If you’re at a festival and cops catch you with a pocket full of miracles, a Sydney criminal defence lawyer has warned of one thing you should absolutely never do — even if the cops tell you to. Here’s reason #13493728 to never trust police.
Executive Legal partner Jahan Kalantar posted a TikTok this week advising young people on what to do if they’re handed a court attendance notice after being caught possessing illicit drugs.
He said it was “dangerous and incorrect” for police to tell a person to “just fill in the form on the back” of the yellow piece of paper because it is actually a written notice of pleading where alleged offenders may admit guilt. That is if you sign it, it could be an admission of guilt. So take it, but you are under no obligation to write anything down.
“If you are charged, you have a right to go to court and tell your story,” he said.
Kalantar said he’d heard of instances of police promising young people who had been caught with drugs they wouldn’t get into trouble if it was their first offence and they simply filled in the form.
“At best it’s misconceived … at worst it’s deceptive,” he said via news.com.au
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“The potential consequences of this comment are so immense that if they are targeted on a vulnerable person we as a society should be worried.”
Kalantar posted the TikTok after 73 people were charged with drug possession at two major Sydney music festivals on Saturday: Knockout festival and Listen Out.
“I have heard some really horrific reports coming out of Knockout festival over the weekend,” he said in the video.
“If you get in trouble, please don’t freak out.”
He encouraged people to always seek legal advice because there are plenty of avenues available to keep a young person’s record clean that police obviously won’t know about or tell you.
Thanks Jahan, ACAB forever.
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