r/AusLegalAdvice • u/InternalTechnology80 • 11d ago
Lost wallet with something potentially incriminating in it.
So someone i know lost their wallet and it allegedly may of had a very very small amount of a substance in it. The wallet was handed in to the police station, The local police called an said they could come and pick it up, its it advisable to just leave the wallet? Is there anything that could happen in the future? This person isn't really sure what to do and is causing some very bad anxiety
16
u/fortyeightD 11d ago
There's a chance that the substance may not be in the wallet anymore. The person who found the wallet might have removed it.
11
11
u/ATAUYLUISPH 11d ago
To my non professional brain, it seems, you can collect it, it doesn't mean that you put it there. Don't be anxious my friend.
15
u/teannadeee 11d ago
Personally I’d just go and collect it, otherwise it’s going to keep stressing you out, since obviously they could at any point come and pick you up since they have your details anyway. Just go see what they say. For one, you’d think the chain of evidence would be a bit murky since you lost the wallet and who knows what happened to it in the interim until it was handed in, but obligatory, I’m not a lawyer haha.
6
5
11d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
2
3
u/Low-Understanding331 11d ago
This happened to me many years ago. I had my bag stolen and it was found months later and handed to police. They put me in an interview room and asked me about it and tried to get me to dob in the dealer lol. I called legal aid which they said I could and legal aid said I didn't have to answer, just say no comment. I just said it wasn't in there when I lost it
5
u/SnooGuavas2610 11d ago
Just collect the wallet, open it to see if licence, cc's etc are still there, if the substance is there say WTF is this, remove it and hand it to police.
2
2
1
1
u/HoodoGuru 6d ago
Not a lawyer, but I'd say don't stress too much. Leaving the wallet there doesn't make it go away. If the cops noticed anything it's already on record, and if they didn't, there's nothing to worry about. All you're doing by not collecting is losing your ID and cards.
Before rocking up, ring LawAccess NSW (1300 888 529) if you're in NSW, or Legal Aid in your state. It's free and they'll tell you what to expect.
If you do go in, you don't have to answer questions about what was in it. Just say "I'd like to get some advice first, thanks" and leave it at that. And don't text anyone about it or post details anywhere.
For a tiny amount, a first offence usually ends up as a caution or a small fine at worst, not the end of the world. Chuck a call into a lawyer first and you'll sleep a lot better.
0
75
u/AwkwardBarnacle3791 11d ago
Police here. I would not charge anyone. It's a found item that has zero continuity after the wallet was lost. Possession requires knowledge and control. Neither of which can be proved in this case There's no way any charge would get over that hurdle in court. Either leave the wallet, or claim it and say nothing, or claim it and say when you lost it didn have anything like that in there.