Featured Articles – Expert Witness Features – page 20

How criminals can be condemned by their own hands

HANDWRITING evidence may be useful in the investigation of a variety of crimes, including cheque fraud, linking demand notes used in bank robberies to a suspect and establishing whether a suicide note is genuine or was written by a murderer to cover a crime.

One high-profile case compared the handwritten addresses on a series of letter bombs. A total of 15 explosive devices, some containing nails, were sent to addresses across the country as part of the campaign – a six-year-old girl was injured when she opened one parcel.

Complications arising from obstetric anaesthesia: when do they constitute medical negligence?

THE STORY of obstetric anaesthesia over the past 20 years has undoubtedly been one of clinical success. The triennial reports on Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths in the UK clearly show that the number of anaesthetic-related maternal deaths has been steadily falling, despite anaesthetists being involved in an increasing proportion of labours (thanks to the rising epidural and Caesarean section rates).

The change has been achieved via a variety of factors, including improved anaesthetic cover for maternity units, but the most important is almost certainly the move from general to regional anaesthesia (epidural, spinal or combined spinal-epidural) for Caesarean section. Only around 10% of Caesarean sections are now carried out under general anaesthesia, compared to 77% only 20 years ago.

Just who can be an expert witness?

IN THE good old days it was easy to find a forensic accountant for your client.

The senior partner of the client’s accountants would fit the bill well. He probably knew the judge, knew the client (or at least knew of the client) and had gravitas.

Often, in the brave new world, you do not even get a free choice, what with protocols and Single Joint Experts. Just to make matters worse, case law, professional standards and judicial guidance seem to be pulling in different ways.

The role of materials testing in forensic science and civil claims

MATERIALS TESTING does not necessarily involve a specific test to an ISO:BS: EN standard – and there are many such standards.

It involves a number of stages before specific standard tests are carried out, if indeed necessary. These stages involve the following steps

Investigators with forensic accreditation

FOR OVER 30 YEARS, expert evidence on fires, explosions, carbon monoxide poisoning and thermal wounding has been supplied to solicitors and their clients by the Forensic Science Service’s (FSS) London Fire Investigation Unit (FIU).

The team is called upon to investigate over 300 fires a year UK-wide, ranging from simple domestic fires to major arson, and its expertise has been used to investigate some of the most serious and high-profile fires, including those at King’s Cross station, the Momart art warehouse and, most recently, the Cutty Sark.