Fifa announces World Cup drug testing crackdown
Fifa threw down the gauntlet to drugs cheats when it announced out-of-competition blood and urine tests on 576 players before and during the World Cup.
Football's world governing body said its crackdown would start more than two months before the tournament kicks off in South Africa. The 32 finalists have been told to submit their team whereabouts to Fifa by 22 March. Without notice, eight players from each squad will be randomly selected during friendlies or training camps. Those tests will start on 10 April and run until 10 June, the day before the opening match of the World Cup.
Vigorous drug testing will also be carried out during the month-long competition, said Fifa's chief medical officer, Jiri Dvorak.
"Two months prior to the World Cup we will be visiting the teams unannounced," he told a press conference in Sun City, where Fifa concluded a three‑day medical conference today. "During the World Cup, two players from one team will be selected randomly after a match.
"We have a strict strategy to fight doping and we take the fight against doping very seriously and are committed to continuing it in full compliance with the Wada [World Anti-Doping Agency] code. The teams have confirmed their full compliance in this regard."
Dvorak said that 320 tests will be conducted before the tournament and at least 256 more after kick-off. He added that Fifa has conducted more than 33,000 doping tests over the years, with 0.03% returning positive results.
"We think that the individual in-competition and out-of-competition testing in football is really inefficient and ineffective. Random team testing of elite teams at any time offers a more deterring effect."
Earlier, concern was expressed that players could use undetectable stimulants derived from traditional African medicines that are not banned to gain an unfair advantage. South Africa's team doctor, Ntlopi Mogoru, said some plants, usually found in tropical African countries, could produce steroid byproducts that are not on Wada's list and are not picked up in doping tests. The Fifa medical committee chairman, Michel D'Hooghe, said he wanted Wada to consider some African plants for analysis.
Physicians representing all 32 finalists signed a joint declaration pledging their full support for Fifa's anti-doping strategy, as well as for the implementation of a pre-competition medical assessment (PCMA) to prevent injuries.
Before the World Cup actually kicks off roughly 35% of players (eight per team) will be selected at random for drug and urine testing, which an awfully big number - equating to 256 tests. Another 256 tests will take place during the tournament, so the whole thing's on the up and up. Or not on the up and up, as it were.
For more information on Sport Drug Testing please contact FRL.
Friday, 4 June 2010
Britain rejects plans to introduce controversial national ID cards.
Britain rejects plans to introduce controversial national ID cards.
The government announced last week that British citizens will never be forced to carry ID cards.
Home Secretary Alan Johnson said that a trial scheme that was to force some airport staff to carry the controversial cards has been scrapped.The massive climb-down means that carrying an ID card will now never be made compulsory for members of the general public.
The move signals the end of one of Labour's most controversial policies, which has been championed by a succession of Home Secretaries.
Opposition parties and campaigners who have argued the £5billion scheme is unnecessary and excessively expensive have prevailed in this much publicised debate.
Insisting that ID cards should be voluntary, Mr Johnson, home secretary said 'Holding an identity card should be a personal choice for British citizens - just as it is now to obtain a passport.'
Previously, ministers said ID cards could become compulsory once 80 per cent of the population was covered. Jacqui Smith unveils the ID card in September last year - six months after conceding that they would not be compulsory after all
The cards were being trialed at Manchester Airport and London City Airport prior to a national roll-out but that trial has now been cancelled, Mr Johnson said.
The announcement means that foreign nationals in the UK will be the only group of people who will be forced to carry the cards.
Earlier this year it was revealed that the bill for issuing ID cards and passports over the next ten years is now £4.945billion for UK citizens and £379million for foreign nationals.
The rollout of the ID card scheme will now be accelerated on a purely voluntary basis for UK citizens at £30 per card, starting in Greater Manchester by the end of the year.
Mr Johnson said: 'I want the introduction of identity cards for all British citizens to be voluntary and I have therefore decided that identity cards issued to airside workers, planned initially at Manchester and London City airports later this year, should also be voluntary.'
Asked if the cards would ever be made compulsory he said: 'No'.'If a future Government wanted to make them compulsory it would require primary legislation,' he added.Charles Clarke was just one of a number of Home Secretaries who championed the identity cards.
Mr Johnson said he still believed the cards would help improve security at airports. But he admitted the Government had allowed the perception that the cards would be a 'panacea' that would stop terrorism.
Everyone who wants a card, or a biometric passport, will have their details stored on the national identity register.
The scheme has been mired in controversy ever since its launch, coming under fire from all angles as politicians tried to present it as a solution to multiple problems.
It has been proposed as a way of countering terrorism, identity theft and misuse of public services and also as a way of proving the carrier's age and identity generally.
ID cards were enshrined in the Identity Cards Act 2006 and major contracts were to have been awarded by the end of this year for design, production and rollout.
Cards are linked to the National Identity Register, a centralised database intended to hold information such as fingerprints, facial and iris scans, past and present addresses.
The Unite union which represents many of the workers, welcomed the move.
National officer Brian Boyd said: 'The continued persistence of Unite in highlighting the unworkable elements of this scheme, has paid-off.
'Our approach in pursuing the Government on behalf of many thousands of airside workers who would have been disadvantaged by the introduction of ID cards, has been fully vindicated.
'National safety very often begins at UK airports, and our members who work airside are in the frontline in this respect. However, the Government's plans were flawed, thankfully today's announcement by the Home Secretary is the sensible choice.'
Next year young people opening bank accounts are to be encouraged to obtain ID cards and over the following two years anyone getting a passport will get one - but can opt out.
The cost of the cards per person was given as £77 in 2004, then as £93 in July 2005. But research by the London School of Economics put it at a massive £230 a head.
For more information on forensic dna profiling please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
The government announced last week that British citizens will never be forced to carry ID cards.
Home Secretary Alan Johnson said that a trial scheme that was to force some airport staff to carry the controversial cards has been scrapped.The massive climb-down means that carrying an ID card will now never be made compulsory for members of the general public.
The move signals the end of one of Labour's most controversial policies, which has been championed by a succession of Home Secretaries.
Opposition parties and campaigners who have argued the £5billion scheme is unnecessary and excessively expensive have prevailed in this much publicised debate.
Insisting that ID cards should be voluntary, Mr Johnson, home secretary said 'Holding an identity card should be a personal choice for British citizens - just as it is now to obtain a passport.'
Previously, ministers said ID cards could become compulsory once 80 per cent of the population was covered. Jacqui Smith unveils the ID card in September last year - six months after conceding that they would not be compulsory after all
The cards were being trialed at Manchester Airport and London City Airport prior to a national roll-out but that trial has now been cancelled, Mr Johnson said.
The announcement means that foreign nationals in the UK will be the only group of people who will be forced to carry the cards.
Earlier this year it was revealed that the bill for issuing ID cards and passports over the next ten years is now £4.945billion for UK citizens and £379million for foreign nationals.
The rollout of the ID card scheme will now be accelerated on a purely voluntary basis for UK citizens at £30 per card, starting in Greater Manchester by the end of the year.
Mr Johnson said: 'I want the introduction of identity cards for all British citizens to be voluntary and I have therefore decided that identity cards issued to airside workers, planned initially at Manchester and London City airports later this year, should also be voluntary.'
Asked if the cards would ever be made compulsory he said: 'No'.'If a future Government wanted to make them compulsory it would require primary legislation,' he added.Charles Clarke was just one of a number of Home Secretaries who championed the identity cards.
Mr Johnson said he still believed the cards would help improve security at airports. But he admitted the Government had allowed the perception that the cards would be a 'panacea' that would stop terrorism.
Everyone who wants a card, or a biometric passport, will have their details stored on the national identity register.
The scheme has been mired in controversy ever since its launch, coming under fire from all angles as politicians tried to present it as a solution to multiple problems.
It has been proposed as a way of countering terrorism, identity theft and misuse of public services and also as a way of proving the carrier's age and identity generally.
ID cards were enshrined in the Identity Cards Act 2006 and major contracts were to have been awarded by the end of this year for design, production and rollout.
Cards are linked to the National Identity Register, a centralised database intended to hold information such as fingerprints, facial and iris scans, past and present addresses.
The Unite union which represents many of the workers, welcomed the move.
National officer Brian Boyd said: 'The continued persistence of Unite in highlighting the unworkable elements of this scheme, has paid-off.
'Our approach in pursuing the Government on behalf of many thousands of airside workers who would have been disadvantaged by the introduction of ID cards, has been fully vindicated.
'National safety very often begins at UK airports, and our members who work airside are in the frontline in this respect. However, the Government's plans were flawed, thankfully today's announcement by the Home Secretary is the sensible choice.'
Next year young people opening bank accounts are to be encouraged to obtain ID cards and over the following two years anyone getting a passport will get one - but can opt out.
The cost of the cards per person was given as £77 in 2004, then as £93 in July 2005. But research by the London School of Economics put it at a massive £230 a head.
For more information on forensic dna profiling please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
CCTV footage of Forensic Diamond Robbers
CCTV footage of robbers dressed as police forensics officers stealing diamond jewellery from a Lincoln shop has been released by police.
The footage shows one of the masked men threatening a member of staff with a hammer at James Usher & Son in Guildhall Street in the raid on Saturday morning.
Managing director James Frampton said about £80,000 of jewels had been stolen and security is now being reviewed.
The robbers escaped in a car later found abandoned and on fire. The green Vauxhall Astra was set alight in Lindum Terrace. The robbers and getaway driver then made their escape in a white Transit-type van parked on Arboretum Avenue, police said.
Officers said the two robbers - wearing white hooded-boiler suits with a "police forensics" logo and dust masks which covered most of their faces - took various pieces of diamond jewellery.
They appeared to target the most valuable items in the shop. Mr Frampton said: "We are relieved that our staff are physically unharmed although some are struggling to come to terms with the shock of these events.
"We appeal to all members of the public who were in the vicinity and saw anything at all to help the police with their inquiries. It is important for us all that these dangerous individuals are apprehended."
If you know any further information about this investigation please contact your local police station.
For more information on forensic CCTV Video Analysis please contact Forensic Resources Ltd
The footage shows one of the masked men threatening a member of staff with a hammer at James Usher & Son in Guildhall Street in the raid on Saturday morning.
Managing director James Frampton said about £80,000 of jewels had been stolen and security is now being reviewed.
The robbers escaped in a car later found abandoned and on fire. The green Vauxhall Astra was set alight in Lindum Terrace. The robbers and getaway driver then made their escape in a white Transit-type van parked on Arboretum Avenue, police said.
Officers said the two robbers - wearing white hooded-boiler suits with a "police forensics" logo and dust masks which covered most of their faces - took various pieces of diamond jewellery.
They appeared to target the most valuable items in the shop. Mr Frampton said: "We are relieved that our staff are physically unharmed although some are struggling to come to terms with the shock of these events.
"We appeal to all members of the public who were in the vicinity and saw anything at all to help the police with their inquiries. It is important for us all that these dangerous individuals are apprehended."
If you know any further information about this investigation please contact your local police station.
For more information on forensic CCTV Video Analysis please contact Forensic Resources Ltd
Hutton school fingerprinting causes parent outrage.
Hutton school fingerprinting causes parent outrage.
A school in Hutton has been accused of abusing children's civil liberties following plans to record their fingerprints to pay for school dinners.
Such was the outrage from parents at St Martin's School in Hutton, the idea has today been put on hold just a day after the new proposal had being unveiled.
The school wants to use state-of-the-art biometric finger mapping technology replacing the need for cash in the canteen. It would mean pupils and staff simply scan their fingertips to pay for lunches and snacks. But the move has been labeled by some as a move towards a "Big Brother" state.
Concerned parent Claire Flood was shocked to discover all pupils were due to be fingerprinted this week, before another letter, dated the following day, quickly pulled the plug on its introduction after complaints came flooding in.
