How can modern engineering techniques help us to understand how these crimes were committed, and help the legal system to interpret complex evidence in court?
The Royal Academy of Engineering is answering this question in its East Midlands regional lecture which will be held at the University of Lincoln on 17 April. The lecture will explore the role of engineering in forensic science with Professor Sarah Hainsworth FREng, a leading forensic science expert on stabbing and dismemberment, advising police forces across the UK and working as an expert witness in criminal court cases.
Professor Hainsworth will explain how advanced imaging techniques can be used to identify tool marks in dismemberment cases and why understanding the engineering factors associated with cutting or stabbing can prove vital both during investigations and when cases come to court.
Delving into the use of modern forensic techniques on historical remains, Professor Hainsworth, who is Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Aston University, will also explain how her team used CT scans to detail the fatal wounds inflicted on Richard III following the discovery of his remains under a Leicester car park in 2012. Last year the Office for National Statistics reported that the most common method of killing was by knife or other sharp instrument, with around 30% of homicides in the UK involving stabbing. What’s more, 6% of serious violence offences against the person in 2017 involved knives and a further 5% bottles or glass.
Cutting crime: the role of forensic engineering science will take place on 17th April 2018 at 5.15pm. The lecture is free to attend, and you can register here.