CFS Bulletin Issue 9 January 2015
in this issue:
Message from the Director...
• Forensic Geoscience:
Future Horizons
• CFS seminar series: Tracy
Alexander
• Investigating ‘clandestine
burials’ in Surrey
As we start the new year, it is good to not only look back but look
forward to the new opportunities ahead. It has been an exciting time
at the CFS as we have welcomed a new cohort of students on our
MSc Crime and Forensic Science, and new postgraduate research
students, in addition to developing new research projects and
collaborations. We are looking forward to the new year and making
positive contributions to the ongoing debates concerning the synergy
of empirical research and casework experience, the future directions
of forensic science research, and growing our understanding and
capabilities in the interpretation of forensic evidence (for full details of our ongoing
projects please see our website). We are always delighted to hear from you so please do
get in touch and we look forward to working with you this year. I wish you a happy
and rewarding 2015.
Dr Ruth Morgan
• Researcher profile: Dr
Carolyn Rando
• Events and conferences
round-up: Autumn 2014
• News and upcoming events
www.ucl.ac.uk/forensic-sciences
cfs@ucl.ac.uk
@UCLForensicSci
Forensic Geoscience:
Future Horizons
Forensic
Geoscience:
Future
Horizons was held at The Geological
Society, Burlington House on 3rd
December 2014 and attracted over
100 international delegates from
a wide range of professional and
academic backgrounds. The focus
of the meeting was to bring together
new research and casework from the
micro and macro spheres of forensic
geoscience. The breadth of topics
represented during the day was a
valuable reminder of the far-reaching
nature of the discipline and the
importance of different stakeholders
working together to achieve
results within the forensic context.
We were delighted to welcome a
growing number of early career
researchers (including several of our
own students) within the forensic
geosciences, and the poster sessions
and talks from our postgraduate
community were of great interest and
showcased the current research taking
place within the field. The importance
of casework informed research was
very clearly highlighted and the
value of empirical research discussed.
The research
A range of studies examining the
transfer and persistence of soils
and sediments as forensic evidence
in the UK, USA, and Australia,
were presented throughout the
conference with five students
from the CFS presenting research
findings. Kelly Cheshire (UCL)
presented her research on the
geochemical assessment of soils
and
subsequent
interpretation
considerations.
Microscopic
assessment of aquatic crime scenes
was also examined with Kirstie Scott
(UCL) and Sally Gamble (UCL)
presenting their PhD research
within aquatic geoforensics. Kirstie
discussed the important role of
microscopic aquatic organisms in
her presentation of the forensic
implications of diatom seasonality;
whilst Sally introduced techniques
for the detection of explosives in the
wastewater system for forensic and
counter-terrorism intelligence. A
number of novel applications of the
use of geoforensics was discussed
particularly within nuclear forensics
and explosives detection. During
this session Beth Wilks (UCL)
presented a study that investigated
the use of micro geoforensic
methods for the reconstruction
of the geographical journey of an
Improvised Explosive Device (IED)
through a supply chain, so to facilitate
the disruption of key nodes involved.
Another growing research area that
was highlighted in this conference
was the use of statistical methods
to improve the
interpretation
and report on the significance of
geological evidence in a court setting.
Nadine Smit (UCL) presented
her work on the use of Bayesian
networks in this domain, which is
demonstrating excellent promise as a
tool in interpreting the results of analyses
on geological evidence in case contexts.
The future
The future horizons of the forensic
geosciences are looking exciting. The
conference offered a forum to start
and enable the dialogue that will
play a part in further establishing
and growing the expert community.
It was clear that there are growing
opportunities for forensic geoscience
to offer value to forensic investigations
at both the micro and macro scale,
and there is a willingness amongst
the community to engage in topical
and thematic issues such as the best
approaches to the interpretation of
geoforensic evidence in a variety
of contexts. The value of enabling
research and casework to have synergy
in developing the applications of
the geosciences in forensic contexts
was clear throughout the meeting,
and achieving this will contribute
to the shaping of a bright future for
forensic geoscience specifically, and
the forensic sciences more generally.