"It seems to be a bit Big Brother like," she said. "It shouldn't be compulsory. I think it is an infringement of their human rights. I was shocked by the thought of it."
Another parent, who did not want to be named, slammed the Orwellian move by the school."It is an abuse of their civil liberties," he said. "You worry about this sort of thing in other parts of your life, but would like to think your children were safe from it at school. Another unnamed parent said "You just wonder why they need fingerprints. It's not like they're criminals."Another said: "I just don't see the need for it. What's the problem with cash?"
The decision to introduce this new fingerprint technology has divided opinions of parents with some less concerned. Debbie King, 48, who was waiting for her child at the Hanging Hill Lane School, said: "It doesn't really bother me at all. They only have about 35 minutes for lunch, anything to make it quicker."
Head teacher Dr Nigel Darby said the school had put the scheme on hold to reassure parents and to see whether the new coalition Government actually bans the use of fingerprinting at schools, as it has previously pledged.
He also said the data being held would not be the actual fingerprint but a unique number based on four individual points of the print.
As a result he said the data could not be used to create a fingerprint and catch pupils for any wrongdoings such as theft.
"No fingerprints are stored and it is not in any way invading civil liberties," he said.
Another British school, Brentwood County High School, introduced the technology last month, we can reveal, and claim it has proved a huge hit.
If the scheme goes ahead at St Martin's, payments will be deducted from a pupil's account which can be topped up online or by more traditional methods such as cheques.
Dr Darby said those totally opposed to the fingerprint technology could opt for an alternative card and pin system.
He said there were many advantages to the system including the fact it was quicker and easier, plus parents could keep an eye on what their children were eating at school.
The debate of school fingerprinting continues to divide public opinion across the UK. For more information on fingerprinting, forensic fingerprint analysis and dna profiling please visit Forensic Resources Ltd.
A school in Hutton has been accused of abusing children's civil liberties following plans to record their fingerprints to pay for school dinners.
Such was the outrage from parents at St Martin's School in Hutton, the idea has today been put on hold just a day after the new proposal had being unveiled.
The school wants to use state-of-the-art biometric finger mapping technology replacing the need for cash in the canteen. It would mean pupils and staff simply scan their fingertips to pay for lunches and snacks. But the move has been labeled by some as a move towards a "Big Brother" state.
Concerned parent Claire Flood was shocked to discover all pupils were due to be fingerprinted this week, before another letter, dated the following day, quickly pulled the plug on its introduction after complaints came flooding in.
"It seems to be a bit Big Brother like," she said. "It shouldn't be compulsory. I think it is an infringement of their human rights. I was shocked by the thought of it."
Another parent, who did not want to be named, slammed the Orwellian move by the school."It is an abuse of their civil liberties," he said. "You worry about this sort of thing in other parts of your life, but would like to think your children were safe from it at school. Another unnamed parent said "You just wonder why they need fingerprints. It's not like they're criminals."Another said: "I just don't see the need for it. What's the problem with cash?"
The decision to introduce this new fingerprint technology has divided opinions of parents with some less concerned. Debbie King, 48, who was waiting for her child at the Hanging Hill Lane School, said: "It doesn't really bother me at all. They only have about 35 minutes for lunch, anything to make it quicker."
Head teacher Dr Nigel Darby said the school had put the scheme on hold to reassure parents and to see whether the new coalition Government actually bans the use of fingerprinting at schools, as it has previously pledged.
He also said the data being held would not be the actual fingerprint but a unique number based on four individual points of the print.
As a result he said the data could not be used to create a fingerprint and catch pupils for any wrongdoings such as theft.
"No fingerprints are stored and it is not in any way invading civil liberties," he said.
Another British school, Brentwood County High School, introduced the technology last month, we can reveal, and claim it has proved a huge hit.
If the scheme goes ahead at St Martin's, payments will be deducted from a pupil's account which can be topped up online or by more traditional methods such as cheques.
Dr Darby said those totally opposed to the fingerprint technology could opt for an alternative card and pin system.
He said there were many advantages to the system including the fact it was quicker and easier, plus parents could keep an eye on what their children were eating at school.
The debate of school fingerprinting continues to divide public opinion across the UK. For more information on fingerprinting, forensic fingerprint analysis and dna profiling please visit Forensic Resources Ltd.
Forensic testing of victim remains and tools in "Crossbow Cannibal" murder investigation
Forensic testing of victim remains and tools in "Crossbow Cannibal" murder investigation.
Forensic tests are being carried out on remains and tools found in the River Aire by police searching for the bodies of two Bradford women murdered by Stephen Griffiths, the Crossbow Cannibal.
Stephen Griffiths has been charged with murdering prostitutes Suzanne Blamires, Shelley Armitage and Susan Rushworth.
Only Ms Blamires' body parts have so far been found. Remains pulled from the river on Saturday are being tested to find out if they are human. A large suitcase later pulled from the river contained tools, police said.
Mr Griffiths, 40, gave his name as "the crossbow cannibal" in court on Friday. He is due to appear at Bradford Crown Court again via videolink from Wakefield Prison on 7 June.
Police found 36-year-old Ms Blamires' body parts in the River Aire near Shipley on Tuesday. They found more remains about 200 yards away in the river on Saturday. Police said as far as they were aware all of Ms Blamires' remains had been recovered. Stephen Griffiths was arrested at his flat on Monday. The mood outside the block of flats where Mr Griffiths' lived was described as strange as residents sign in and out each time they go anywhere.
Elsewhere, detectives knocked through a wall before sifting through the sand and soil which came out of it with a trowel. Forty-five detectives are now working on the case with support from about 70 other officers.
Ms Armitage, 31, has not been seen since 26 April and Ms Rushworth, 43, has been missing for almost a year.
Police have been conducting fingertip searches across the city, including in the drains around Mr Griffiths' Thornton Road flat.
A West Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said: "Officers are continuing to search areas of Bradford city centre and the River Aire throughout the day and are also proactively following several lines of inquiry.
For more information on forensic analysis please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
Forensic tests are being carried out on remains and tools found in the River Aire by police searching for the bodies of two Bradford women murdered by Stephen Griffiths, the Crossbow Cannibal.
Stephen Griffiths has been charged with murdering prostitutes Suzanne Blamires, Shelley Armitage and Susan Rushworth.
Only Ms Blamires' body parts have so far been found. Remains pulled from the river on Saturday are being tested to find out if they are human. A large suitcase later pulled from the river contained tools, police said.
Mr Griffiths, 40, gave his name as "the crossbow cannibal" in court on Friday. He is due to appear at Bradford Crown Court again via videolink from Wakefield Prison on 7 June.
Police found 36-year-old Ms Blamires' body parts in the River Aire near Shipley on Tuesday. They found more remains about 200 yards away in the river on Saturday. Police said as far as they were aware all of Ms Blamires' remains had been recovered. Stephen Griffiths was arrested at his flat on Monday. The mood outside the block of flats where Mr Griffiths' lived was described as strange as residents sign in and out each time they go anywhere.
Elsewhere, detectives knocked through a wall before sifting through the sand and soil which came out of it with a trowel. Forty-five detectives are now working on the case with support from about 70 other officers.
Ms Armitage, 31, has not been seen since 26 April and Ms Rushworth, 43, has been missing for almost a year.
Police have been conducting fingertip searches across the city, including in the drains around Mr Griffiths' Thornton Road flat.
A West Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said: "Officers are continuing to search areas of Bradford city centre and the River Aire throughout the day and are also proactively following several lines of inquiry.
For more information on forensic analysis please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
Could bad diets and drug use soon land more criminals in jail?
Could bad diets and drug use soon land more criminals in jail?
Burglars could soon be trapped by a bad diet or drugs they have taken thanks to a new fingerprinting technique.
The new test can reveal a person's cholesterol level, among other things. Sheffield Hallam University said it has found a way to analyse prints for traces of chemicals linked to diet and drug use.
Scientists say they can detect substances left behind by the skin on someone's finger, and can even work out when the fingerprint was created.
The technology can help gain much more information from a finger mark than is currently available, according to Simona Francese from the university's Biomedical Research Centre.
"We could link the suspect to criminal activity and potentially even gain details of their lifestyle by detecting the use of drugs, medication and even diet," she said.
The team behind the development used technology designed for mapping different molecules in tissue sections, known as matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation mass spectrometry imaging.
They found it can identify key details about the person who left a fingerprint, from substances they might have touched to drugs they have taken.
It can also give precise information about aspects of diet, including the person's cholesterol levels.
For forensic use, a fingerprint is usually lifted with a powder and compared with prints on a police database.
The team behind this new technique said it leaves fingerprints untouched, so they can still be tested in traditional ways.
For further information on Forensic Fingerprint Analysis please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
Burglars could soon be trapped by a bad diet or drugs they have taken thanks to a new fingerprinting technique.
The new test can reveal a person's cholesterol level, among other things. Sheffield Hallam University said it has found a way to analyse prints for traces of chemicals linked to diet and drug use.
Scientists say they can detect substances left behind by the skin on someone's finger, and can even work out when the fingerprint was created.
The technology can help gain much more information from a finger mark than is currently available, according to Simona Francese from the university's Biomedical Research Centre.
"We could link the suspect to criminal activity and potentially even gain details of their lifestyle by detecting the use of drugs, medication and even diet," she said.
The team behind the development used technology designed for mapping different molecules in tissue sections, known as matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation mass spectrometry imaging.
They found it can identify key details about the person who left a fingerprint, from substances they might have touched to drugs they have taken.
It can also give precise information about aspects of diet, including the person's cholesterol levels.
For forensic use, a fingerprint is usually lifted with a powder and compared with prints on a police database.
The team behind this new technique said it leaves fingerprints untouched, so they can still be tested in traditional ways.
For further information on Forensic Fingerprint Analysis please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
Forensic Fingerprints Analysis help nab US fugitive of 20 years.
Forensic Fingerprints Analysis help nab US fugitive of 20 years.
Through forensic fingerprint analysis techniques a Texas fugitive whom was known under a series of false names, insisted to Volusia County Sheriff's deputies that they had the wrong guy when they knocked on his door in Deltona USA last week.
But police said fingerprints lifted nearly 20 years ago, matched with modern technology, forced the truth out of 76-year-old Robert Dawson. He was arrested and booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach on charges of being a fugitive from justice and resisting an officer without violence.
Mr Dawson's two decades of freedom came to a sudden end when he applied for a Florida security guard license recently. Fingerprints are part of the application process, and those unique personal identifiers were submitted to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigations for criminal history checks.
A couple of days later, the FBI's results indicated that Dawson, who was going by the assumed name Robert Evans, was wanted for absconding from parole supervision in Texas in 1990. His original charge back then was burglary.
The Bureau of License Issuance in Tallahassee contacted the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The Florida agency shared a current photo of Dawson with the Texas agency, but the elapsed time made comparing his old photo with his new one difficult.
The Texas agency then asked Volusia deputies to check on Dawson at 1354 Lydia Drive. Despite his denial that he was a wanted man, deputies took him to the Sheriff's Office Operations Center to use the Automated Fingerprint Identification System.
A short time later, the final identity confirmation came back from the FBI. Faced with the evidence, Dawson finally admitted his real name.
For more information on forensic fingerprint analysis please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
Through forensic fingerprint analysis techniques a Texas fugitive whom was known under a series of false names, insisted to Volusia County Sheriff's deputies that they had the wrong guy when they knocked on his door in Deltona USA last week.
But police said fingerprints lifted nearly 20 years ago, matched with modern technology, forced the truth out of 76-year-old Robert Dawson. He was arrested and booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach on charges of being a fugitive from justice and resisting an officer without violence.
