Teenagers who found £5,000 and handed it in to police praised for honesty

Two Bath teenagers who found a briefcase containing £5,000 in cash have been praised for their honesty after handing it to the police. Friends Will Miles and Ryan McClory, both 17, found the briefcase abandoned on a bench at the city’s bus station after an evening out. Their honesty enabled the owner to reclaim his money, which he had withdrawn to pay for his son’s university fees. The Beechen Cliff pupils had seen the briefcase on a bench, and were stunned to find £5,000 in £50 notes inside, along with several passports, used plane tickets and some letters from the University of Bath.

They took it to the police station, and after finding the inquiry office closed, handed it to two policemen who were off on a call. The next day they received a phone call from a very grateful owner. Will and Ryan, who are both taking their A-levels, said they were just pleased that the money was returned to the owner. They had originally thought it was £10,000 but have since been told there was £5,000 in the case.



Ryan, from Fairfield Park said: “I was pleased when I got the phone call saying he had the case back. It is a lot of money to have lost and so I am glad that we managed to get it back to him.” Will, who lives at Upper Swainswick, said: “We were a bit shocked when we saw all the money in the case. We didn’t know exactly how much it was but we could tell it was a large amount. We knew someone would be missing it, and so decided to take it to the police station.”

The owner had been taking his son to enrol at the university, and the money was to pay for his fees and living expenses. Inspector Steve Mildren, of Bath police, also praised the boys for their honesty. “Will and Ryan did exactly the right thing by handing the money in to the police,” he said. “It’s refreshing to be able to praise young people for their honesty and integrity – and I’m sure the owner is extremely grateful that his property was found by two such public-spirited young men.” No reward has been offered to the two teenagers.