Cellmark Forensic Services

On 14 June 2017 at 00:54 h, the worst residential fire since the conclusion of the Second World War broke out in Flat 16, 4th floor of the 24-storey residential Grenfell Tower Block of flats, North Kensington, West London, UK. Seventy-one adults and children died, including one stillbirth. All victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster who died at the scene underwent post-mortem computed tomography (PMCT) imaging using a mortuary-sited mobile computed tomography scanner. For the first time, to the authors’ knowledge, the disaster victim identification (DVI) radiology reporting was undertaken remote to the mortuary scanning. Over an 11-week period, 119 scans were undertaken on 16 days, with up to 18 scans a day. These were delivered to a remote reporting centre at Leicester on 13 days with between 2 and 20 scans arriving each day. Using a disaster-specific process pathway, a team of 4 reporters, with 3 support staff members, trialled a prototype INTERPOL DVI radiology reporting form and produced full radiology reports and supporting image datasets such that they were able to provide 96% of prototype DVI forms, 99% of image datasets and 86% of preliminary reports to the DVI teams in London within one working day of image receipt. This paper describes the first use of remote radiology reporting for DVI and exemplifies how remote PMCT reporting can be used to support a DVI process of this scale.

Forensic archaeological geospatial analysis can contribute significantly to searches for people who are missing, presumed murdered, and investigations for other buried or concealed items. This sub-specialism of archaeology is an extremely wide-ranging and multi-faceted sphere of study and practice that can incorporate numerous techniques and types of data, and as a result, individual aspects of this approach are often treated in isolation. This can present a fragmented impression that implies that each remote sensing technique or spatial analytical approach can stand alone as a self-contained system. This chapter discusses how such techniques are most effective when combined as a suite of approaches and applied within a fully integrated system. Suggestions for how we might begin to establish guidelines for best practice at a time of conspicuous growth in technologies and data types are also discussed. This provides a context for the summarised examination of two specific approaches within forensic archaeological geospatial analysis: firstly, the capture and analysis of LiDAR data and secondly, the use of red, amber, green (RAG) mapping. LiDAR data is ubiquitous in many conventional archaeological studies, but the capacity to capture this data using unmanned aerial vehicles presents us with the potential to produce data of a quality that is suitable for forensic archaeological purposes. Red, amber, and green (RAG) classifications of soil diggability are used as a search tool in forensic geology. This chapter suggests moving away entirely from the use of RAG mapping as a tool to define prioritised search areas and towards its use as part of human-centred landscape analyses once prioritised search areas have been defined.

The impact of the fungicides mancozeb, myclobutanil, and meptyldinocap on populations of Typhlodromus pyri Scheuten was evaluated under field conditions, when applied following the good agricultural practices recommended for their use. Two complementary statistical models were used to analyze the population reduction compared to the control: a linear mixed model to estimate the mean effect of the fungicide, and a generalized linear mixed model (proportional odds mixed model) to estimate the cumulative probability for those effects being equal or less than a specific IOBC class (International Organization for Biological and Integrated Control of Noxious Animal and Plants). Findings from 27 field experiments in a range of different vine-growing regions in Europe indicated that the use of mancozeb, myclobutanil, and meptyldinocap caused minimal impact on naturally occurring populations of T. pyri. Both statistical models confirmed that although adverse effects on T. pyri can occur under certain conditions after several applications of any of the three fungicides studied, the probability of the effects occurring is low and they will not persist. These methods demonstrated how data from a series of trials could be used to evaluate the variability of the effects caused by the chemical rather than relying on the worst-case findings from a single trial.

IntroductionProtecting the neck from explosively propelled fragments has traditionally been achieved through a collar attached to the ballistic vest. An Enhanced Protection Under Body Armour Combat Shirt (EP-UBACS) collar has been identified as an additional method of providing neck protection but limited evidence as to its potential medical effectiveness exists to justify its procurement.MethodEntry wound locations and resultant medical outcomes were determined using Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) for all fragmentation neck wounds sustained by UK soldiers between 01 January 2010 and 31 December 2011. Data were prospectively entered into a novel computerised tool base and comparisons made between three EP-UBACS neck collar designs in terms of predicted reduction in AIS scores.ResultsAll collars reduced AIS scores, with the greatest reduction provided by designs incorporating increased standoff from the neck and an additional semi-circle of ballistic material underneath the collar at the front and back.DiscussionThis technique confirms that reinforcing the neck collar of an EP-UBACS would be expected to reduce injury severity from neck wounds. However, without knowledge of entry wound locations for injuries to other body areas as well as the use of AIS scores without clinical or pathological verification its further use in the future may be limited. The ability to overlay any armour design onto a standardised human was potentially the most useful part of this tool and we would recommend developing this technique using underlying anatomical structures and not just the skin surface.

ObjectivesTo identify potentially fatal injury patterns in explosive blast fatalities in order to focus research and mitigation strategies, to further improve survival rates from blast trauma.DesignRetrospective cohort study.ParticipantsUK military personnel killed by improvised explosive device (IED) blasts in Afghanistan, November 2007–August 2010.SettingUK military deployment, through NATO, in support of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission in Afghanistan.Data sourcesUK military postmortem CT records, UK Joint Theatre Trauma Registry and associated incident data.Main outcome measuresPotentially fatal injuries attributable to IEDs.ResultsWe identified 121 cases, 42 mounted (in-vehicle) and 79 dismounted (on foot), at a point of wounding. There were 354 potentially fatal injuries in total. Leading causes of death were traumatic brain injury (50%, 62/124 fatal injuries), followed by intracavity haemorrhage (20.2%, 25/124) in the mounted group, and extremity haemorrhage (42.6%, 98/230 fatal injuries), junctional haemorrhage (22.2%, 51/230 fatal injuries) and traumatic brain injury (18.7%, 43/230 fatal injuries) in the dismounted group.ConclusionsHead trauma severity in both mounted and dismounted IED fatalities indicated prevention and mitigation as the most effective strategies to decrease resultant mortality. Two-thirds of dismounted fatalities had haemorrhage implicated as a cause of death that may have been anatomically amenable to prehospital intervention. One-fifth of the mounted fatalities had haemorrhagic trauma which currently could only be addressed surgically. Maintaining the drive to improve all haemostatic techniques for blast casualties, from point of wounding to definitive surgical proximal vascular control, alongside the development and application of novel haemostatic interventions could yield a significant survival benefit. Prospective studies in this field are indicated.

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Forensic archaeology at a crime scene Pre-scene attendance Scene attendance Case studies Reporting and court testimony Conclusion References

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Basic elements of photography Security of images The forensic photographer and the crime scene The forensic photographer at the mortuary Conclusion References