Mr Dawson's two decades of freedom came to a sudden end when he applied for a Florida security guard license recently. Fingerprints are part of the application process, and those unique personal identifiers were submitted to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigations for criminal history checks.
A couple of days later, the FBI's results indicated that Dawson, who was going by the assumed name Robert Evans, was wanted for absconding from parole supervision in Texas in 1990. His original charge back then was burglary.
The Bureau of License Issuance in Tallahassee contacted the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The Florida agency shared a current photo of Dawson with the Texas agency, but the elapsed time made comparing his old photo with his new one difficult.
The Texas agency then asked Volusia deputies to check on Dawson at 1354 Lydia Drive. Despite his denial that he was a wanted man, deputies took him to the Sheriff's Office Operations Center to use the Automated Fingerprint Identification System.
A short time later, the final identity confirmation came back from the FBI. Faced with the evidence, Dawson finally admitted his real name.
For more information on forensic fingerprint analysis please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
Thursday, 3 June 2010
First Biometric Fingerprint-Scanning ATM Machine installed in Poland.
First Biometric Fingerprint-Scanning ATM Machine installed in Poland.
With the euro zone suffering from significant debt corresponding with the much publicised financial troubles in Greece, Spain, and Portugal in recent weeks, there seems very little reason for optimism in public sector spending, right? Wong! Poland is showing a bit of financial-sector flash this week, becoming the first nation in Europe to install biometric ATM machines that read fingerprints rather than magnetic cards.
Poland's BPS SA bank set a Western milestone by being the first country to adopt and install the biometric cash machine in Warsaw. The new biometric ATM enables customers to withdraw money with nothing more than their index fingers and their PIN numbers.
The machines work on "finger vein" technology, rather than the topographical signature of a customer's finger. The scanning technology, developed by Japanese tech company Hitachi, records the tiny veins that run through fingertips to create a unique identifier for each customer.
Only one biometric machine is currently operating in Poland, though BPS plans to deploy three or four more of the ATMs in Warsaw before year's end. About 200 more will end up in more than 350 bank branches there in coming years.
Though the Japanese have been using the technology for a little while now, this marks the first major commitment to institute biometric security standards by a large Western bank, as well as the first indicator that such technology may soon wash up on American and British shores.
Although sceptics may argue this again is a clear attempt to capture public dna to form databases for future criminal investigation, there is little doubt that this technology could soon be used on a regular basis worldwide.
To find out more information on fingerprint analysis please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
With the euro zone suffering from significant debt corresponding with the much publicised financial troubles in Greece, Spain, and Portugal in recent weeks, there seems very little reason for optimism in public sector spending, right? Wong! Poland is showing a bit of financial-sector flash this week, becoming the first nation in Europe to install biometric ATM machines that read fingerprints rather than magnetic cards.
Poland's BPS SA bank set a Western milestone by being the first country to adopt and install the biometric cash machine in Warsaw. The new biometric ATM enables customers to withdraw money with nothing more than their index fingers and their PIN numbers.
The machines work on "finger vein" technology, rather than the topographical signature of a customer's finger. The scanning technology, developed by Japanese tech company Hitachi, records the tiny veins that run through fingertips to create a unique identifier for each customer.
Only one biometric machine is currently operating in Poland, though BPS plans to deploy three or four more of the ATMs in Warsaw before year's end. About 200 more will end up in more than 350 bank branches there in coming years.
Though the Japanese have been using the technology for a little while now, this marks the first major commitment to institute biometric security standards by a large Western bank, as well as the first indicator that such technology may soon wash up on American and British shores.
Although sceptics may argue this again is a clear attempt to capture public dna to form databases for future criminal investigation, there is little doubt that this technology could soon be used on a regular basis worldwide.
To find out more information on fingerprint analysis please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
Thursday, 20 May 2010
Recreational Drug Testing could soon become a regular occurrence across sport in Wales.
Recreational Drug Testing could soon become a regular occurrence across sport in Wales.
The groundbreaking announcement that the English Rugby Union will introduce out of competition recreational drug testing for all professional players in the English rugby league has put pressure on Welsh sporting authorities to follow suit and set a similar example.
The English Rugby Unions bold decision to introduce recreational drug testing on non competitive match days follows the high profile case of shamed England international prop Matt Stevens, who is serving a two-year ban for cocaine use. The new policy introduced this month will test urine samples from players across the English Rugby League, from grass roots level to the national team, to identify players who have participated in the recreational use of cocaine, cannabis, amphetamine and ecstasy in an effort to clean up drug use in professional rugby.
Abi Carter, Director of Forensic Resources Ltd one of Wales' leading Drug Testing Specialists, believes it's only a matter of time until Welsh sporting bodies reform their recreational drug testing policies and suggests athletes from as young as 15 could soon be tested for recreational drugs on a regular basis.
"It's evident that attitudes towards recreational drug testing are changing amongst sports governing bodies and this latest announcement from the English Rugby Union will put pressure on Welsh sporting bodies to set a similar example to help remove drug abuse from professional sport.
Ms Carter continued "I believe over the next year more vigorous drug testing will occur in all sports to eliminate recreational drug abuse and I wouldn't be surprised if young adults whom are on trials or in a youth development academies with large sports teams are screened during their sporting education.
Statistics show that recreational drug use frequently follows alcohol abuse and that the most susceptible group are males aged between 16-24. Between 2004 and 2009, the RFU's own anti-doping programme that tested players on days of competition caught seven positive tests for illicit drugs including two players from the Guinness Premiership.
"Many young people today are approached to participate in the recreational use of drugs and it's essential that we create a no nonsense drug culture in Welsh Sport to deter athletes from taking drugs and possibly ruining any chances they may have of becoming professional sports people
This year undefeated Welsh boxing icon Joe Calzaghe admitted to the recreational use of cocaine following his retirement from boxing and Ms Carter reiterates the importance of educating athletes on the side effects of drug participation and abuse.
"It's important that all athletes are given the same advice about recreational drug use as they receive about Steroid and Hormone abuse. Not only are recreational drugs banned by professional sporting bodies, but participating in the illegal use of recreational drugs can have negative effects on athlete's performance. We must encourage young athletes from an early age that recreational drugs will not be tolerated in professional sport to help give them the best chance to succeed and build respectable role models for the future."
Boxing appears to be the next sport to introduce reform in its drug testing laws following the controversial collapse of the mega fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao earlier this year. Their much publicised disagreement over additional Olympic style blood and urine testing during their preparation for competition has asked many questions about the way drugs are tested in sport and has raised awareness for the need of out of competition drug testing.
Abi concluded "With the media spot light focused so much on the reputation of athletes and their duty as role models to many young people, it appears recreational drug testing is the next big step in professional sports legislation".
The groundbreaking announcement that the English Rugby Union will introduce out of competition recreational drug testing for all professional players in the English rugby league has put pressure on Welsh sporting authorities to follow suit and set a similar example.
The English Rugby Unions bold decision to introduce recreational drug testing on non competitive match days follows the high profile case of shamed England international prop Matt Stevens, who is serving a two-year ban for cocaine use. The new policy introduced this month will test urine samples from players across the English Rugby League, from grass roots level to the national team, to identify players who have participated in the recreational use of cocaine, cannabis, amphetamine and ecstasy in an effort to clean up drug use in professional rugby.
Abi Carter, Director of Forensic Resources Ltd one of Wales' leading Drug Testing Specialists, believes it's only a matter of time until Welsh sporting bodies reform their recreational drug testing policies and suggests athletes from as young as 15 could soon be tested for recreational drugs on a regular basis.
"It's evident that attitudes towards recreational drug testing are changing amongst sports governing bodies and this latest announcement from the English Rugby Union will put pressure on Welsh sporting bodies to set a similar example to help remove drug abuse from professional sport.
Ms Carter continued "I believe over the next year more vigorous drug testing will occur in all sports to eliminate recreational drug abuse and I wouldn't be surprised if young adults whom are on trials or in a youth development academies with large sports teams are screened during their sporting education.
Statistics show that recreational drug use frequently follows alcohol abuse and that the most susceptible group are males aged between 16-24. Between 2004 and 2009, the RFU's own anti-doping programme that tested players on days of competition caught seven positive tests for illicit drugs including two players from the Guinness Premiership.
"Many young people today are approached to participate in the recreational use of drugs and it's essential that we create a no nonsense drug culture in Welsh Sport to deter athletes from taking drugs and possibly ruining any chances they may have of becoming professional sports people
This year undefeated Welsh boxing icon Joe Calzaghe admitted to the recreational use of cocaine following his retirement from boxing and Ms Carter reiterates the importance of educating athletes on the side effects of drug participation and abuse.
"It's important that all athletes are given the same advice about recreational drug use as they receive about Steroid and Hormone abuse. Not only are recreational drugs banned by professional sporting bodies, but participating in the illegal use of recreational drugs can have negative effects on athlete's performance. We must encourage young athletes from an early age that recreational drugs will not be tolerated in professional sport to help give them the best chance to succeed and build respectable role models for the future."
Boxing appears to be the next sport to introduce reform in its drug testing laws following the controversial collapse of the mega fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao earlier this year. Their much publicised disagreement over additional Olympic style blood and urine testing during their preparation for competition has asked many questions about the way drugs are tested in sport and has raised awareness for the need of out of competition drug testing.
Abi concluded "With the media spot light focused so much on the reputation of athletes and their duty as role models to many young people, it appears recreational drug testing is the next big step in professional sports legislation".
Forensic Gunshot Reside Analysis key in Kevin Dunseath murder investigation.
A forensic gunshot analysis and gunshot residue analysis has found that a Strathmore man was likely shot in the head by his common-law spouse from at least 60 centimetres away, an RCMP firearms expert testified on Friday.
Kramer Powley told Crown prosecutor Eric Tolppanen if the distance was closer, there would likely have been soot or gunshot residue on Kevin Dunseath's face. Dr. Sam Andrews, the medical examiner who performed the autopsy on the victim shortly he was killed on Aug. 9, 2008, said there was none.
Lela Mae La France, 40, is on trial for second-degree murder in connection with the death of Dunseath, 46, at their home following a stormy, eight-month relationship.
She has admitted to killing him with a sawed-off .22-calibre semi-automatic rifle just after midnight.The trial before Court of Queen's Bench Justice Sheilah Martin and jury continues.
For more information on forensic gunshot residue analysis, forensic handgun analysis or forensic dna analysis please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
Kramer Powley told Crown prosecutor Eric Tolppanen if the distance was closer, there would likely have been soot or gunshot residue on Kevin Dunseath's face. Dr. Sam Andrews, the medical examiner who performed the autopsy on the victim shortly he was killed on Aug. 9, 2008, said there was none.
Lela Mae La France, 40, is on trial for second-degree murder in connection with the death of Dunseath, 46, at their home following a stormy, eight-month relationship.
She has admitted to killing him with a sawed-off .22-calibre semi-automatic rifle just after midnight.The trial before Court of Queen's Bench Justice Sheilah Martin and jury continues.
For more information on forensic gunshot residue analysis, forensic handgun analysis or forensic dna analysis please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
Forensic Handwriting Analysis identifies alarming personality traits in Times Square bomb suspect Faisal Shahzad.
Using the latest forensic handwriting analysis techniques handwriting expert Bart Baggett, a forensic document examiner, has suggested that Faisal Shahzad's handwriting on a 2004 condo sale agreement unmasks him as a hostile, self-destructive, arrogant man, an expert said Wednesday.
"He's angry at everybody and he's lashing out at the world," says expert Bart Baggett, a forensic document examiner and author of "Handwriting Analysis 101."
Baggett identified three "ticks" - tiny marks where the pen has dragged - that indicate aggression and hatred: at the top of the F, the bottom of the S and the end of the L in Faisal.
