Chemistry/Fires
Fingerprints
At Manlove Forensics we have a highly experienced team of forensic scientists working on fingerprint identification, comparison and enhancement.
Probably the oldest of the forensic disciplines, fingerprints are still the only unique means of human identification in that the fingerprint detail required to identify crime scene marks could be from one person only and can be no one else. Members of the same family, even identical twins have different fingerprint detail.
At Manlove Forensics our fingerprint service is comprehensive offering you a range of service levels from scene to laboratory and review. Our experts have been asked to undertake reviews for the Criminal Cases Review Commission, in the Court of Appeal and many Crown and Magistrates' Court cases.
We provide a service unique to the independent provider in the enhancement and interpretation of fingerprints in blood. This challenging area is fraught with difficulties; our experts have many years of experience in interpreting such evidence and are fully aware of the dangers of over-interpretation.
We routinely compare and review the work of others, and take the case as a whole; if required we will assess the position of the fingerprint and its orientation, so as to give a full interpretation of how the fingerprint was placed down. We can take reference fingerprints from people so that we can compare these to any marks we find, or which we are reviewing. We offer you our opinion in a clear, concise report.
If you require items or exhibits to be examined for fingerprints, our highly skilled photographers offer an extensive range of both specialised light and chemical treatments as a means of recovering this evidence type.
Footwear
Footwear marks can be left at a crime scene or on an item in a contaminant such as mud or blood and an impression can be left in a soft substrate such as soil. Such footwear marks are recovered by forensic scientists using a variety of techniques from electrostatic lifting to casting. Specialised photography can also be invaluable to ensure that the finest detail of the mark is recorded.
From an examination of the footwear mark, the evidential significance can be assessed by considering the make, model and level of detail that is apparent to the examining forensic scientist. It can be possible to make an assessment of the size of shoe from the mark as well as in some cases establish the wearer of the shoe if it is in doubt.
Manlove Forensics' team of footwear examiners regularly provides advice and give evidence in relation to footwear marks and impressions. Whether it is a simple pattern identification you require, review of another forensic scientist's work or a full comparison, we are able to offer a rapid response as we have access to one of the most comprehensive footwear databases in the country.
If it is collation of footwear evidence that you require, we can provide a bespoke service to build your own secure database and compile database hits of possible footwear matches.
Working within our secure laboratories we are able to provide assistance in cases that require marks enhancement, specialising in blood and marks in skin made when a person is kicked, or stamped upon. We also have wide experience working with different marks on the body in either the living or the deceased.
Fires and explosions
At Manlove Forensics we offer a full review service of fire and explosion scenes by our experts that have many years experience in this specialist area. We are able to re-visit the scene if this is required or carry out a review of work carried out by another establishment.
There are a number of different areas that our expert considers in relation to this evidence type. These include the origin and cause of a fire which can be established from reviewing the site of the fire or from detailed examination of evidential photographs.
It may also involve analytical work or a review of the analytical results relating to the use of accelerants in the initiation of the fire.
Furthermore, information relating to the nature of the resulting fire will take into account burn patterns within the fire and also the material present within the scene that acted as fuel.
We are also able to evaluate thermal injuries to persons and damage to property with a view to determining the nature and cause of the damage. All of this detail assists in reconstructing the events that took place during a fire.
Photography
Our specialist photographic services include the highest standard examination-quality photography of fingerprints, bloodstains, footwear marks and other marks for further analysis. Our expertise includes traditional and digital photography: we mostly use high resolution digital cameras but we can use any format of film if necessary. We can re-examine and reprint previously taken imagery, whether film-based or digital and, if necessary, apply image processing methods for enhancement or restoration, often revealing previously invisible or unclear details. All such work is carried out by highly experienced court reporting imaging specialists in line with the Home Office Digital Imaging Procedure 2007.
We can carry out macro-photography and photomicrography of the smallest of items as well as general photography of larger items. We can produce high quality visual aids and albums, illustrating findings with a combination of photographic and other imagery and text.
We can provide expert advice in many other areas of photographic and digital imaging. If you have any imaging related query, do not hesitate to get in touch.
Fibres analysis
Our clothing contains a microscopic record of the contact it has had with other textile surfaces. Fibres present on the surface tells a complex history of the clothing, from fibres associated with the most recent ‘foreign' contacts, to those associated with the environment that the clothing most frequently inhabits. The technique of ‘fibre mapping' in a forensic context, has enabled fibres to be used as a tool to assess the precise nature of contacts between items of clothing and by combining that information with other scene of crime intelligence, a reconstruction of events at the crime scene can be explored. Textile fibres can provide strong evidence of links in a variety of forensic cases from burglaries and car crime to sexual assaults and murder. Fibres are most commonly recovered by forensic scientists from items using taping.
The forensic examination of fibres requires highly skilled scientists with specialist microscopic and analytical instrumentation. Manlove Forensics' expert undertakes fibre comparisons and reviews, employing a range of sophisticated microscopic and spectroscopic techniques to identify and check fibres evidence in a non-destructive manner.
Paint
As paint covers so many surfaces, whether they be vehicles, window frames, tools or walls, the comparison of trace quantities can be very important to a case.
Paint analysis can look at either the physical appearance (colours and layers) or the chemical composition. As a painted surface can often be covered with a number of layers, when these are damaged, flakes can be removed. If these are found, they can be matched both in terms of layers and of the broken edge of the fragment back to the original surface. These can be unique matches and deterministic of origin.
As paint is made of a cocktail of different chemicals such as pigments, modifiers and binders, an analysis of the chemical composition can create a chemical signature that can be compared with reference samples.
Manlove Forensics is able to carry out the review and further testing of paint samples to aid your investigation.
Glass
When glass is broken, minute fragments are created that can travel backwards towards the breaker or be picked up as an individual contacts a broken edge or treads on a nearby surface covered with such fragments. When transferred to clothing, these fragments can persist for a period of time, this being dependant on the type of clothing and the retentive ability of the material. As glass can be broken during the commission of a wide variety of crimes including burglary and car-related crime, such evidence can be extremely useful to the investigator.
Due to the differences in manufacturing between different types of glass, using a measure of refractive index and chemical composition, an accurate comparison can be made between glass fragments and the original glass window or headlight for example. The evidential weight of these findings is considered in terms of both the rarity of the type of glass and the number of fragments found on a person's clothing and footwear. This is because most commonly, glass fragments on the surface of clothing are lost within a few hours of an individual being close to a breakage.
At Manlove Forensics we are able to carry out examination of items for glass and subsequent comparison with a suspect glass sample. We can also review the findings of other scientists' work carried out at other laboratories or carry out testing on glass samples that are new to an investigation and compare the results to the original work carried out.
Physical fits
At Manlove Forensics our experts will undertake original comparison work and also review work already carried out to compare areas of damage with specific tools that are submitted for comparison. Examples can include damage caused to door edges when forced open, or when chain link is cut.
As the tools used often have wear that is individual to each item, a specific mark can be left when it is used to pry, cut or otherwise damage a given surface or item. The mark left can be compared with items that have been seized and a comparison made.
Our experts also examine broken items to ascertain whether or not they may have originally fitted together as one prior to being damaged. By looking at macroscopic and microscopic features it can be possible to match surfaces in three dimensions, giving this evidence type the possibility of being conclusive when it comes to providing an opinion. Physical fits also include items such as cling film, foil and other types of wrappings as well as glass, wood and in some cases, china.
