Evidence for court

[maybelle4]

Not sure how to phrase my question exactly so please ask if need more details. If I obtain written evidence from paperwork that was kept in shared home with ex, can I then use this in court? For example ex claiming he doesn’t have a bank account with a reasonable amount of money, I have written evidence showing he does. I did not get this evidence with his knowledge but it was kept in our shared home so I didn’t exactly do anything illegal to get it, I just took a copy of a bit of paper in my home.

Ask your solicitor.

It's complicated.

Oh dear those responses don’t sound optimistic! Thanks

Hi, I'm not legally trained but have a similar issue. From what I read, you cannot use someone else's bank statements in court and it might look bad for you. But what you can do is mention something in your statement of issues and after disclosure, include relevant questions in your questionnaire. E.G. do his other accounts show transactions for day to day expenses, does his lifestyle match spending in disclosed accounts, look for any transactions in disclosed accounts to the hidden account etc ? Raise any issues in the questionnaire and mention it suggests he has undisclosed accounts.

Yes, it's complicated and you need to ask your solicitor for advice. I would have thought that if you know he has specific accounts (eg a current account held at the Anytown branch of HSBC) that he hasn't declared, your solicitor can ask for the statements or proof that the account has been closed.