pefrectly honest....it was a mistake.....never even walked out of the store.....hands were full, put one item in my pouch of jacket......and he said I meant to steal it....never stole a piece of gum on my life...no record, etc.////never had a traffic ticket.......
for an act of stealing to occur there HAS to be intent. if you genuinely forgot then there is no intent.
if you are telling the truth that you didn't
intend to steal the item, then plead not guilty.
if you committed overt acts ie moving the item from one area to another, looking around you suspiciously, etc then there's a good chance the prosecution will have a witness, video footage, etc which will debunk your 'i forgot' defence and you'll get exposed as a liar - not good, but if what you say is true then fight it. having a stealing record may come back to haunt to for future career, travel plans, etc.