Dr Ruth Morgan, with contributions by
Nadine Smit, Kirstie Scott and Beth Wilks
CFS seminar series
Tracy Alexander is currently the
Director of Forensic Services at City
of London Police and has previously
worked as Crime Scene Manager for the
Homicide Command at New Scotland
Yard and as a case review specialist at
LGC Forensics. Tracy gave an engaging
and enthusiastic seminar in November
2014 on her work in crime scene
investigation for students at the CFS.
This seminar addressed the processes
involved in forensic investigation;
where things go wrong; and how
miscarriages of justice can occur.
Tracy began by mentioning Locard’s
principle that ‘every touch leaves
a trace’ while giving an initial
overview of DNA in forensic cases.
Setting the expectation of audience
participation early, she asked for
suggestions on how people leave
DNA behind; and which components
of bodily fluids investigators are
primarily concerned with identifying.
Different types of retained material
from forensic cases – such as tapings,
DNA extracts and microscope slides –
were discussed in the context of their
importance as evidence. To illustrate
the point, several case examples from
the 1990s – before the widespread
implementation of DNA technology
– were described. In thinking about
the murders of Rachel Nickell,
Stephen Lawrence and Jill Dando, the
audience was encouraged to analyse
the interaction between offender and
victim and the potential transfer of
DNA, and consider where evidence
may have been gathered from.
Rachel Nickell was a young mother
who was murdered on Wimbledon
Common in 1992. Left in a clearly
posed position, it was suggested
that the murderer may have touched
the exposed areas of her skin. This
case was investigated before DNA
testing had become widespread, but
her skin was taped for fibres. Once
the technology was available, these
tapings were tested for the presence
of any DNA, but produced negative
results. Tracy suggested that this
result was surprising, and that she
would at least expect the victim’s
DNA to be present, producing a
positive result. She argued that
results are not always to be trusted: a
negative result is not necessarily ‘true’
but might instead be a reflection that
no evidence was found in the allotted
time given by the private company
carrying out the investigation.
Tracy ended by discussing the murder
of Stephen Lawrence in 1993. She
emphasised the lengths that Stephen’s
mother, Doreen Lawrence, had gone
to in order to see justice carried
out despite the obstacles, including
the cost of forensic investigation.
The possibility that private forensic
science companies might be accused
of being solely motivated by profit,
and adopting an approach that
emphasises cost-effective speed
over accuracy, was discussed.
Though dealing with serious and
science-heavy material, Tracy kept
her audience engaged and interested
throughout. A passionate speaker,
her in-depth knowledge and firsthand experience of the subject matter
was evident and insightful. Buoyed
by her infectious enthusiasm, those
in attendance were left motivated
to learn more and looking forward
to further seminars at the CFS.
Thomas Hamilton (MSc student)
Investigating
‘clandestine burials’ in
surrey
One of the optional modules on the
MSc in Crime & Forensic Science
is Forensic Archaeology, taught
by Dr Carolyn Rando (Institute of
Archaeology, UCL). It is always a
popular module and this year 6 of our
students took it, along with 7 students
based in the Institute of Archaeology.
sundown each day and the ground
wasn’t too frozen. On the first day,
the team leaders arrived early and
were escorted to the site by Dr Rando
(acting as the supervising forensic
anthropologist) and the ‘police’ in
charge at the location – ‘Detective
Inspector’ E. Du Bois and ‘Detective
Sergeant’ R. Whiting. An hour
later the rest of their teams arrived
and all were briefed. They were to
investigate a potential crime scene
in the area, where missing persons
were suspected to have been buried.
They donned their protective suits,
boots and masks, and began their
search of the site, placing evidence
flags and recording the location of
surface evidence, as well as noting
the possible positions of burials.
