BY GABRIEL PRINCEWILL
Police have arrested a former Liverpool player, now with the Leyton Orient club. Former Liverpool defender, Andrea Dossena was arrested on shoplifting at the high end Harrods department store in in Knightsbridge. The 33-year-old, who joined Leyton Orient in last late last yea after being released by Sunderland, was detained with a 31-year-old woman at the Knightsbridge department store. Both individuals have been bailed pending further enquiries .
We have deliberately published no picture of the footballer to lesson the blow to his feelings just in case he is indeed innocent of the suspected offence. This is not to be construed as meaning that those who published his photos may have committed an offence by doing so, because the fact remains that he has been arrested on suspicious of theft because he left a store with goods that ha not been paid for.
Dossena has vigorously denied intent to steal the goods in question. His comments made on a tweet reads:
“In regard to the news released today on some websites, I would like to make very clear that the story reported is unfounded.
“I was in Harrods with my wife and my son for some shopping and I forgot to pay a honey jar and some sliced meats we had previously ordered. While exiting the shop unaware of my oversight, I was stopped by security guards [who] then called the police as a standard routine procedure.
“As I wasn’t carrying with me any identity documents at the time, I was asked to go to the nearest police station in order to be identified after which I left and went back home. Hence, I have now instructed my lawyers to protect my image with all necessary legal actions against those who reported this inaccurate and tendentious news.”
Dossen has no basis for any credible legal action against the media because journalists are allowed to publish factual information about anyone where there is a public interest to do so. Reports of his arrest have all been factual and there have been no assertions by the media so far that the footballer was in fact guilty of stealing anything. What has been reported is the fact he has been arrested on suspicion of stealing. His stated oversight was manifestly careless and he has paid a price for it with the arrest and the associated negative publicity of his actions.
It is however not inconceivable that there was in fact an oversight on his part, and in that respect it can indeed be argued that the security guards could have asked him to either pay for the goods or return them. However, they were within their rights to construe his departure from the store with unpaid goods in his possession as theft. It will now be for the courts to decide whether in fact his actions amounted to theft, in light of his defense. It is fair to say that as a footballer who is well paid, he can be given the benefit of the doubt that he in fact forgot to pay for the alleged stolen goods.
As a well paid player, it can reasonably be concluded that he should have no reason to deliberately steal anything. However, the problem he might face is whether such conclusion may be seen as favoritism to him because he is a footballer. I believe it was a genuine mistake, however what will really matter is whether the courts believe him