Forgery Act 1913

16 Search warrants

(1) If it shall be made to appear by information on oath before a justice of the peace that there is reasonable cause to believe that any person has in his custody or possession without lawful authority or excuse—

(a) any bank note ; or

(b) any implement for making paper or imitation of the paper used for bank notes ; or

(c) any material having thereon any words, forms, devices, or characters capable of producing or intended to produce the impression of a bank note ; or

(d) any forged document, seal, or die ; or

(e) any machinery, implement, utensil, or material used or intended to be used for the forgery of any document;

the justice may grant a warrant to search for the same ; and if the same shall be found on search, it shall be lawful to seize it and carry it before a justice of the county or place in which the warrant was issued, to be by him disposed of according to law.

(2) Every document, seal, or die lawfully seized under such warrant shall be defaced and destroyed or otherwise disposed of—

(a) by order of the court before which the offender is tried; or

(b) if there be no trial, by order of a justice of the peace ; or

(c) if it affects the public revenue, by the Commissioners of Inland Revenue or the Commissioners of Customs and Excise, as the case may require ; or

(d) if it affects any of the companies of Goldsmiths or Guardians referred to in the [7 & 8 Vict. c. 22.] Gold and Silver Wares Act, 1844, by the said company or guardians.