ABSTRACT
The basic definition of theft is to be found in s 1(1) of the Theft Act 1968, which provides that a person who:
is guilty of theft.
Actus reus
You should be familiar with the following areas: • theft, definition, actus reus and mens rea • robbery, definition, the meaning of ‘force’ and ‘stealing’ • burglary, building or part of a building, entry, as a tres-
passer, s 9(1)(a) and (b) definitions • criminal damage, definitions, actus reus and mens rea
This seemingly all encompassing definition is subject to both common law and statutory exceptions. The following do not constitute property:
• information (Oxford v Moss (1979)); • electricity (Low v Blease (1975)); • a human corpse (R v Sharpe (1857)); • land (s 4(2)); • wild plants (s 4(3)); • wild animals (s 4(4)).
