Getting legal advic...
 

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[Closed] Getting legal advice online about being implicated in a crime

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Got a mate (genuinely not asking for me!) who reckons he is going to get a knock on the door any moment from the coppers with regards to some dodgy activity he's been involved in some time ago (drugs related). I'm not going to go into details on here but basically he reckons he's implicated himself and is now shitting himself.

He's not the most stable individual at best of times, is a former addict who has cleaned up his act, and is now so paranoid I fear he is going to go back to his old ways.

I'm pretty sure that from what he's told me, and the time that has passed (6 months), he'll be fine, however I want to give him some reassurance that the police won't even bother questioning him, let alone charge him. Are there any good forums or places he can go to ask a lawyer to put his mind at ease? I suggested if he's that worried he give a lawyer a call, but he doesn't want to do that. So any advice on pointing him in right direction would be appreciated.

Ta


 
Posted : 08/01/2019 8:30 pm
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Without him disclosing specifics to someone who is legally minded then he wont get much help anywhere. His best bet is to call up some legal representation, this will have two effects, 1, put his mind at rest and 2, ensure if he does need legal help they are well up to speed on the situation.

Time does not stop what someone has done being an offence, if the police have evidence to suggest this person has done something illegal then they will investigate and if required push charges.


 
Posted : 08/01/2019 8:36 pm
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if the police have evidence to suggest this person has done something illegal then they will investigate and if required push charges.

Depends. Post a bad joke on social media- lawyer up. Break into a garage and steal three bikes - sleep easy.


 
Posted : 08/01/2019 8:41 pm
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Depends. Post a bad joke on social media- lawyer up. Break into a garage and steal three bikes – sleep easy.

The second one requires investigation, they don't have time for that. If they have the evidence already in the form of a social media post then it's easy pickings for the crime stats.


 
Posted : 08/01/2019 8:44 pm
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Unless its conspiracy to or intent to supply class A then he will not be huckled for this is my bet.

He needs to speak to a lawyer - who will not reveal the conversation to others. Much better to do it in person at a lawyers used to dealing with such things


 
Posted : 08/01/2019 8:46 pm
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realistically what somouk said, if you want good advice then you need to be honest and tell them the full story. He probably doesn't want to do that in a public forum.


 
Posted : 08/01/2019 8:49 pm
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Be aware that a that lawyer cannot then imply that he is not guilty if he has confessed his guilt to the lawyer. So it might be get advice from lawyer A and then use lawyer B to represent you..


 
Posted : 08/01/2019 8:53 pm
 tdog
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It must be bad what he had done for us not to get the full story.

In which case let the lil druggy waster burn


 
Posted : 08/01/2019 9:00 pm
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I’m pretty sure that from what he’s told me, and the time that has passed (6 months), he’ll be fine

Don't want to break it to you, but the length of time since the crime doesn't mean they'll let him off...


 
Posted : 08/01/2019 9:05 pm
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What about the Statute of Limitations?
Or have Brussels banned that as well?


 
Posted : 08/01/2019 9:13 pm
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What about the Statute of Limitations?
Or have Brussels banned that as well?

What do you understand by that? What law are you referring to?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limitation_periods_in_the_United_Kingdom


 
Posted : 08/01/2019 9:17 pm
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He's happy to disclose info online to a lawyer, I'm just wary of posting it on an open forum. In essence he's just found out his coke dealer was busted and He's paranoid because he has sent a few texts along the lines of 'need one for a mate'. Ironically he swears blind that the only reason he did this was because he didn't want the dealer to moan at him for getting him out twice on the same evening and it was actually for him!! Kind of believe him as none of his mates touch the stuff.

I'm of opinion that the likelihood of then picking up on that amongst probably a thousand other texts is slim, coupled with fact that he never actually said what he was after in the text, plus it was 6 months ago, the police would have absolutely no grounds for doing anything as impossible to prove he suplied anything to anyone.my understanding is there needs to be evidence he has offered to supply, or has actually supplied, not just asked the question to the dealer. There are a few other things he's worried about, but that's the key one.

May point him down the phone a lawyer route..Although I expect they will say come back when you have been charged. And stop being paranoid..


