Legal Definitions - serendipity doctrine

The Serendipity Doctrine is a principle in criminal procedure that states that any evidence discovered during a lawful search can be admitted into evidence at trial.

For example, if the police are conducting a search of a suspect's home for drugs and they happen to come across evidence of another crime, such as stolen property, that evidence can also be used in court.

This doctrine is based on the idea that if the police are lawfully searching for one thing, they may come across evidence of another crime by chance, or serendipity. As long as the search was conducted legally, any evidence found can be used in court.