Nobody expects their friends, particularly those they have helped, to steal from them. Our client ordered a lie detector test in Southampton to establish who was dipping into his ‘rainy day’ fund.
Freddie’s Case
Freddie had been a long-distance lorry driver all his life. Now at 60, he had been forced to retire early for medical reasons. His back was shot and he could no longer sit for prolonged periods. This meant he couldn’t work. There were no other jobs he could do, his mobility wouldn’t allow it. He hadn’t done badly out of his private pension but by no means was he well off.
A generous man
Freddie had always been a generous man, helping out others and buying drinks for people he knew couldn’t afford them. He would put up the waifs and strays for a while to help them get back on their feet. It was on one of these occasions he met Scott. Scott had just split up with his long term girlfriend, the mother of his two children, and was sleeping in his works van. Freddie knew he was working and so offered him a place to stay. He was happy to help and only asked for a small amount to help with the food costs.
Sunday Roast
One Sunday afternoon, Freddie invited Scott for a meal at the local carvery. There was a special offer on the Sunday roast. They sat down and had the meal and stayed in the pub till later that afternoon. Freddie gave Scott some money and asked him to go and pay the bill. He always did this due to not being able to walk easily. He had a walking stick but the pub was packed. Scott returned saying the bill had been £72, which seemed really steep. Scott said he’d spoken to the staff and they’d double-checked it and the food wasn’t on offer at that particular time of day. Freddie had never been to this carvery before so didn’t question it himself. He joked that he’d get a lie detector test in Southampton organised for Scott just in case he had pocketed the money.
Saving for a rainy day
Freddie treated Scott like a son. They were close and liked each other’s company. It wasn’t until Freddie checked the rainy day fund that he started to have doubts about Scott’s honesty. Freddie always put his change from the pub into an old coffee pot when he came in from the pub. He never knew exactly how much was in it but cashed it up at the bank every three months. Normally there would be at least £200 in it but there was only £87. He asked Scott if he’d touched it and he said he hadn’t. He added that he would never do such a thing when Freddie had been so good to him.
Freddie knew Scott wasn’t leaving anytime soon and called us for a lie detector test in Southampton. He knew Scott would take it as he had nowhere else to go. He approached the subject carefully and said he knew the money should have been there so it was either him or the cleaner. He wanted Scott and his cleaner to take the polygraph tests.
Lie detector test in Southampton
Scott took the test and the results confirmed he had been dipping into Freddie’s rainy day fund. Worse still, he’d also told Freddie the Sunday lunch bill was more than it was at the carvery. Freddie was sad and had to ask Scott to leave. He couldn’t allow someone to stay in his house that was so dishonest and disrespectful. It still astounds Freddie that Scott agreed to the lie detector test in Southampton when he knew he was lying. If he’d told Freddie he’d taken the money beforehand they may have been able to get through it. Funny thing was that Freddie would have given Scott money if he’d have asked for it, whatever the reason.
Do you suspect a friend is stealing from you? Call us on our free helpline to learn whether a lie detector test can help you.