 
Posted : 08/01/2019 9:17 pm
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Yeah they got rid of 6 months ages ago, not fair really, making criminals responsible for crimes older than that is just immoral.


 
Posted : 08/01/2019 9:18 pm
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May point him down the phone a lawyer route..Although I expect they will say come back when you have been charged. And stop being paranoid..

Probably depends if he is paying or not!


 
Posted : 08/01/2019 9:21 pm
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And stop being paranoid..

I bet they have to say that to a lot of drug users...


 
Posted : 08/01/2019 9:22 pm
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That will not have any effect on him at all - I'd bet my house on it. they have the dealer, they are not interested in his customers, they want his main man. Your pal is paranoid from too much coke!


 
Posted : 08/01/2019 9:34 pm
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Yeah they got rid of 6 months ages ago, not fair really, making criminals responsible for crimes older than that is just immoral.

Well yeah! I was coming more from the angle that after 6 months they couldn't possibly prove he'd supplied anything illegal to anyone. Unless he specifically mentioned it in his text I'd assume that they would need to prove he was referring to drugs, and that there was actually another user involved!


 
Posted : 08/01/2019 9:35 pm
 pk13
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OP You are assuming dealers dont clear there texts every so often or lob the phones in the canal every other month.
Your mate will/should be fine


 
Posted : 08/01/2019 9:36 pm
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You are assuming dealers dont clear there texts every so often

The network provider will have them archived somewhere along with call history...

Use a burner for phoning up your dealer and ordering coke, then throw that in the canal if your dealer gets busted.

NB If anyone wants an untraceable GSM handset, I have a whole drawer full of them from working in random African countries. Some of them may even have Ghanaian credit left on the SIMs 😉


 
Posted : 08/01/2019 9:47 pm
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The network provider will have them archived somewhere along with call history…

I think they only keep the metadata, not the content. So time, date etc. But they can pull deleted texts from a phone no problem at all.

My point to him is more along the lines of they can't prove shit, he could argue he was just wanting a pizza dropped off! Or more realistically a bag of weed.


 
Posted : 08/01/2019 9:57 pm
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tpbiker-my post was aimed at sarawak.. I had assumed he had not read your original post which mentioned 6 months, which would be a ridiculous statute of limitations.
PS I agree with TJAGAIN - your mate is being paranoid. He is just a user, they are not going to waste police time chasing a bloke for possession when the evidence would have been blown up his nose 5 months, 30.5 days ago.


 
Posted : 08/01/2019 10:08 pm
 pk13
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To get the data would be a very expensive thing to do hardly worth it for coke and hookers. Bigger fish and all that


 
Posted : 08/01/2019 10:17 pm
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Absolutely, besides, to be done for possession you need to be caught having it on you.

He's more paranoid about getting done for supply, but even then I imagine they need to actually catch someone with the offending item and be able to positively link it back to them. And he's adamant he never bought for anyone but himself.

Dude has had mental issues for years, history of ocd and paranoia. It all went away when he was coked up to the gills, but now he's off it he's worse than ever and I'm worried he'll fall back into bad habits.

Just goes to show how shit drugs are, sure he's made some appalling decisions but fundamentally he's not a bad bloke, and as much of a victim as he is a criminal, imo at least


 
Posted : 08/01/2019 10:25 pm
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Old bill is not interested in customers or low level dealers *

*based on the fact that there is one just round the corner who has been dealing coke , heroin and spice in full view of the houses in our street and has been reported to the police by several residents.
This has been going on multiple times a day for last 4 months


 
Posted : 08/01/2019 10:25 pm
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Is there any 'real' evidence? Without it he will be fine.


 
Posted : 08/01/2019 10:30 pm
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IANAL but a text certainly isn't evidence of supply or intent to supply and it's not even evidence of buying drugs, there's no proof a transaction ever took place. Possibly some forces might have an initiative they'll trace numbers and knock on doors just to give people a fright (friendly advice) but I highly doubt it given the effort that would be involved in that.


 
Posted : 09/01/2019 7:55 am
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Unless the text said "I've got the two kilos of Bolivia's finest you were after mate" your friend will be fine. The police probably only looked a couple of days back in his phone, not six months, and they really can't be arsed with people at the bottom of the food chain.


 
Posted : 09/01/2019 8:15 am

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