Expert Witness Features – page 13

A right to bear arms?

IN BRITAIN I have practised as an expert witness in cultural, religious and ethnic issues in litigation since 1992. I compare the English culture with other cultures, all religions and all ethnicities (races), in relation to a particular legal case.

I know something about everything and everything about some things in my area of expertise. In writing reports and giving evidence in courts, the following points were very helpful to legal teams and courts. I trust that readers will find them useful in their work.

When did you last see your phone? And where was it on the night in question?

Cell site analysis is the process of determining where a mobile phone may have been when certain calls were made.

In just 10 years, it has gone from being a barely understood forensic technique to being a key investigative tool which is used to support a growing proportion of criminal cases.

Trichology, Oprah and me

TRICHOLOGY IS the science of hair, scalp disorders and diseases.

Members of the Institute of Trichologists work in all aspects of the hair, beauty, manufacturing, research, teaching and litigation fields. As a qualified trichologist you may be asked to work alongside medical or legal professionals to assist in furthering cases.

Plant safety study

The safety of ageing plant is an increasingly important area of activity in the field of materials testing. Recently ESR Technology, a leading engineering, safety and risk management consultancy, announced that it has been awarded a major new contract by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to produce guidelines on the safety and integrity management of ageing process plant in the UK.

The aim of the project is to identify, target and prioritise the key issues associated with ageing plant to provide HSE field inspectors with clear guidance related to assessment, intervention and enforcement strategies. The work will build on previous research in this area carried out by the HSE and Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL).

What’s normal? It depends on which way the land lies

IN A sale-of-land agreement in South Wales my client was a public body (the vendor) who was due final payment of the sale sum from the developer (the purchaser).

The sale agreement contained an ‘abnormal site conditions’ clause, which the developer used to withhold the final payment of approximately £1m. The purchaser assessed the abnormal conditions to have cost him approximately £1.5m.