Casework Examples

In the summer of 2004 Mark Hobson, from Selby, North Yorkshire, who had a recorded history of violent attacks, murdered and mutilated the bodies of his girlfriend and her twin sister.

Then, whilst on the run, also murdered an elderly couple in their home in a village north of York. Hobson was sentenced to life imprisonment in May 2005.

On behalf of North Yorkshire police, I examined a set of scribbled, partially legible notes left by Hobson, a bus timetable bearing a handwritten “shopping list” and a number of till receipts bearing signatures purporting to have been written by one of his victims.

From my examination findings I was able to:

• Make an interpretation of the scribbled notes which detailed his intended actions.
• Conclusively identify Hobson as the author of the incriminating “shopping list”.
• Provide “very strong evidence” that the questioned signatures were not genuine, but rather, there was “moderate evidence” that Hobson had produced them.

This forensic evidence played a critical part in the prosecution’s case for pre-meditated murder and dispelling the plea of manslaughter. In May 2005 I received North Yorkshire Police Chief Constable’s Certificate of Appreciation for the work undertaken.

The outbreak, first spotted in an abattoir in Essex in February 2001, was traced back to a pig farm in Heddon-on-the-wall, Northumbria.

In May 2002, the farmer accused of starting the foot-and-mouth outbreak was found guilty at Bedlington Magistrates court.

On behalf of Northumbria County Council, Trading Standards Department, I examined the four farm diaries for the year 2000 in which were logged the critical movements of livestock and feedstuff.

The purpose of my examination was to ascertain how many writers had made the diary and whether the diary entries were written on a day to day basis over the year, as they purported, or whether they were produced at one time.

From my examination findings I was able to conclude:

• “In my opinion all of the handwritten entries within the four questioned diaries group together as the work of one person” and
• ..in my opinion, these findings provide strong evidence that the entries within the four diaries were not produced on a day to day basis over a period of more than a year.”

In September 2003, at Snaresbrook Crown Court, two men were found guilty of conspiracy to defraud and each was sentenced to 6 years imprisonment.

The US Treasury bonds in question, the face value of which was greater than the monetary value of any case previously tried in the UK, purported to have been issued for gold given by Chiang Kai-Shek’s government in the 1940’s.

It was claimed that the plane carrying them crashed in the Filipino island of Mindanao whose tribesmen passed them to the co-accused.

His accomplice, a respected and experienced UK forensic scientist, was paid £63,000 to authenticate the suspect bonds for the co-accused. On behalf of the City of London police, I examined a sample of the questioned US Treasury bonds and based on my examination findings was able to conclude: “that the questioned US Treasury bonds had been printed using techniques not available in the 1930’s/40’s and therefore were not genuine.”

In July 2010, 37 year old Raoul Moat, armed with a sawn-off shotgun, triggered a seven day manhunt in the north east of England. Soon after being released from Durham prison he shot and wounded his ex-girlfriend, fatally wounded her partner and randomly fired into a police car blinding the officer.

Whilst on the run, in addition to a written justification of his actions, Moat continued to make verbal and written threats to any police officers attempting to stop him.

In addition, handwritten notes and letters were sent to the families and friends of Karl Ness and Qhuram Awan claiming that these individuals had been taken captive by Moat.

However, the content of some of these letters backed up CCTV footage, which suggested that in fact Ness and Awan were aiding and conspiring with Moat.

After six nights on the run Moat was contained near the village of Rothbury and after hours of negotiations shot himself. Ness and Awan were arrested nearby.

On behalf of Northumbria police I examined the handwritten notes and letters mentioned above in the initial stages of the incident to confirm the number of writers and then to conclusively identify Moat, Ness and Awan as the authors.

In April 2002 Natalie William’s husband reported her missing, saying that she had vanished after going for a late night walk with her dog. Police found her body two days later, she had been strangled and thrown into the river Avon.

In June 2003 Bristol Crown Court found Randle Williams guilty of her murder and during the trial heard how the businessman had financial problems at the time of her murder.

In addition to an existing life insurance policy on his wife, the Court heard how Randle Williams took out a further policy for £666, 000.

On behalf of Wiltshire Constabulary, I examined a legal charge document bearing questioned signatures in the names of Randle and Natalie Williams.

From my examination findings I was able to conclude:

• “very strong evidence that the Randle Williams signature was a genuine signature written by him”,
• “very strong evidence that the Natalie Williams signature was a simulation of her signature produced by another person”, and - “strong evidence” that Randle Williams was the forger.

Courts in Sheffield and Leeds heard how a frail and partially sighted 87 year old lady, who lived on her own, put her signature to a Land Registry document to sell her house, valued at £193,000, for just £7,400 to a car salesman.

The accused later sold the property on to a developer and only then did the victim learn of the transaction.

The Court heard how an accomplice of the suspect went to the old lady’s house under the pretence of delivering her an unexpected gift of flowers and chocolates for which he insisted she sign for.

The partially sighted lady denied throughout the trial that she knowingly signed the Land Registry transfer document agreeing the sale of her property.

As instructed by a leading law firm in Leeds, I examined the questioned Land Registry document with particular regard to the authenticity of the signature of the elderly lady as it was claimed by the defence that this must be a forgery.

In contrast to this theory, I found “strong evidence” that the signature on the questioned Land Registry document was a genuine signature of the partially sighted lady.
However, a full microscopic examination of the document in its entirety, with particular regard to indented impressions of the signature in question, was very revealing and enabled me to make the following conclusions that disproved the authenticity of the document.
“…in my opinion when the questioned signature was made, the bottom portion of the Land Registry form was folded back under itself just beneath the signature. Thus the details below the signature would have been obscured from view when the signature was made.”

In May 2006 in Leeds High Court of Justice, a ruling was found in favour of the plaintiff and the transfer of the elderly lady’s house deemed to be fraudulent.