Can I open my spouse’s bank statements during a separation or divorce?

During a divorce you must not access, open, download, copy, search or remove your spouse’s confidential documents without their permission. Confidential documents are items that are personal to your spouse and not openly accessible to you, such as personal post. 

If you take or copy confidential documents, this is a breach of privacy, and you may be committing a criminal offence.

Any evidence obtained inappropriately is generally inadmissible in divorce proceedings, and a Solicitor is under a duty to send them to your spouse’s Solicitor without reading them.