AM I STEALING IF I ‘BORROW’ SOMETHING WITHOUT PERMISSION FOR A ‘SHORT’ TIME ?.

By BarefootLawyers. 

No one washes cars better than Kanaabi. He can make even the oldest car look new when he decides to scrub it. He has washed ‘Mpenkonis’, Benzs, BMWs, Hummers and even a Lamborghini. Recently he met Zaina when she came to the washing bay to deliver fruits, and she mistakenly thought he was the owner of the ML Benz that he was sitting inside to clean. So, he promised to take her for lunch the next week.  When Big Don, the washing bay’s best customer brought his new BMW for a ‘full service’ wash, Kanaabi saw this chance and drove the car to take Zaina for lunch.

While whispering ‘sweet nothings’ in jam, Big Don saw them in his precious ‘brand new’ BMW and called the traffic officers to arrest the ‘thief’ playing with his car. Kanaabi tried to flee but he was arrested and up to now, Kanaabi is in a police cell for theft. He has sent relatives to plead with Big Don to forgive him because he was not stealing the car but was going to bring it back after showing his girlfriend.

Is what Kanaabi did theft even if he was only trying to impress Zaina his new girlfriend?

WHAT DOES THE LAW SAY?

Yes, it is theft.

By law, theft happens when a person takes or uses something that doesn't belong to them in a dishonest way, such as without asking for permission. For example, if that person plans to keep the thing forever, uses it to get something else, can't give it back as promised, or damages it so much that it can't be fixed back to its original condition. If you are like Kanaabi and you planned to return the car before Big Don noticed it was gone, it is still theft because you did not get permission from him, and you have used it in a way that may end up damaging the car, and it will not be the same as when you took it (Different mileage, fuel, etc.)

Remember the punishment for being guilty of theft is up to 10 years imprisonment. So, if you find something that does not belong to you, it may be wise to leave it alone or ask for permission before using it, because you will be acting like a thief the moment you start to move and use that thing. 

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