Australian convict/inmate search?

December 7, 2017 6:33 PM

I did a google search on a former girlfriend's name and found a bunch of news articles that someone with the same name and age was arrested in Sydney.

Is there any way for a guy in the USA to get more info on a person who was arrested and imprisoned for attempting to smuggle drugs into Sydney, Australia from the USA? Preferably a photograph/mugshot?

In the USA, many states (but not all) have an inmate search feature on their corrections web sites.

I'm hoping to god that this is just an odd coincidence, but I can no longer get in touch with this former girlfriend so I have no way to contact her (for years now) even if she is still safely in the USA and done no harm.

Any ideas, hivemind?

posted by InsertNiftyNameHere to Human Relations (4 answers total)

There is no similar public database in Australia, certainly not for mugshots.
posted by robcorr at 6:52 PM on December 7, 2017

If this woman's lawyer is mentioned in the articles, maybe email him/her a note and a photo?
posted by carmicha at 7:53 PM on December 7, 2017

Please don't take this the wrong way, but if I was in prison in Australia for drug running, the last thing I would want is an ex who I hadn't spoken to in years getting in contact with me (or my lawyer! jesus!) because he found out I was in jail. Whether your ex girlfriend is in prison or not, the fact that you can't find any recent social media proving otherwise probably means she doesn't want to be findable by random google search. Unless you are determined and have the resources to get her out of potential incarceration, please respect this woman's privacy and dignity.
posted by moonlight on vermont at 3:38 PM on December 8, 2017 [3 favorites]

Best answer: I believe OP wants to verify it's her via a photo or such, so they can stop looking for her if it is, not necessarily contact her, (or her lawyer). It doesn't say anything about wanting to contact an inmate, just to see if there were info on the person who committed the crime. I don't think this is unreasonable. Obviously, if it is her, a modicum of privacy is expected, but it still may not be.

I have close to no social media, but it doesn't mean I don't want to be found by people from my past. I don't actively look for it, but I would welcome someone from my past contacting me, as long as our prior relationship/split was amicable.

Anyway, I'm in Australia and I believe there are no publicly available databases with mugshots in Australia. Anything related to the Freedom of Information Act needs to be asked for by the person in question themselves, and cannot be withdrawn.

Your best bet is to set a google alert for her name, to see if something verifiable about this person appears at sentencing, or extradition. Otherwise, there's probably no way to find the information out.
posted by Dimes at 6:39 AM on December 9, 2017 [1 favorite]