Saving the piedfort as a memento of her mum did not seem like a crime. The law that says she must report her finding did not even exist when she found it! Even if it did, how could she report it as a child?
On the other hand, she was advised to report the treasure, and kept it anyway. But was she really in the wrong?
The Treasure Act of 1996
Soon she learned that she had been prosecuted under the Treasure Act of 1996. The code of practice requires people turn in any treasure found within 14 days to the local coroner from where the artifact was found.
Failing to do so results in an offense against the person who found the treasure. The legally binding law affected no one until it affected Ms. Harding. She was the first British citizen to be arrested for the offense.
The Fine Print of the Treasure Act
The Treasure Act is very specific. It says that any object that is not a coin but made of at least 10% precious metals and is 300 years old or older must be reported to the coroner of the area in which it was found.
The finder has a 14-day window to report the treasure to the authorities. Ms. Harding had no idea about the Treasure Act of 1996. All of a sudden, she’s in deep trouble. How could she have known it would come to this?
A Jail Sentence?
Now that Ms. Harding had been arrested, she could be prosecuted, found guilty, and face up to three months in prison. She could also be faced with a fine, or both.
She felt helpless and afraid. What advice would her mum have given?
Get an Attorney
Perhaps her mum would have said she should get some legal defense straight away. Ms. Harding hired an attorney out of Shrewsbury. She found a lawyer named Brendan Reedy who had experience representing clients at the Court of Appeal, the Crown Court, at magistrates courts and from the police station, and he had a history of winning.
He assured her nothing was going to happen to her.