The one on the F is particularly telling because Shahzad's handwriting has large "upper zones" that suggest an interest in philosophical ideals, religion and analysis, Baggett said. The presence of the tick there means Shahzad is angry at religion and ideology, he said.
Shahzad also signed only his first name, indicating pride. The excessive pen pressure he used shows determination, Baggett said. And that bizarre curlicue over his "I"?
"It shows a desire to be different and not wanting to conform," Baggett said.
The enquire into the Times Square Bombing Continues.
For more information on forensic document analysis, forensic handwriting analysis and forensic handwriting investigation services please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
"He's angry at everybody and he's lashing out at the world," says expert Bart Baggett, a forensic document examiner and author of "Handwriting Analysis 101."
Baggett identified three "ticks" - tiny marks where the pen has dragged - that indicate aggression and hatred: at the top of the F, the bottom of the S and the end of the L in Faisal.
The one on the F is particularly telling because Shahzad's handwriting has large "upper zones" that suggest an interest in philosophical ideals, religion and analysis, Baggett said. The presence of the tick there means Shahzad is angry at religion and ideology, he said.
Shahzad also signed only his first name, indicating pride. The excessive pen pressure he used shows determination, Baggett said. And that bizarre curlicue over his "I"?
"It shows a desire to be different and not wanting to conform," Baggett said.
The enquire into the Times Square Bombing Continues.
For more information on forensic document analysis, forensic handwriting analysis and forensic handwriting investigation services please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
Controversial DNA Testing Kits hitting high street this week.
Walgreens in the USA Rolls Out a Genetic 'Spit Kit' Test.
May 11, 2010
Personalised DNA testing is being introduced in several stores across the US this Friday which is expected to cause great controversy amongst families across the Country.
The at-home genetic testing kit also referred to as a "spit kit" will provide enable consumers to discover their genetic risk for disorders like Alzheimer's, diabetes, and breast cancer. They can see if they're at risk for passing on genetic disorders such as cystic fibrosis to their children.
The Walgreens collection kit, which retails for around £20, requires just a gob of saliva, and access to the Internet to provide sufficient feedback. But this controversial product has been condemned by many senior doctors and geneticists who fear the worst for this new over-the-counter access to genetic testing.
With no physician to interpret the results of the test, and no FDA regulation of how results are processed or delivered, there is the potential for consumers to misinterpret what their risk really means for their health and their lifestyle.
With these test kits likely to reach the UK in the next 18 months, the message is clear – use with caution. For best results visit a licensed DNA Testing Centre or visit your local GP for further advice on healthcare.
For accurate and dependable Forensic DNA Analysis, Paternity Testing and Blood Alcohol Testing please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
May 11, 2010
Personalised DNA testing is being introduced in several stores across the US this Friday which is expected to cause great controversy amongst families across the Country.
The at-home genetic testing kit also referred to as a "spit kit" will provide enable consumers to discover their genetic risk for disorders like Alzheimer's, diabetes, and breast cancer. They can see if they're at risk for passing on genetic disorders such as cystic fibrosis to their children.
The Walgreens collection kit, which retails for around £20, requires just a gob of saliva, and access to the Internet to provide sufficient feedback. But this controversial product has been condemned by many senior doctors and geneticists who fear the worst for this new over-the-counter access to genetic testing.
With no physician to interpret the results of the test, and no FDA regulation of how results are processed or delivered, there is the potential for consumers to misinterpret what their risk really means for their health and their lifestyle.
With these test kits likely to reach the UK in the next 18 months, the message is clear – use with caution. For best results visit a licensed DNA Testing Centre or visit your local GP for further advice on healthcare.
For accurate and dependable Forensic DNA Analysis, Paternity Testing and Blood Alcohol Testing please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
Forensic DNA testing vindicates Ohio man convicted of Rape 30 years ago.
Forensic DNA testing vindicates Ohio man convicted of Rape 30 years ago.
Following the use of forensic DNA analysis on evidence 30 years ago, an Ohio man tasted freedom for the first time on Wednesday after a judge vacated his conviction because DNA evidence showed he did not rape an 11-year-old girl.
"It finally happened, I've been waiting," Raymond Towler, 52, said as he hugged sobbing family members in the courtroom.
He walked from the courthouse following 30 years imprisonment for a crime which he didn’t commit. Asked how he would adjust, Towler responded: "Just take a deep breath and just enjoy life right now."
Towler had been serving a life sentence for the rape of a girl in a Cleveland park in 1981. Prosecutors received the test results Monday and immediately asked the court to free him.
Towler deflected a question about demanding an apology and said he understood justice can take time.
"I think it was just a process, you know, the DNA," he said. "It just took a couple of years to get to it. We finally got to it and the job was done."
In a brief, emotionally charged session, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Eileen Gallagher recapped the case, discussed the recently processed DNA evidence and threw out his conviction. She also told him that he can sue over his ordeal.
The Ohio Innocence Project, an organization that uses DNA evidence to clear people wrongfully convicted of crimes, said Towler was among the longest incarcerated people to be exonerated by DNA in U.S. history. The longest was a man freed in Florida in December after serving 35 years, according to the project.
Towler was arrested three weeks after the crime when a park ranger who had stopped him on a traffic violation noticed a resemblance with a suspect sketch. The victim and witnesses identified him from a photo, police said.
Carrie Wood, a staff attorney with the project, said the identifications were questionable.
The latest technology allowed separate DNA testing of a semen sample and other genetic material, possibly skin cells, she said.
"That was the test result that we got this week and it excluded Mr. Towler," she said. "Because Mr. Towler's conviction was in '81, the technology did not exist to do the kind of DNA testing that we can do now."
Attorneys with the project at the University of Cincinnati have been working on the Towler case since 2004, and Towler said that and his faith had given him hope.
"That's how I've been living these last years, I've just been keeping hope," Towler said as relatives and friends crowded around him after the court session, some whooping, "Alleluia."
Clarence Elkins, who was freed in 2005 in Akron on the basis of DNA evidence after serving seven years in the rape and murder of his mother-in-law and the rape of a 6-year-old relative, watched from a rear courtroom seat.
"Today is a great day. Once again, justice is served a little late, but better late than never," he said. "Almost 30 years is a very long time. One day is too long."
Elkins, 47, won a $1.075 million settlement from the state for wrongful conviction and said he would recommend that Towler get counselling and take his new freedom day by day.
"It's like being reborn again, a whole new life," Elkins said. Prosecutor Bill Mason said his staff would test crime-scene evidence to try to identify the attacker.
For more information on DNA Analysis and Forensic Semen Analysis please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
Following the use of forensic DNA analysis on evidence 30 years ago, an Ohio man tasted freedom for the first time on Wednesday after a judge vacated his conviction because DNA evidence showed he did not rape an 11-year-old girl.
"It finally happened, I've been waiting," Raymond Towler, 52, said as he hugged sobbing family members in the courtroom.
He walked from the courthouse following 30 years imprisonment for a crime which he didn’t commit. Asked how he would adjust, Towler responded: "Just take a deep breath and just enjoy life right now."
Towler had been serving a life sentence for the rape of a girl in a Cleveland park in 1981. Prosecutors received the test results Monday and immediately asked the court to free him.
Towler deflected a question about demanding an apology and said he understood justice can take time.
"I think it was just a process, you know, the DNA," he said. "It just took a couple of years to get to it. We finally got to it and the job was done."
In a brief, emotionally charged session, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Eileen Gallagher recapped the case, discussed the recently processed DNA evidence and threw out his conviction. She also told him that he can sue over his ordeal.
The Ohio Innocence Project, an organization that uses DNA evidence to clear people wrongfully convicted of crimes, said Towler was among the longest incarcerated people to be exonerated by DNA in U.S. history. The longest was a man freed in Florida in December after serving 35 years, according to the project.
Towler was arrested three weeks after the crime when a park ranger who had stopped him on a traffic violation noticed a resemblance with a suspect sketch. The victim and witnesses identified him from a photo, police said.
Carrie Wood, a staff attorney with the project, said the identifications were questionable.
The latest technology allowed separate DNA testing of a semen sample and other genetic material, possibly skin cells, she said.
"That was the test result that we got this week and it excluded Mr. Towler," she said. "Because Mr. Towler's conviction was in '81, the technology did not exist to do the kind of DNA testing that we can do now."
Attorneys with the project at the University of Cincinnati have been working on the Towler case since 2004, and Towler said that and his faith had given him hope.
"That's how I've been living these last years, I've just been keeping hope," Towler said as relatives and friends crowded around him after the court session, some whooping, "Alleluia."
Clarence Elkins, who was freed in 2005 in Akron on the basis of DNA evidence after serving seven years in the rape and murder of his mother-in-law and the rape of a 6-year-old relative, watched from a rear courtroom seat.
"Today is a great day. Once again, justice is served a little late, but better late than never," he said. "Almost 30 years is a very long time. One day is too long."
Elkins, 47, won a $1.075 million settlement from the state for wrongful conviction and said he would recommend that Towler get counselling and take his new freedom day by day.
"It's like being reborn again, a whole new life," Elkins said. Prosecutor Bill Mason said his staff would test crime-scene evidence to try to identify the attacker.
For more information on DNA Analysis and Forensic Semen Analysis please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
Forensic DNA Investigation finds Japanese whale meat being sold in US and Korea
Forensic DNA Investigation finds Japanese whale meat being sold in US and Korea
Scientists say they have found clear proof that meat from whales captured under Japan's whaling programme is being sold in US and Korean eateries.
Using genetic fingerprint analysis, researchers have identified meat served at a Los Angeles restaurant to originate from a Sei whale sold in Japan.
They say the discovery proves that an illegal trade in protected species still exists. Whale meat was also allegedly found at an unnamed Seoul sushi restaurant. Commercial whaling has been frozen by an international moratorium since 1986.
But a controversial exemption allows Japan to kill several hundred whales each year for what is termed scientific research. The meat from these whales is then sold to the public in shops and restaurants in that country.
This latest finding is no doubt to carry criminal proceedings against the restraint in Los Angeles and a further investigation will begin into how the meet was distributed to the US. A team of scientists, film-makers and environmental advocates say they collected samples of whale meat being sold in sushi restaurants in both the US and South Korea late last year.
A genetic analysis of meat found in Los Angeles showed that it was identical to meat from a Sei whale being sold in Japan in 2007. This species is said by environmentalists to be in danger of extinction.
The restraint in Los Angeles has now closed but its chef and owners face heavy penalties.
Writing in the Royal Society journal, Biology Letters, the researchers involved say that trading in this meat is banned between countries that have signed the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. The researchers also visited an unnamed restaurant in the South Korean capital Seoul where they say they purchased 13 whale products on two occasions in June and September 2009.
Four came from an Antarctic Minke whale, four from a Sei whale, three from a North Pacific Minke, one from a Fin whale and one was from a Risso's dolphin, the researchers say.
The DNA profile of the Fin whale meat genetically matched meat that had been bought in Japanese markets in 2007, they report. They argue that Japan should be required to make public a register of the DNA of all the whales it catches so that illegally traded meat can be tracked.
For more information about forensic consumables analysis, forensic food analysis, forensic fingerprint analysis or any other form of forensic dna analysis please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
Scientists say they have found clear proof that meat from whales captured under Japan's whaling programme is being sold in US and Korean eateries.
Using genetic fingerprint analysis, researchers have identified meat served at a Los Angeles restaurant to originate from a Sei whale sold in Japan.
They say the discovery proves that an illegal trade in protected species still exists. Whale meat was also allegedly found at an unnamed Seoul sushi restaurant. Commercial whaling has been frozen by an international moratorium since 1986.
But a controversial exemption allows Japan to kill several hundred whales each year for what is termed scientific research. The meat from these whales is then sold to the public in shops and restaurants in that country.