Students learn about the work that
forensic archaeologists undertake
within crime scene investigation,
and the archaeological techniques
used in the search and recovery of
clandestine burials, and other buried
evidence. It culminates in the 3-day
search and excavation of a mock
crime scene – where students must
work in teams to locate and retrieve
evidence including buried ‘bodies’.
This year the weather at Juniper Hall
Field Studies Centre in Mickleham,
near Dorking, was surprisingly good
for mid-December – which was
fortunate for all concerned! Although
chilly, the light was good until
Once the sun had retired for the day,
so did our investigators – to begin
writing up their reports (and eat
dinner). The next day they started
bright and early and continued to
map the area they had delineated as
being a potential crime scene. Having
identified three possible clandestine
burials and dug a test pit (to get an
idea of the stratigraphy) they then
began to excavate, carefully drawing
and recording each layer. It was
painstaking work and slow-going
(impressively they all found the
contact lenses that had been ‘planted’
by the gravediggers!). On the final day,
they continued to dig and gradually
uncovered the bodies and associated
clothes, shoes and other evidence.
After they had lifted the bodies and
placed them in body bags, along
with their bags of other evidence
and disarticulated bones, they
returned to the laboratory for a wellearned lunch. Over lunch, Sherry
Nakhaiezadeh (one of our PhD
students) gave them a talk on her
casework in forensic anthropology.
At the end of a long and tiring three
days, everyone was glad to get home.
But it was an enjoyable experience and
a steep learning curve, particularly
for those who had never taken part in
an archaeological excavation before.
With thanks to Dr Caroyn Rando, Sherry
Nakhaiezadeh, Erin Du Bois, Rebecca
Whiting and all the students taking part.
Researcher
profile:
Dr Carolyn
Rando
Carolyn is the module
convenor and lecturer for the Forensic
Archaeology module, which is offered
to MSc Crime & Forensic Science
students as an optional module.
Her main research interest is
in bioarchaeology and physical
anthropology, and she has worked
closely with the Centre over the last
18 months, since she took over the
running of the Forensic Archaeology
module. Carolyn also supervises
some of our PhD students and
MSc students (the latter with their
dissertations). Her latest publication
will be a book entitled “Dead,
presumed missing: Children’s remains
in
bioarchaeology” co-authored
with Dr Tony Waldron (UCL).
View her research on the IoA website
and email her at c.rando@ucl.ac.uk.
Events and conferences
round-up: Autumn 2014
Our academics and students
have been busy over the summer
and autumn term, presenting at
conferences all over the world - from
Leicester, UK to Adelaide, Australia.
Below
is
a
summary
of
presentations given and prizes won!
9th International Conference on
Forensic Inference and Statistics Leiden University, The Netherlands,
August 2014
Nadine Smit gave a keynote lecture
at this conference on “Evaluating
New and Missing Evidence in
Criminal Cases Using Bayesian
Networks”.
Australian and New Zealand
Forensic Science Society (ANZFSS):
22nd Symposium on the Forensic
Sciences - Adelaide, Australia,
September 2014
A number of our researchers and
students were in attendance at this
conference in Australia, and all gave
presentations - several were keynote
lectures and all were well-received.
Kirstie Scott: “The application
of diatom analysis in forensic
geoscience: developing a new
technique for the comparative
assessment of trace geological
evidence” (keynote lecture).
James French: “The Transfer and
Deposition of Gunshot Residue
(GSR): Implications for Forensic
Investigations Studied Using TestFiring Data and Bayesian Networks”
(keynote lecture).
Nadia Abdul-Karim: “Post-Blast
Aftermath: Forensic, Chemical
and Physical Aspects of Explosion
Phenomenon, Particles and Patterns”
(keynote lecture).
Sherry Nakhaeizadeh: “The
effect of cognitive bias in Forensic
Anthropology” (keynote lecture)
Kelly Cheshire: “The discrimination
of mixed source soil samples using
geochemical techniques for forensic
interpretation”.
Sally Gamble: “Detection of
explosives throughout the wastewater
system: applications for forensic
intelligence”.
