Hi there. There are a few possibilities of what might happen if your partner reports himself to police.

If your partner entered someone else’s property without their permission, and opened any door or window to do so (even if it was unlocked), then he may have committed an offence involving “breaking and entering”. A person does not need to actually break into or damage property to be guilty of this offence. However, in New South Wales, a person will only commit a crime if they broke into or entered the property and committed another serious offence (such as assault) or intended to commit a serious offence. From the information you provided, it is not clear whether your partner intended or actually did commit a serious offence after he entered the property.

If your partner reports himself to the police, the police will have to decide whether to file a police report on the matter and start an investigation into the alleged crime. Police do not investigate everything that is reported to them. Whether the police investigate the matter will depend on how much evidence is available and whether the victim(s) (i.e. the owners of the house your partner entered) want to press charges. If the police open an investigation, they will most likely take witness statements from your partner, you, the owners of the house and any other person who witnessed the incident. If the police have enough evidence against your partner, they may decide to prosecute the matter and charge him with a criminal offence. A court will then decide the matter.

Regardless of whether the police investigate the incident, the owners of the house may decide to commence civil (not criminal) legal proceedings against your partner for trespassing. Trespass occurs when a person enters another’s land or property without permission. Again, there is no guarantee that the owners of the house will take legal action and, in fact, a trespass claim would be expensive and very difficult to prove without evidence. If the owners decide to commence legal proceedings in court and they win, your partner may be liable to pay compensation to the owners, depending on how much harm they have suffered.