This latest finding is no doubt to carry criminal proceedings against the restraint in Los Angeles and a further investigation will begin into how the meet was distributed to the US. A team of scientists, film-makers and environmental advocates say they collected samples of whale meat being sold in sushi restaurants in both the US and South Korea late last year.
A genetic analysis of meat found in Los Angeles showed that it was identical to meat from a Sei whale being sold in Japan in 2007. This species is said by environmentalists to be in danger of extinction.
The restraint in Los Angeles has now closed but its chef and owners face heavy penalties.
Writing in the Royal Society journal, Biology Letters, the researchers involved say that trading in this meat is banned between countries that have signed the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. The researchers also visited an unnamed restaurant in the South Korean capital Seoul where they say they purchased 13 whale products on two occasions in June and September 2009.
Four came from an Antarctic Minke whale, four from a Sei whale, three from a North Pacific Minke, one from a Fin whale and one was from a Risso's dolphin, the researchers say.
The DNA profile of the Fin whale meat genetically matched meat that had been bought in Japanese markets in 2007, they report. They argue that Japan should be required to make public a register of the DNA of all the whales it catches so that illegally traded meat can be tracked.
For more information about forensic consumables analysis, forensic food analysis, forensic fingerprint analysis or any other form of forensic dna analysis please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
Students take blood alcohol test to enter end of year prom in Jefferson City.
Students take blood alcohol test to enter end of year prom in Jefferson City.
A school in Jefferson City USA, is using blood alcohol testing on students heading to Jefferson City High School's prom Saturday night to reduce the number of drunk students at the event.
KMIZ-TV reports that this year's prom is being held off-campus for the first time, and everyone entering the event at the Capitol Plaza Hotel will have to submit to a breath test for alcohol.
A spokesman for the Jefferson City Public Schools says the tests were requested by members of the student body.David Luther says the district wants to make sure the prom is a positive experience for everyone attending
For more information about student alcohol testing, blood alcohol testing and drug testing please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
A school in Jefferson City USA, is using blood alcohol testing on students heading to Jefferson City High School's prom Saturday night to reduce the number of drunk students at the event.
KMIZ-TV reports that this year's prom is being held off-campus for the first time, and everyone entering the event at the Capitol Plaza Hotel will have to submit to a breath test for alcohol.
A spokesman for the Jefferson City Public Schools says the tests were requested by members of the student body.David Luther says the district wants to make sure the prom is a positive experience for everyone attending
For more information about student alcohol testing, blood alcohol testing and drug testing please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
Forensic scientist says DNA found on beer bottle, cigarette matches Newark schoolyard slayings suspect.
Forensic scientist says DNA found on beer bottle, cigarette matches Newark schoolyard slayings suspect.
Forensic DNA Analysis has been used to identify Rodolfo Godinez as a key suspect in a brutal murder investigation in Newark USA.
State forensic scientists used Forensic DNA Analysis to match the DNA of Rodolfo Godinez to a cigarette and bottle of beer discovered inside a Newark schoolyard hours after four friends were robbed then shot in the head nearly three years ago.
Those were the findings from a state forensic scientist who conducted DNA analysis on the two items, and who testified today in the trial of Godinez, one of the men accused in the Aug. 4, 2007, triple killing behind the Mount Vernon School.
Melissa Johns, a forensic scientist with the State Police, testified on direct examination that swabs from the cigarette butt and empty bottle of 40-ounce beer matched saliva swabs from Godinez.
But on cross examination, Godinez’s attorney disputed the accuracy of the findings of the forensic saliva analysis. The attorney, Roy Greenman, said because investigators had marked two different bottles of 40-ounce beers as one piece of evidence, the bottles may have been contaminated.
“Ideally, in a lab situation, would you put them in the same bag?” he asked Johns of the empty beer bottles, one a Colt .45, the other labeled Steel Reserve. “As a scientist who’s concerned with contamination and transfer of DNA, would you want those two bottles picked up and put in the same bag before they’re tested.?” After some back and forth with Greenman, Johns eventually acknowledged that she would prefer the evidence not to have been mixed or contaminated.
The trial is ongoing with new evidence expected to be presented to the court in reference to a machete found at the crime scene which has been tested for blood stains.
For more information about Forensic DNA Analysis, Forensic Fingerprint Analysis, Saliva Analysis and Blood Stain Analysis please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
Forensic DNA Analysis has been used to identify Rodolfo Godinez as a key suspect in a brutal murder investigation in Newark USA.
State forensic scientists used Forensic DNA Analysis to match the DNA of Rodolfo Godinez to a cigarette and bottle of beer discovered inside a Newark schoolyard hours after four friends were robbed then shot in the head nearly three years ago.
Those were the findings from a state forensic scientist who conducted DNA analysis on the two items, and who testified today in the trial of Godinez, one of the men accused in the Aug. 4, 2007, triple killing behind the Mount Vernon School.
Melissa Johns, a forensic scientist with the State Police, testified on direct examination that swabs from the cigarette butt and empty bottle of 40-ounce beer matched saliva swabs from Godinez.
But on cross examination, Godinez’s attorney disputed the accuracy of the findings of the forensic saliva analysis. The attorney, Roy Greenman, said because investigators had marked two different bottles of 40-ounce beers as one piece of evidence, the bottles may have been contaminated.
“Ideally, in a lab situation, would you put them in the same bag?” he asked Johns of the empty beer bottles, one a Colt .45, the other labeled Steel Reserve. “As a scientist who’s concerned with contamination and transfer of DNA, would you want those two bottles picked up and put in the same bag before they’re tested.?” After some back and forth with Greenman, Johns eventually acknowledged that she would prefer the evidence not to have been mixed or contaminated.
The trial is ongoing with new evidence expected to be presented to the court in reference to a machete found at the crime scene which has been tested for blood stains.
For more information about Forensic DNA Analysis, Forensic Fingerprint Analysis, Saliva Analysis and Blood Stain Analysis please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
Forensic text message analysis is becoming a powerful tool in aiding criminal investigations.
Forensic mobile phone analysis was influential in February 2008 in providing linguistic evidence which contributed to the conviction of David Hodgson in the tragic murder of Jenny Nicholl.
The Jenny Nicholl case highlighted how people choose their own text language "rules" - which they tend to use throughout all their messages. Each persons “text speak” differs from one and other.
Forensic linguists showed that text messages sent from Jenny's phone after she went missing had a style that was more similar to that of David Hodgson.
Jenny Nicholls' body was never found, but the jury accepted the prosecution's view that Hodgson had been sending texts on her mobile after her presumed death and found him guilty of murder. The case is illustrative of what can be achieved by analysing mobile phone messages
Speaking at the British Association Science Festival in Liverpool, Dr Tim Grant, Centre for Forensic Linguistics at Aston University, explained his theory on forensic text message analysis. He stated that identifying the author of an anonymous text message might seem like an impossible challenge as they are typically very short and fragmented. Traditionally, forensic linguists use a descriptive approach but modern technological developments and a systematic approach to text message analysis has helped solve several criminal investigations.
Mr Grant demonstrated that there are several stylistic features that are consistently used in messages where they know the author. For example, Jenny Nicholl used "my" and "myself" while David Hodgson often adopted Yorkshire dialect, using "me" and "meself."
Forensic linguists looks to see whose style is most similar to that used in any disputed texts and is becoming a common forensic tool. Mobile phone forensic analysis is now being used to identify witness during assaults and also to identify suspects in workplace bullying.
Dr Grant’s method of quantifying linguistic evidence can be later used in court. He has built a specialised language database of over 8,000 text messages and analysed them using robust statistical methods that he has adapted from those originally developed by forensic psychologists investigating sexual crimes.
For further information on forensic mobile phone analysis, forensic text message analysis and forensic sim card analysis please visit Forensic Resources Ltd.
The Jenny Nicholl case highlighted how people choose their own text language "rules" - which they tend to use throughout all their messages. Each persons “text speak” differs from one and other.
Forensic linguists showed that text messages sent from Jenny's phone after she went missing had a style that was more similar to that of David Hodgson.
Jenny Nicholls' body was never found, but the jury accepted the prosecution's view that Hodgson had been sending texts on her mobile after her presumed death and found him guilty of murder. The case is illustrative of what can be achieved by analysing mobile phone messages
Speaking at the British Association Science Festival in Liverpool, Dr Tim Grant, Centre for Forensic Linguistics at Aston University, explained his theory on forensic text message analysis. He stated that identifying the author of an anonymous text message might seem like an impossible challenge as they are typically very short and fragmented. Traditionally, forensic linguists use a descriptive approach but modern technological developments and a systematic approach to text message analysis has helped solve several criminal investigations.
Mr Grant demonstrated that there are several stylistic features that are consistently used in messages where they know the author. For example, Jenny Nicholl used "my" and "myself" while David Hodgson often adopted Yorkshire dialect, using "me" and "meself."
Forensic linguists looks to see whose style is most similar to that used in any disputed texts and is becoming a common forensic tool. Mobile phone forensic analysis is now being used to identify witness during assaults and also to identify suspects in workplace bullying.
Dr Grant’s method of quantifying linguistic evidence can be later used in court. He has built a specialised language database of over 8,000 text messages and analysed them using robust statistical methods that he has adapted from those originally developed by forensic psychologists investigating sexual crimes.
For further information on forensic mobile phone analysis, forensic text message analysis and forensic sim card analysis please visit Forensic Resources Ltd.
Forensic scientists in the UK find that criminals who eat processed food are more likely to be identified through fingerprint sweat corroding metal.
The inventor of a revolutionary new forensic fingerprinting technique claims criminals who eat processed foods are more likely to be discovered by police through their fingerprint sweat corroding metal.
Dr John Bond, a researcher at the University of Leicester and scientific support officer at Northamptonshire Police, said processed food fans are more likely to leave tell-tale signs at a crime scene.
Speaking before a conference on forensic science at the University of Leicester, Dr Bond said sweaty fingerprint marks made more of a corrosive impression on metal if they had a high salt content.
And he revealed he was currently in early talks with colleagues at the University of Leicester to assess whether a sweat mark left at a crime scene could be analysed to reveal a ‘sweat profile’ ie more about the type of person who left the mark.
Dr Bond, from Northamptonshire Police Scientific Support Unit is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Leicester’s Forensic Research Centre. He has developed a method that enables scientists to ‘visualise fingerprints’ even after the print itself has been removed. He and colleagues conducted a study into the way fingerprints can corrode metal surfaces. The technique can enhance – after firing– a fingerprint that has been deposited on a small calibre metal cartridge case before it is fired.
Dr Bond said: “On the basis that processed foods tend to be high in salt as a preservative, the body needs to excrete excess salt which comes out as sweat through the pores in our fingers.
“So the sweaty fingerprint impression you leave when you touch a surface will be high in salt if you eat a lot of processed foods -the higher the salt, the better the corrosion of the metal.”
Dr Bond added there was therefore an indirect link therefore between obesity and the chances of being caught of a crime. “Other research has drawn links between processed foods and obesity and we know that consumers of processed foods will leave better fingerprints,” he said.
For more information on Forensic Fingerprint Analysis, Forensic DNA Analysis and Fingerprint Expert Witness Services please visit Forensic Resources Ltd.
Dr John Bond, a researcher at the University of Leicester and scientific support officer at Northamptonshire Police, said processed food fans are more likely to leave tell-tale signs at a crime scene.
Speaking before a conference on forensic science at the University of Leicester, Dr Bond said sweaty fingerprint marks made more of a corrosive impression on metal if they had a high salt content.
And he revealed he was currently in early talks with colleagues at the University of Leicester to assess whether a sweat mark left at a crime scene could be analysed to reveal a ‘sweat profile’ ie more about the type of person who left the mark.
