but look, none of us have a picture of the trolley on the day so who knows- I wouldn’t be “laughing” at the OPs medical conditions and I don’t think a judge would either, regardless of what decision they made