# Being questioned by the Police in the UK: A suspect's rights **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 1, 2025, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-questioned-by-the-police-in-the-uk-a-suspects-rights/1024480 "2025-11-01T17:10:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 12
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2025, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-questioned-by-the-police-in-the-uk-a-suspects-rights/1024480/12 "2025-11-02T10:37:23Z")
I thought I remembered seeing previous discussions on this: > [@"It may harm your defence..." (British police warning)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-may-harm-your-defence-british-police-warning/726926): > > When the British cops arrest someone on TV, they say, “You do not have to answer any questions, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something that you later rely on in court.” Do they say this IRL? What does this mean exactly-- how does this play out? Does that mean I have to tell you everything when you arrest me that I plan to use in my defense in court? That hardly seems possible. Defense attorneys are always coming up with stuff at the last minute. > [@ask the person who spent friday and saturday morrning in a cell in a britiish police station](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-spent-friday-and-saturday-morrning-in-a-cell-in-a-britiish-police-station/625571/25): > > Not afternoon tea in the Ritz sense but an afternoon cup of tea - sure! But I could have tea any time I liked day or night by pressing the call button. Yes but it is for anyone under caution, not just being arrested. It is slightly different however in that while there is an absolute right to remain silent, the court is at liberty to make an adverse inference if you bring up a defence (in court) that you could have brought up at the time. Therefore the wording of the caution is as follows: … --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-questioned-by-the-police-in-the-uk-a-suspects-rights/1024480)._