Dr Bond, from Northamptonshire Police Scientific Support Unit is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Leicester’s Forensic Research Centre. He has developed a method that enables scientists to ‘visualise fingerprints’ even after the print itself has been removed. He and colleagues conducted a study into the way fingerprints can corrode metal surfaces. The technique can enhance – after firing– a fingerprint that has been deposited on a small calibre metal cartridge case before it is fired.
Dr Bond said: “On the basis that processed foods tend to be high in salt as a preservative, the body needs to excrete excess salt which comes out as sweat through the pores in our fingers.
“So the sweaty fingerprint impression you leave when you touch a surface will be high in salt if you eat a lot of processed foods -the higher the salt, the better the corrosion of the metal.”
Dr Bond added there was therefore an indirect link therefore between obesity and the chances of being caught of a crime. “Other research has drawn links between processed foods and obesity and we know that consumers of processed foods will leave better fingerprints,” he said.
For more information on Forensic Fingerprint Analysis, Forensic DNA Analysis and Fingerprint Expert Witness Services please visit Forensic Resources Ltd.
Forensic hand bacteria breakthrough could open doors to future use of bacteria analysis in criminal investigations.
Forensic hand bacteria breakthrough could open doors to future use of bacteria analysis in criminal investigations.
1st May 2010
Major discoveries by forensic scientists may have found a revolutionary way to identify individuals using unique, telltale types of hand bacteria left behind on objects like keyboards and computer mice according to the University of Colorado Boulder study.
The new discovery could see bacteria analysis being implemented in criminal investigations including fraud, embezzlement and theft. The Boulder study showed that "personal" bacterial communities living on the fingers and palms of individual computer users that were deposited on keyboards and mice matched the bacterial DNA signatures of users much more closely than those of random people. While the development of the technique is continuing, it could provide a way for forensics experts to independently confirm the accuracy of DNA and fingerprint analyses, says CU-Boulder Assistant Professor Noah Fierer, chief author on the study.
"Each one of us leaves a unique trail of bugs behind as we travel through our daily lives," said Fierer, an assistant professor in CU-Boulder's ecology and evolutionary biology department. "While this project is still in its preliminary stages, we think the technique could eventually become a valuable new item in the toolbox of forensic scientists."
The study was published March 15 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Using powerful gene-sequencing techniques a team of forensic experts swabbed bacterial DNA from individual keys on three personal computers and matched them up to bacteria on the fingertips of keyboard owners, comparing the results to swabs taken from other keyboards never touched by the subjects. The bacterial DNA from the keys matched much more closely to bacteria of keyboard owners than to bacterial samples taken from random fingertips and from other keyboards.
In a second test, the team swabbed nine keyboard mice that had not been touched in more than 12 hours and collected palm bacteria from the mouse owners. The team compared the similarity between the owner's palm bacteria and owner's mouse with 270 randomly selected bacterial samples from palms that had never touched the mouse. In all nine cases, the bacterial community on each mouse was much more similar to the owner's hand.
The team sampled private and public computers at CU-Boulder, as well as hand bacteria collected from a variety of volunteers on campus. The study showed the new technique is about 70 to 90 percent accurate, a percentage that likely will rise as the technology becomes more sophisticated.
For more information about forensic dna analysis, forensic fingerprint analysis or forensic expert services please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
1st May 2010
Major discoveries by forensic scientists may have found a revolutionary way to identify individuals using unique, telltale types of hand bacteria left behind on objects like keyboards and computer mice according to the University of Colorado Boulder study.
The new discovery could see bacteria analysis being implemented in criminal investigations including fraud, embezzlement and theft. The Boulder study showed that "personal" bacterial communities living on the fingers and palms of individual computer users that were deposited on keyboards and mice matched the bacterial DNA signatures of users much more closely than those of random people. While the development of the technique is continuing, it could provide a way for forensics experts to independently confirm the accuracy of DNA and fingerprint analyses, says CU-Boulder Assistant Professor Noah Fierer, chief author on the study.
"Each one of us leaves a unique trail of bugs behind as we travel through our daily lives," said Fierer, an assistant professor in CU-Boulder's ecology and evolutionary biology department. "While this project is still in its preliminary stages, we think the technique could eventually become a valuable new item in the toolbox of forensic scientists."
The study was published March 15 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Using powerful gene-sequencing techniques a team of forensic experts swabbed bacterial DNA from individual keys on three personal computers and matched them up to bacteria on the fingertips of keyboard owners, comparing the results to swabs taken from other keyboards never touched by the subjects. The bacterial DNA from the keys matched much more closely to bacteria of keyboard owners than to bacterial samples taken from random fingertips and from other keyboards.
In a second test, the team swabbed nine keyboard mice that had not been touched in more than 12 hours and collected palm bacteria from the mouse owners. The team compared the similarity between the owner's palm bacteria and owner's mouse with 270 randomly selected bacterial samples from palms that had never touched the mouse. In all nine cases, the bacterial community on each mouse was much more similar to the owner's hand.
The team sampled private and public computers at CU-Boulder, as well as hand bacteria collected from a variety of volunteers on campus. The study showed the new technique is about 70 to 90 percent accurate, a percentage that likely will rise as the technology becomes more sophisticated.
For more information about forensic dna analysis, forensic fingerprint analysis or forensic expert services please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
Recreational drug participation effects Patriots draft picks position?
Recreational drug participation effects Patriots draft picks position?
Reports from Yahoo Sports Rumours have suggested that Aaron Hernandez didn't get selected in last weekend's draft by the New England Patriots until the fourth round because he had done a fair amount of marijuana smoking during his days in the Sunshine State. The rumour which started in the Boston Globe is that the promising young athlete failed a series of drug tests during his college days.
Aaron Hernandez was one of college football's best tight ends last year, catching the ball 68 times for 850 yards for the University of Florida. And the 6'2", 250-pounder is also said to be extremely versatile and an excellent blocker to boot.
Hernandez apparently told teams at the Combine that interviewed him about his past usage but also passed the Combine drug test. Still, a lot of teams were apparently turned off by the news.
This latest recreational drug incident comes at a time where world sport is changing legislation to enable out of competition recreational drug testing. The much publicised Olympic style drug testing within the boxing industry between Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather and the introduction of recreational drug testing in the English Rugby
Premier League are two examples of many reforms currently being introduced to tackle recreational drug abuse.
For more information on sports drug testing, recreational drug testing and dope testing please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
Reports from Yahoo Sports Rumours have suggested that Aaron Hernandez didn't get selected in last weekend's draft by the New England Patriots until the fourth round because he had done a fair amount of marijuana smoking during his days in the Sunshine State. The rumour which started in the Boston Globe is that the promising young athlete failed a series of drug tests during his college days.
Aaron Hernandez was one of college football's best tight ends last year, catching the ball 68 times for 850 yards for the University of Florida. And the 6'2", 250-pounder is also said to be extremely versatile and an excellent blocker to boot.
Hernandez apparently told teams at the Combine that interviewed him about his past usage but also passed the Combine drug test. Still, a lot of teams were apparently turned off by the news.
This latest recreational drug incident comes at a time where world sport is changing legislation to enable out of competition recreational drug testing. The much publicised Olympic style drug testing within the boxing industry between Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather and the introduction of recreational drug testing in the English Rugby
Premier League are two examples of many reforms currently being introduced to tackle recreational drug abuse.
For more information on sports drug testing, recreational drug testing and dope testing please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
South Africa aim to introduce significant reforms in schools drug testing by the end of 2010.
South Africa aim to introduce significant reforms in schools drug testing by the end of 2010.
A revolutionary agreement on random drug testing of school athletes is about to be concluded by the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (Saids) and the International Boys Schools Coalition (IBSC)
With no program expected to be introduced in the UK in the foreseeable future, South Africa have taken a giant step to towards tackling performance enhancing and recreational drug abuse in schools on the eve of hosting the football world cup.
Later this year it’s expected that a new drug testing policy will be supported by public government schools and will have significant effects on the highly competitive inter schools rugby league, which is rumoured to be rife with abuse of performance-enhancing substances.
"Our interest is for sport to be played fairly and safely. This will make a significant impact as kids experimenting with banned substances or supplements now have a good reason to say no," said Dr Jon Patricios, president of the SA Sports Medicine Association, which facilitated the talks.
Saids will perform drug testing without notice on school premises and at sports practices, matches and tournaments. It will conform to international requirements governing the testing of athletes in an attempt to catch young adults using performance enhancing drugs and deter others from participating.
The independence and authority of Saids will be recognised and school governing bodies will ensure parents are informed of drug testing procedures and made aware of issues regarding parental consent.
St John's College headmaster Roger Cameron, who is driving the process, said substance abuse was "generated across the board".
"We didn't have an effective way of dealing with it within school structures. When a pupil was caught we would go the counselling route and that generally took care of the problem. Saids, however, is a statutory body so there will be disciplinary procedures." Cameron said.
According to the agreement, "sanctions will be limited to participation in sport and may not include expulsion, unless where express criminal malfeasance is revealed".
Cameron said: "I don't think there will be much opposition. All we have to do now is look at the technical elements and meet the various headmasters."
He hoped the process would be completed by the end of the term. Director of rugby at Monument High School Wynand Moolman, welcomed the initiative.
"This is something we will wholeheartedly support. It can only be good for the sport. We have to recognise there is a problem. Boys see rugby as a potential career and for that they have to be stronger and bigger than the next guy if they want to make their province's Craven Week team.
"The problem is they go to gyms and are supplied with substances that they may not be well informed about," Moolman said.
SA Rugby Union medical manager Clint Readhead also acknowledged the problem.
"What hard evidence do we have that there is substance abuse? We don't any, only anecdotal evidence.
"But you only have to go to a school and hear the boys talk to realise there is a problem. We welcome the programme."
For more information on Sports Drug Testing, Rugby Drug Testing or any other recreational sports drug testing services please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
A revolutionary agreement on random drug testing of school athletes is about to be concluded by the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (Saids) and the International Boys Schools Coalition (IBSC)
With no program expected to be introduced in the UK in the foreseeable future, South Africa have taken a giant step to towards tackling performance enhancing and recreational drug abuse in schools on the eve of hosting the football world cup.
Later this year it’s expected that a new drug testing policy will be supported by public government schools and will have significant effects on the highly competitive inter schools rugby league, which is rumoured to be rife with abuse of performance-enhancing substances.
"Our interest is for sport to be played fairly and safely. This will make a significant impact as kids experimenting with banned substances or supplements now have a good reason to say no," said Dr Jon Patricios, president of the SA Sports Medicine Association, which facilitated the talks.
Saids will perform drug testing without notice on school premises and at sports practices, matches and tournaments. It will conform to international requirements governing the testing of athletes in an attempt to catch young adults using performance enhancing drugs and deter others from participating.
The independence and authority of Saids will be recognised and school governing bodies will ensure parents are informed of drug testing procedures and made aware of issues regarding parental consent.
St John's College headmaster Roger Cameron, who is driving the process, said substance abuse was "generated across the board".
"We didn't have an effective way of dealing with it within school structures. When a pupil was caught we would go the counselling route and that generally took care of the problem. Saids, however, is a statutory body so there will be disciplinary procedures." Cameron said.
According to the agreement, "sanctions will be limited to participation in sport and may not include expulsion, unless where express criminal malfeasance is revealed".
Cameron said: "I don't think there will be much opposition. All we have to do now is look at the technical elements and meet the various headmasters."
He hoped the process would be completed by the end of the term. Director of rugby at Monument High School Wynand Moolman, welcomed the initiative.
"This is something we will wholeheartedly support. It can only be good for the sport. We have to recognise there is a problem. Boys see rugby as a potential career and for that they have to be stronger and bigger than the next guy if they want to make their province's Craven Week team.
"The problem is they go to gyms and are supplied with substances that they may not be well informed about," Moolman said.
