If You Found Harry Potter 6 in a Field, What Would you Do?

Such is the dilemma of an Englishman when he found a couple of copies of Harry Potter 5 in a field while walking. Ooops… 5 or 6? Confused?

I’m just recalling this bizarre BBC story that took place BEFORE the official release of Harry Potter 5. With the imminent release of Harry Potter 6, I wanted to pose a question to all Harry Potter fans. I think it’s a very interesting question since it’s the last few days before the book is officially released and everybody’s just burning to read it.

So let’s set up a theoretical situation wherein you are the Englishman, and instead of Harry Potter 5 copies let’s replace them with Harry Potter 6 copies. What would you do if you found them in the field? While you’re pondering the answer, let me tell you what happened after the Englishman found the books.

At first, he had no idea what he had found until he read the first page of the books, which listed the title and author’s name. Then it became very clear he had gotten hold of one of the best kept secrets in the world. So what did he do? He called up a newspaper. And of all newspapers, he called up the tabloid–The Sun.

The newspaper, in turn, got the books and held them in a “safe place” until Bloomsbury could collect them.

I’ve read the facts on the BBC website and I have always wondered about certain details. Why did the man call up the newspaper instead of the police? Was he hoping to sell the story and profit from it? Although it’s a newsworthy story, isn’t it essentially a crime? Won’t the man be charged with something? And so shouldn’t it have been the police first who was notified instead of the newspaper? And why was the newspaper allowed to keep the books? Weren’t the books crime evidence and should be held by the police instead?

Anyway, the newspaper eventually notified the police, and they began an investigation. The field where the books were found was very near a printing firm that was churning out hundreds of thousands of copies of Harry Potter 5. Pretty soon, four arrests were made. Surprisingly, two members of the quartet were 16 year olds, an 18 year old and a 44 year old forklift driver who worked at the printers.

The forklift driver admitted to the theft, apologized and said it was done “on the spur of the moment.” The judge in his case was merciful and sentenced him to 180 hours of community service and to pay 55 pounds. The two minors were released, one of whom wrote a 3-page apology letter to JK Rowling. No mention was made of the 18 year old but I think it’s safe to assume he was probably let off as well or sentenced to a fair amount of community service.

During the investigation, the forklift driver also admitted that he attempted to sell some chapters to a newspaper for 25,000 pounds. So at least now we know why he was motivated to steal the books. But why did he try to sell them to a newspaper? Didn’t he know that the newspaper could be sued for printing any part, and, therefore, cannot buy the books? Why didn’t he go through the back channels instead? Why didn’t he contact somebody who was knowledgeable of the illegal means by which to sell the books? Why did he approach teenagers?

And then, knowing he couldn’t sell them, why didn’t he try and get rid of the books in a finite way like burning? Why did he leave them in a field where people walk? Why did he leave them in a field that was near the scene of the crime and near where he still actually worked? Why didn’t he choose to destroy the evidence so it couldn’t be traced back to him?

Personally, I thought burning the books would have been a good idea. Then nobody would have ever found them in the first place. And there might never have been an investigation. And even if the printers noted the missing books and traced them to him, they can’t prove it due to lack of physical evidence.

A friend had suggested that the man couldn’t burn the books because he considered them “art.” That’s a very nice theory. And anything is possible because I think the circumstances surrounding this case are just too bizarre. So the forklift driver’s assertion that it was done “on the spur of the moment” was probably true because the manner in which the theft was done was too inept for it to be otherwise.

So shall we go back to the original question? Replacing Harry Potter 5 with Harry Potter 6, and you were the Englishman in the field, and knowing JK Rowling’s manic desire for secrecy and knowing that what you have in your hands can only be stolen copies, what would you do?

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