Nadine Smit: “How Bayesian
Networks can aid forensic
practitioners”.
Georgia McCulloch: “HPLC as a
geoforensic technique”.
Dagmar Heinrich: “The ‘Chain of
Evidence’ - a critical appraisal of the
applicability and validity of forensic
research and the usability of forensic
evidence”.
Michaela Regan: “The Use of
Gunshot Residue as Trace Evidence
on clothing”.
Helen Earwaker: “Fingermark
submission decision making within
UK fingerprint laboratories”.
Georgina Meakin: “DNA as trace
evidence: Developing the empirical
foundations for interpretation”.
British Diatom Meeting - Hay-onWye, Wales, October 2014
Kirstie Scott was awarded the
John Carter award at this meeting
for paper entitled “Forensic
implications of diatom seasonality:
the transfer and persistence of diatom
particulates on clothing”. Well done
Kirstie!
The Chartered Society of Forensic
Sciences: The changing face and
pace of trace evidence - University of
Leicester, UK, November 2014
Georgina Meakin: “Experimental
evaluation of trace evidence
persistence: Implications for forensic
casework”.
Helen Earwaker: “Fingermark
Sufficiency Decision-Making within
UK Fingerprint Laboratories”.
Kirstie Scott: “The application of
diatom analysis in forensic science:
developing a “new” technique for
the comparative assessment of
geoforensic trace evidence”.
American Criminology Society:
Annual Meeting - San Francisco, US,
November 2014
James French: “The use of Bayesian
Networks in Forensic Interpretation:
Examples involving Gunshot Residue
(GSR)”.
Nadine Smit: “An investigation of
the application of Bayesian Networks
to case assessment in appeal cases”.
Forensic Geoscience: Future
Horizons - London, UK, December
2014
The programme and abstracts will
be available soon on The Geological
Society website (see front page
article).
News and upcoming
events
Locard-White Prize 2014
We are delighted to announce that
Rachel McElhone (MSc Crime &
Forensic Science 2014) has been
chosen as the recipient of the
Locard-White Prize for best MSc
dissertation. Congratulations Rachel!
The Royal Society: The paradigm
shift for UK forensic science 2-3 February 2015
British Academy of Forensic
Sciences (BAFS): Whose evidence is
it anyway? The case of Kevin Nunn
(Friends Dinner & AGM) 12 February 2015
Dr Georgina Meakin will present
her research at the House of
Commons as part of the SET for
Britain event - 9 March 2015
The 2015 Forensic Forums 10-12 March 2015
Forensics Europe Expo 21-22 April 2015
MSc Crime and Forensic
Science: 2015 entry
We are accepting applications for our
MSc in Crime and Forensic Science,
currently in its third successful year
at UCL. Graduates of the programme
have gone on to work for organisations
such as the police, LGC Forensics and
the National Crime Agency (NCA) in
roles as varied as Forensic Hub Officer,
Intelligence Officer, Crime Analyst
and
Junior Forensic Examiner.
This year we are delighted to be
working with City of London
Police and Principal Forensics to
deliver two modules in Crime Scene
Investigation and Case Assessment and
Interpretation for Forensic Scientists.
These modules complement the
vision of the programme to enable
our graduates to think critically
and strategically about every stage
of the forensic science process, to
understand the key concepts and
approaches to robust and effective
forensic science, and evaluate
the role of innovative research.
Optional modules offer students the
opportunity to specialise in specific
fields within the forensic sciences
including forensic archaeology,
biology and forensic geoscience.
Our students appreciate the multidisciplinary nature of the degree and
the ability to research a relevant topic
for their 10,000 word dissertation.
Come along to the open evening to
find out more and ask any questions
you may have before applying:
Tuesday 17th February, 6-8pm
AV Hill Lecture Theatre,
Anatomy Building (Medical
Sciences), UCL,
Gower Street WC1E 6BT
CFS Bulletin Issue 9
Edited by
Kirstie Hampson
Next issue June 2015