SA Rugby Union medical manager Clint Readhead also acknowledged the problem.
"What hard evidence do we have that there is substance abuse? We don't any, only anecdotal evidence.
"But you only have to go to a school and hear the boys talk to realise there is a problem. We welcome the programme."
For more information on Sports Drug Testing, Rugby Drug Testing or any other recreational sports drug testing services please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
A forensic fingerprint analysis of a discarded Pizza Box has identified a soldier who ran off without paying for a taxi in Wrexham.
A forensic fingerprint analysis of a discarded Pizza Box has identified a soldier who ran off without paying for a taxi in Wrexham.
Soldier Joshua Victor MacInnes, 21 from Garth, got a taxi from JJ Cars in Wrexham town centre to Oakfield Close in his home village with two friends in the early hours of January 9, 2009.
The police report claimed that the trio ran off when asked to pay the fare by the driver, who also claimed one of the three – not necessarily the defendant – racially abused and pushed him
As he fled the scene MacInnes, a serving soldier in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, dropped a box from which he had been eating a pizza, and fingerprints were subsequently lifted after dusting by police.
Although there were no matches at the time, MacInnes was arrested and cautioned for a public order offence in August, 2009, and when run through the system his fingerprints were found to match those on the pizza box.
He was arrested and interviewed by police more than a year after the original offence and yesterday he admitted not paying the £15.60 fare when he appeared at Wrexham Magistrates’ Court.
Matthew Ellis, leading the prosecution said: “The pizza box was recovered by North Wales Police and sent to the fingerprint department, with one print being identified.
“The defendant was arrested in August 2009, his fingerprints were taken and came back positive from the pizza box.”
When interviewed more than a year on from the initial incident, MacInnes said he had no recollection of events from the night but did not deny it happened.
Defence solicitor, John Gittins said: “To say Joshua is ashamed is an understatement. This incident would have taken place shortly before he was due to return to Germany and he drank more than he would usually.He offers an unreserved apology to the taxi driver for the distress caused.”
Magistrates’ chairman Ted George fined MacInnes £340 and also ordered him to pay compensation of £15.60 to JJ Cars for the taxi fare and additional costs of £100.
For further information on forensic dna analysis, forensic fingerprint analysis or any other fingerprint related investigation service please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
Soldier Joshua Victor MacInnes, 21 from Garth, got a taxi from JJ Cars in Wrexham town centre to Oakfield Close in his home village with two friends in the early hours of January 9, 2009.
The police report claimed that the trio ran off when asked to pay the fare by the driver, who also claimed one of the three – not necessarily the defendant – racially abused and pushed him
As he fled the scene MacInnes, a serving soldier in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, dropped a box from which he had been eating a pizza, and fingerprints were subsequently lifted after dusting by police.
Although there were no matches at the time, MacInnes was arrested and cautioned for a public order offence in August, 2009, and when run through the system his fingerprints were found to match those on the pizza box.
He was arrested and interviewed by police more than a year after the original offence and yesterday he admitted not paying the £15.60 fare when he appeared at Wrexham Magistrates’ Court.
Matthew Ellis, leading the prosecution said: “The pizza box was recovered by North Wales Police and sent to the fingerprint department, with one print being identified.
“The defendant was arrested in August 2009, his fingerprints were taken and came back positive from the pizza box.”
When interviewed more than a year on from the initial incident, MacInnes said he had no recollection of events from the night but did not deny it happened.
Defence solicitor, John Gittins said: “To say Joshua is ashamed is an understatement. This incident would have taken place shortly before he was due to return to Germany and he drank more than he would usually.He offers an unreserved apology to the taxi driver for the distress caused.”
Magistrates’ chairman Ted George fined MacInnes £340 and also ordered him to pay compensation of £15.60 to JJ Cars for the taxi fare and additional costs of £100.
For further information on forensic dna analysis, forensic fingerprint analysis or any other fingerprint related investigation service please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
Drug testing for UFC 112 comes back with clean sweep
Drug testing for UFC 112 comes back with clean sweep
April 22nd 2010
All fighters who underwent drug testing at this month's UFC 112 event tested clean for performance-enhancing drugs and recreational/drugs of abuse, UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner today confirmed with MMAjunkie.com (http://www.mmajunkie.com/)
UFC 112 took place April 10 at Concert Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and aired on pay-per-view.
According to Ratner, UFC officials paid for and flew to the host site a drug tester from UK. As with most overseas shows, in which no regulatory bodies exist, the UFC served as its own regulator for UFC 112. Ratner, a former head of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, headed the efforts.
The UFC tested UFC 112's co-main-event competitors – UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and opponent Demian Maia, as well as newly crowned lightweight champ Frankie Edgar and opponent B.J. Penn. Others from the card were tested at random.
All the chosen competitors tested negative for drugs of abuse (such as marijuana and cocaine), as well as anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancers.
For more information on forensic drug testing, sports drug testing or blood alcohol testing please visit Forensic Resources Ltd.
April 22nd 2010
All fighters who underwent drug testing at this month's UFC 112 event tested clean for performance-enhancing drugs and recreational/drugs of abuse, UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner today confirmed with MMAjunkie.com (http://www.mmajunkie.com/)
UFC 112 took place April 10 at Concert Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and aired on pay-per-view.
According to Ratner, UFC officials paid for and flew to the host site a drug tester from UK. As with most overseas shows, in which no regulatory bodies exist, the UFC served as its own regulator for UFC 112. Ratner, a former head of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, headed the efforts.
The UFC tested UFC 112's co-main-event competitors – UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and opponent Demian Maia, as well as newly crowned lightweight champ Frankie Edgar and opponent B.J. Penn. Others from the card were tested at random.
All the chosen competitors tested negative for drugs of abuse (such as marijuana and cocaine), as well as anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancers.
For more information on forensic drug testing, sports drug testing or blood alcohol testing please visit Forensic Resources Ltd.
Forensic DNA Analysis gives Cleveland man second chance in life.
Towler served almost 29 years in prison for child rape and kidnapping he did not commit.
A Cleveland man who has served nearly 29 years in prison for rape and kidnapping is expected to be freed Wednesday after forensic DNA tests proved he was innocent of the crimes.
Ray Towler said "This is the greatest day of my life. I prayed and hoped for all these years, and finally we have the truth. I'm only feeling pure joy no hate or anger toward anyone," Towler continued. "I feel very sorry that the victim went through this, and I wish her nothing but the best. I certainly have no anger toward her."
The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office received the test results today."The prosecutor's office and the defence are asking the court to immediately vacate Towler's conviction and release him from prison,"
Following the results of the forensic dna analysis of the evidence at the crime scene, Prosecutor Bill Mason said in a written statement. "The prosecutor's office is also contacting the testing facility to arrange for additional testing of crime scene evidence to determine the identity of this rapist."
Nearly 18 months ago, the 52-year-old Towler believed his release was imminent after test results on the 12-year-old rape victim's underwear produced genetic material that didn't match his.But prosecutors called the results inconclusive and agreed to follow-up testing. The follow-up testing proved he didn't do the crime.
Towler has been serving a sentence of 12 years to life for rape, felonious assault and kidnapping for the May 24, 1981, abduction. The victims in the case, a 12-year-old girl and 13-year-old boy, said a man lured them into the woods at the Rocky River Reservation in Cuyahoga County.
For further information on forensic dna analysis, forensic dna testing or any other form of trace analysis please contact forensic resources ltd.
A Cleveland man who has served nearly 29 years in prison for rape and kidnapping is expected to be freed Wednesday after forensic DNA tests proved he was innocent of the crimes.
Ray Towler said "This is the greatest day of my life. I prayed and hoped for all these years, and finally we have the truth. I'm only feeling pure joy no hate or anger toward anyone," Towler continued. "I feel very sorry that the victim went through this, and I wish her nothing but the best. I certainly have no anger toward her."
The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office received the test results today."The prosecutor's office and the defence are asking the court to immediately vacate Towler's conviction and release him from prison,"
Following the results of the forensic dna analysis of the evidence at the crime scene, Prosecutor Bill Mason said in a written statement. "The prosecutor's office is also contacting the testing facility to arrange for additional testing of crime scene evidence to determine the identity of this rapist."
Nearly 18 months ago, the 52-year-old Towler believed his release was imminent after test results on the 12-year-old rape victim's underwear produced genetic material that didn't match his.But prosecutors called the results inconclusive and agreed to follow-up testing. The follow-up testing proved he didn't do the crime.
Towler has been serving a sentence of 12 years to life for rape, felonious assault and kidnapping for the May 24, 1981, abduction. The victims in the case, a 12-year-old girl and 13-year-old boy, said a man lured them into the woods at the Rocky River Reservation in Cuyahoga County.
For further information on forensic dna analysis, forensic dna testing or any other form of trace analysis please contact forensic resources ltd.
Forensic fingerprint analysis identifies new painting as Leonardo Da Vinci’s self portrait.
Forensic fingerprint analysis identifies new painting as Leonardo Da Vinci’s self portrait.
Through a series of detailed forensic investigations, an international team of forensic art experts believe that a newly uncovered Renaissance painting is in fact a rare portrait of artist Leonardo Da Vinci and evidence has identified that it could possibly have been painted by his own hand.
Professor David Bershad, of St. Mary's University College in Calgary, told CTV's Canada AM that there are strong suggestions that the 500-year-old oil-on-wood painting discovered last year in southern Italy is a self-portrait of Leonardo.
One of the best clues is a centuries-old fingerprint scientists uncovered on the back of the oil-on-wood painting, Bershad said.
"The fingerprint analysis is particularly exciting. They discovered a thumbprint on the new portrait which is identical to the thumbprint on Leonardo's painting entitled ‘Lady with an Ermine'," he said.
"That thumbprint establishes at least that both paintings were in Leonardo's studio. Unfortunately artists didn't leave their thumb or finger(prints) for art historians so that we could be absolutely sure that it was Leonardo's."
But when the thumb print is combined with other evidence, Bershad said it makes a compelling case that the painting was a self-portrait by Leonardo.
"This is going to be an extraordinary event," he said. "It would be probably the only self-portrait by Leonardo."
Scientists confirmed the painting was the correct age and also discovered writing on its back saying "Pinxit Mea" (Latin for "My Picture"), in Leonardo's characteristic backwards handwriting, identified through a forensic handwriting analysis of Leonardo’s signature handwriting on other pieces of artwork.
Bershad said the ink from that writing was tested and the handwriting compared to known samples of Leonardo's writing and again it matched up.
"I think optimistically perhaps that this is going to turn out to be at least a portrait of Leonardo," Bershad said. "Whether or not it's by Leonardo's own hand I'm still reserved about."
If the painting does prove to be a self-portrait of the great artist, which would make it virtually priceless, Bershad says the entire team of forensic scientists deserve the credit.
For more information on forensic fingerprint analysis, handwriting analysis or dna analysis please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
Through a series of detailed forensic investigations, an international team of forensic art experts believe that a newly uncovered Renaissance painting is in fact a rare portrait of artist Leonardo Da Vinci and evidence has identified that it could possibly have been painted by his own hand.
Professor David Bershad, of St. Mary's University College in Calgary, told CTV's Canada AM that there are strong suggestions that the 500-year-old oil-on-wood painting discovered last year in southern Italy is a self-portrait of Leonardo.
One of the best clues is a centuries-old fingerprint scientists uncovered on the back of the oil-on-wood painting, Bershad said.
"The fingerprint analysis is particularly exciting. They discovered a thumbprint on the new portrait which is identical to the thumbprint on Leonardo's painting entitled ‘Lady with an Ermine'," he said.
"That thumbprint establishes at least that both paintings were in Leonardo's studio. Unfortunately artists didn't leave their thumb or finger(prints) for art historians so that we could be absolutely sure that it was Leonardo's."
