Larceny & Robbery Offences

Larceny

Larceny is often referred to as ‘stealing’ or ‘shoplifting’ and it involves the taking of someone else’s property without their consent. Our lawyers are consistently able to beat these charges and have our clients avoid criminal convictions. You can see our recent results for stealing offences.

If you’ve been charged with larceny the Police need to prove a number of things including:

• The property belonged to someone else
• You took it and moved it
• The owner didn’t consent to it being taken
• You intended to keep it from the owner permanently

There are also a number of defences to larceny which you may be able to rely on to be found not guilty of the offence. If you can establish any of the following you may be found not guilty of the offence:

• You have a claim of right to the property
• You were acting in self defence
• You were acting under duress
• You were not acting dishonestly when you took the property
• It was necessary for you to take the property (necessity)

If you plead guilty or the court finds you guilty of larceny you will be liable to up to 2 years imprisonment if dealt with in the Local Court or 5 years imprisonment if dealt with in a higher court.

For more information on specific stealing charges, see below:

• Larceny
• Receive Stolen Goods

Robbery

The offence of robbery is covered under Part 4 of the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) and includes the following specific offences:

• Robbery or stealing from the person – s94 Crimes Act 1900 (NSW)
• Aggravated robbery – s95 Crimes Act 1900 (NSW)
• Robbery with wounding – s96 Crimes Act 1900 (NSW)
• Armed robbery – s97 & s98 Crimes Act 1900 (NSW)
• Robbery in Company

Our team is led by an accredited specialist in criminal law and are regularly able to defend against these charges. You can see our recent results for robbery offences here.

Robbery is very similar to the offence of larceny however it also includes an assault on a person at the time of the taking of the property. For this reason it is considered a much more serious offence and in circumstances where the robbery involves the use of a dangerous weapon or results in the wounding of a person, it carries a maximum penalty of 25 years imprisonment.

If you have been arrested or charged for any larceny or robbery offences you should contact us for expert advice immediately. At Astor Legal we are former prosecutors and we have prosecuted countless larceny and robbery offences. We know the law, the cases, and the defences to larceny and robbery offences. Your first consultation is free and we offer fixed fees for most of our services.