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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 20/03/2014 22:46, Peter Fairbrother
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote cite="mid:532B6FD7.3040707@zen.co.uk" type="cite">On
18/03/14 08:46, Francis Davey wrote:
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">2014-03-18 8:38 GMT+00:00 Roland Perry
<<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:lists@internetpolicyagency.com">lists@internetpolicyagency.com</a>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:lists@internetpolicyagency.com"><mailto:lists@internetpolicyagency.com></a>>:
<br>
<br>
<br>
Are you sure that a court can't order a person to open their
safe,
<br>
on pain of being in contempt of court?
<br>
<br>
<br>
In some circumstances a court could order someone to hand over
what is
<br>
in the safe to another person, yes. Failure to obey the order
would be a
<br>
contempt and could be dealt with by imprisonment.
<br>
<br>
Example: you lend me your Faberge egg and I don't give it back
when I
<br>
should. You obtain an injunction for delivery up of your
property. I
<br>
refuse etc.
<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
<br>
Suppose I say that the egg is not in the safe? Could a Court order
me to open the safe? I'm pretty sure it could order some baillifs
or whoever to open it, but order me?
<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
At least in civil procedure it certainly can, since years ago when
Lord Denning started inventing new techniques like civil search
orders by analogy with what overseas courts could do. The criminal
courts have felt more constrained about using their imagination.<br>
<br>
<blockquote cite="mid:532B6FD7.3040707@zen.co.uk" type="cite">
<br>
Suppose you can't prove, beyond reasonable doubt, that some
evidence against me is in the safe until you see it - and the only
way to see it is if I open the safe?
<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
I'm not sure what the standard would be in civil litigation, but
certainly no more than balance of probabilities.<br>
<br>
Nicholas<br>
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