UK Contract Law – A Problem Question
Moriarty lost his violin. He took out an advertisement in an edition of his local newspaper, The Baker Street Bugle. In the advertisement, he described the violin and the case that it was kept in and went on to say, “I will pay £500 to the person who returns my violin to me”.
He also set out the address of his home where he wanted the violin to be brought. Watson bought a copy of The Baker Street Bugle the day it was published and read the advertisement. That same day he met with his friend Holmes and pointed it out to him. Holmes, who was always interested in solving problems and was known to be the second smartest man in London, decided to search for the violin.
Holmes gave two days over to searching and eventually found the violin under a table in “Mrs Hudson’s Tea shop” and immediately set out to return it to Moriarty. As Holmes approached his destination, Moriarty, who had been watching the street from his sitting room window, opened the window and called out to Holmes, “the offer of a payment for the return of my violin is withdrawn”.
Critically discuss the legal issues arising from these circumstances and advise Holmes.
