Wednesday, 11 January 2012

AO2- experiments

Assessment Objective Two
Lesson Two Tasks - Experiments

Aims and Objectives
Analyse a range of different research methods

  1. What is the Forensic Science Service?
The Forensic Science Service (FSS) is the market leader in the supply of forensic services to police forces in England and Wales and has a global reputation for excellence in the development and deployment of new and advanced techniques. Its heritage and expertise also provide the basis for world-class training services.

  1. What is the website address?


  1. Which UK organisations do the FSS provide services for?
The FSS provides key services to people involved in criminal justice throughout the UK and overseas. Our UK customers include police forces, HMRC, British Transport Police, the CPS and commercial organisations, while our overseas involvement sees us working with law enforcement agencies across the globe.

  1. Complete the following sentances:

1,300 scientists are involved annually with:
·         More than 120,000 cases.
·         Attendance at over 1,500 crime scenes.
·         Processing just under 500,000 DNA samples.
·         Providing evidence in court on more than 2,000 occasions


  1. List 8 services that the FSS provide:
    1.  Analytic Solutions
    2.  Expert Solutions
    3.  Offence-Based Solutions
    4.  Response Solutions
    5.  Evidence Management
    6.  Training
    7.  International Solutions
    8. Electronic Forensic Solutions



  1. What was significant about the Colin Pitchfork conviction?
  2. Colin Pitchfork became the first person in the world to be convicted of murder through the use of DNA profiling.




  1. Choose one other case study and summarise.


Case:        Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman

Summary: Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman two 10-year-old Girls famous for wearing Manchester United shirts went missing in August 2002 after spending the day at Holly’s home in Soham.  Forensic experts, police and family members search for the missing girls. After 13 days the hunt ended with the girls’ bodies being found dead. 
On 17 August 2002, the FSS was asked to examine clothing including partially burnt Manchester United football shirts found in a bin at the hangar at Soham college. Two scientists went to examine the hangar and the bins.
The bin was packaged and brought back to the Huntingdon lab. As well as the Manchester United tops there were tracksuit bottoms, underwear and shoes belonging to both girls. Surface debris, including hairs and fibres, was recovered from inside and outside the bin including hairs and fibres. The clothing was screened for the presence of blood, saliva and semen. Many items had been fire damaged and some had melted into a mass.
After thousands of hours of research over a 14-month period scientists from the FSS examined 40,000 fibres and eventually were able to link hairs from Ian Huntley along with fibres from his clothing and his house to the Manchester United football shirts worn by both girls on the last day they were seen.
They were also able to link fibres from the football shirts to Ian Huntley’s house and items of his clothing. Of the 40,000 fibres examined, the FSS was able to provide the evidence of a two-way transfer of 154 fibres between Huntley’s clothing and carpets, and the Manchester United football shirts and tracksuit bottoms of the girls.
Ian Huntley, a school caretaker at the school the girls attended was found guilty at the Old Bailey in December 2003 of the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman and was sentenced to life imprisonment.


No comments:

Post a Comment