The five elements of theft under the Theft Act 1968 — three of conduct, two of state of mind — and how each is defined and tested.
A theft conviction stands or falls on five elements, and a single missing one defeats the charge. This chapter opens with the offence itself, splitting it into its actus reus and mens rea components and noting how theft is tried. It then works through each element in turn: appropriation and what counts as property, including consent, later assumptions of rights and the bona fide purchaser; when property belongs to another, covering stealing one's own goods, obligations and mistaken transfers; the statutory beliefs that negate dishonesty and the general two-stage test; and the intention to permanently deprive, including borrowing and conditional disposal. It closes with the distinct treatment of abandoned and lost property and the position of the dishonest finder.
