Woman who found £20 note on floor convicted of theft

Police said the man was in the shop after withdrawing money from a nearby cash machine

A woman who kept a £20 note she found in a shop has been convicted of theft.

Nicole Bailey, 23, picked up the cash at a branch of One Stop, in Blurton, Stoke-on-Trent, after it was dropped by a customer who withdrew it from a nearby cash machine, police said.

Bailey pleaded guilty at North Staffordshire Justice Centre after seeing CCTV evidence.

Her defence team reportedly argued the case should have been dealt with through a police caution.

Bailey, of Highfield Drive, Blurton, must also pay £20 compensation, a £20 victim surcharge and £135 in court costs.

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What do you do if you find £20?

The theft occurred on 8 August last year.

Ch Insp Karen Stevenson, from Staffordshire Police, urged anyone who finds lost money to "do the right thing".

"Morally, the right thing to do is hand in any found property so that the person who has lost out has every opportunity to be reunited with it."

"This was someone's hard-earned money and we are committed to supporting all victims in our community."

Correction 2 March 2017: An earlier version of this story contained an image of the wrong shop. This has now been amended.