But when the thumb print is combined with other evidence, Bershad said it makes a compelling case that the painting was a self-portrait by Leonardo.
"This is going to be an extraordinary event," he said. "It would be probably the only self-portrait by Leonardo."
Scientists confirmed the painting was the correct age and also discovered writing on its back saying "Pinxit Mea" (Latin for "My Picture"), in Leonardo's characteristic backwards handwriting, identified through a forensic handwriting analysis of Leonardo’s signature handwriting on other pieces of artwork.
Bershad said the ink from that writing was tested and the handwriting compared to known samples of Leonardo's writing and again it matched up.
"I think optimistically perhaps that this is going to turn out to be at least a portrait of Leonardo," Bershad said. "Whether or not it's by Leonardo's own hand I'm still reserved about."
If the painting does prove to be a self-portrait of the great artist, which would make it virtually priceless, Bershad says the entire team of forensic scientists deserve the credit.
For more information on forensic fingerprint analysis, handwriting analysis or dna analysis please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
Hair analysis reveals legendary racehorse Phar Lap died of arsenic poisoning in 1932.
Forensic hair analysis has helped solve one of the longest running controversies of the racing world. Research from Ivan M. Kempson and Dermot A. Henryhave now subjected the horse’s hairs to a very thorough examination. The report in the journal “Angewandte Chemie” found that the animal did indeed die from arsenic poisoning.
Forensic analysis of hair particles usually identify whether there are any drugs or alcohol within a person’s system. Hair analysis has often been used to detect drug use or to uncover poisoning as the cause of death during crime scene investigations.
After his death, Phar Lap was prepared and stuffed and displayed in Museum Victoria in Melbourne. “We were able to obtain small pieces of the hide and mane with the roots intact,” reports Kempson.
The hair was individually analysed along their entire length with synchrotron X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy at the Advanced Photon Source in Chicago. This method detects even trace amounts of chemical elements because each element emits very characteristic radiation.
“If you take into account the rate of growth for horse hair and the metabolic rate, the location at which the elevated arsenic concentration was found indicates that the horse must have eaten and metabolized the arsenic,” explains Kempson. In addition, the scientists used an X-ray technique that can distinguish the chemical environment of the arsenic. Says Kempson “The arsenic species identified also suggest that Phar Lap died of arsenic poisoning.”
It is not known of yet how or why this poisoning occurred, but rumours persist even now that the horses phenomenal success may have lead to it being intoxicated by rival trainers or local gangsters.
For more information on forensic hair analysis or forensic poison analysis / toxicology please visit Forensic Resources Ltd.
Forensic analysis of hair particles usually identify whether there are any drugs or alcohol within a person’s system. Hair analysis has often been used to detect drug use or to uncover poisoning as the cause of death during crime scene investigations.
After his death, Phar Lap was prepared and stuffed and displayed in Museum Victoria in Melbourne. “We were able to obtain small pieces of the hide and mane with the roots intact,” reports Kempson.
The hair was individually analysed along their entire length with synchrotron X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy at the Advanced Photon Source in Chicago. This method detects even trace amounts of chemical elements because each element emits very characteristic radiation.
“If you take into account the rate of growth for horse hair and the metabolic rate, the location at which the elevated arsenic concentration was found indicates that the horse must have eaten and metabolized the arsenic,” explains Kempson. In addition, the scientists used an X-ray technique that can distinguish the chemical environment of the arsenic. Says Kempson “The arsenic species identified also suggest that Phar Lap died of arsenic poisoning.”
It is not known of yet how or why this poisoning occurred, but rumours persist even now that the horses phenomenal success may have lead to it being intoxicated by rival trainers or local gangsters.
For more information on forensic hair analysis or forensic poison analysis / toxicology please visit Forensic Resources Ltd.
Forensic Mobile Phone Analysis key to catching murder suspect in Jenny Nicholl case.
Forensic mobile phone analysis and cell site analysis has been used to catch a middle aged father of two for the tragic murder of North Yorkshire teenager Jenny Nicholl. David Hodgson, of Olav Road, Richmond, had an affair with the 19 year-old who went missing from her home in the town in June 2005. Her body has never been found.
On the 19th November 2008 a jury at Teesside Crown Court today found the 48-year-old guilty of her murder following siginificant evidence linking him with her murder from her mobile phone.
Giving evidence during his trial, Hodgson claimed to have spoken with Jenny on the telephone following her disappearance. He also told the jury two notes purporting to be from the teenager, but handwriting analysis found this was not in her handwriting, were left for him at locations where they would exchange messages.
During cross-examination, he admitted he had never told police about the phone calls.Hodgson had first been interviewed as a possible witness to her disappearance on July 8th 2008.
The following day Jenny's mobile phone which had been silent since she went missing was turned back on and text messages supposedly from the teenager were sent to friends suggesting she was still alive.
One read: "Everyone's going to be mad. Tell them I'm sorry. Living in Scotland with my boyfriend. Dad's going to kill me. Tell him I'm sorry."
The source of transmission was traced to a phone mast in Cumbria. Then, five days later, the phone was switched on again and a text transmitted from Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders to Jenny's father Brian.
The prosecution claimed there were similarities with the way Hodgson composed his own texts, and he'd known enough about her background to fake them. This key source of evidence was enough to convict David Hodgson of the murder, he now faces life in prison.
For more information on cell site analysis or mobile phone analysis please visit Forensic Resources Ltd.
On the 19th November 2008 a jury at Teesside Crown Court today found the 48-year-old guilty of her murder following siginificant evidence linking him with her murder from her mobile phone.
Giving evidence during his trial, Hodgson claimed to have spoken with Jenny on the telephone following her disappearance. He also told the jury two notes purporting to be from the teenager, but handwriting analysis found this was not in her handwriting, were left for him at locations where they would exchange messages.
During cross-examination, he admitted he had never told police about the phone calls.Hodgson had first been interviewed as a possible witness to her disappearance on July 8th 2008.
The following day Jenny's mobile phone which had been silent since she went missing was turned back on and text messages supposedly from the teenager were sent to friends suggesting she was still alive.
One read: "Everyone's going to be mad. Tell them I'm sorry. Living in Scotland with my boyfriend. Dad's going to kill me. Tell him I'm sorry."
The source of transmission was traced to a phone mast in Cumbria. Then, five days later, the phone was switched on again and a text transmitted from Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders to Jenny's father Brian.
The prosecution claimed there were similarities with the way Hodgson composed his own texts, and he'd known enough about her background to fake them. This key source of evidence was enough to convict David Hodgson of the murder, he now faces life in prison.
For more information on cell site analysis or mobile phone analysis please visit Forensic Resources Ltd.
US major league baseball's drug testing policy can be toothless
US major league baseball's drug testing policy can be toothless
22/04/10
Now, nobody is suggesting someone like Brandon Webb should use performance-enhancing drugs. So don't take this that way.
The whole point of this argument, though, is to point out how easily he could, how little it would affect his teammates, how little it would even affect him.
All of which, it would seem, is an indication of how toothless major league baseball's drug testing policy can be at times. And how unfair.
Tuesday afternoon, baseball suspended Cincinnati Reds pitcher Edinson Volquez for 50 games for violating the performance-enhancing drug policy following a positive test for a banned fertility substance. Volquez said he was taking a prescription as part of his treatment to have a child with his wife.
His suspension officially begins today and that means the earliest Volquez could be back on the mound with the Reds is June 15.
Problem is, Volquez wasn't going to pitch before June 15, anyway.
Seems the suspension policy doesn't account for players on the disabled list, which means, you don't even have to be on the active 25-man roster to serve your suspension. The punishment to Volquez, therefore, is the loss of 50 games worth of his salary - which will amount to a little more than $137,000. The punishment to the Reds is, well, nothing. When their former all-star right-hander is well enough, he'll pitch again.
If you're thinking that this seems just, well, wrong, then you're right.
It's worse than wrong, actually. Major league baseball has been thumping its chest on the power of the 50-game suspension as a deterrent against performance-enhancing drug use. But something like this happens, and the commissioner's office doesn't see that it actually gives the injured players - the ones who are most likely to use steroids in the first place - a pretty good reason to use them.
That reason: There's no real penalty.
OK, the loss of salary. Health concerns. It's just not the right thing to do, morally.
Fine, they're all legitimate reasons to not use steroids anyway.
But if there's one thing ballplayers hate, it's being on the disabled list. Ever since Wally Pipp had a headache and Lou Gehrig took his place at first base, the bench has been seen by players as the first step toward the unemployment line. In so many ways, baseball is a reputation business, and when you're not playing, it doesn't look good for your reputation. Earning power is in direct correlation to performance, and no player has ever performed well while sitting on the 60-day disabled list.
Which brings us back to Brandon Webb.
On Sunday, Webb wound up in exactly the same spot Volquez is at - on the 60-day disabled list. Webb is still recovering from surgery to repair a badly injured shoulder last August, and despite throwing a few bullpen sessions in spring training, he really isn't close to coming back to Arizona to help anchor the Diamondbacks rotation anytime soon.
By the end of this week, he hopes to start throwing on flat ground again at the Diamondbacks training complex, and that's a long way from throwing that nasty, heavy sinker in front of 45,000 fans at Chase Field in the middle of a pennant race.
Is there a drug out there that can help Webb's shoulder begin to feel like new again? If the whole steroids era has taught us anything, we can definitively say yes.
Would the Diamondbacks be better off if Webb got back a little bit sooner, a little bit stronger? Absolutely.
Would Webb - who is a free agent at the end of the season - benefit from showing he's back and can win a few more Cy Young Awards down the road? The answer is obvious.
So, if he wanted to take whatever banned drug would help him get back the quickest, what can major league baseball really do to him? Tell him he can't play during a time when his team determined he couldn't play anyway and fine him the 50 games worth of his salary - or about $2.6 million? What if forfeiting $2.6 million was worth it to him?
Could any of us really blame him at this point?
Here's hoping Webb loves baseball too much and has standards that would preclude him from even considering the easy option that the commissioner's office has put on the table for him.
But even if he is, you know there are dozens of players out there who will feel the severe pain in their elbows or their shoulders or their knees as they recover from surgery and at some point think about how easy Edinson Volquez got off this time.
Taking it a little bit further, what's to prevent big league general managers from placing players on the 60-day disabled list if they get wind that a steroids suspension is on the way?
It's one thing to have a tougher steroids policy than you had, and totally another thing to have a tough steroids policy.
Last year, Manny Ramirez got suspended 50 games and spent a few weeks playing in the minor leagues anyway. Now, Volquez can rehab while serving his suspension. Why can't Bud Selig or the owners do what the fans know is right here? Make this a real punishment. Get caught with steroids, and you're gone for 50 days. Not the next 50 days. The first 50 days you're able to play. And until those 50 days are up, you are not welcome in any ballpark, at any level, for any reason.
Until that type of punishment becomes the norm, baseball won't be giving players a deterrent to steroids at all.
In fact, it will be giving the types of players who could benefit from them most the worst thing possible: A reason to turn to them.
Report by Donnie Collins
http://thetimes-tribune.com/
If you require further information on sports drug testing, blood alcohol testing or forensic expert witness services please contact Forensic Resources Ltd
22/04/10
Now, nobody is suggesting someone like Brandon Webb should use performance-enhancing drugs. So don't take this that way.
The whole point of this argument, though, is to point out how easily he could, how little it would affect his teammates, how little it would even affect him.
All of which, it would seem, is an indication of how toothless major league baseball's drug testing policy can be at times. And how unfair.
Tuesday afternoon, baseball suspended Cincinnati Reds pitcher Edinson Volquez for 50 games for violating the performance-enhancing drug policy following a positive test for a banned fertility substance. Volquez said he was taking a prescription as part of his treatment to have a child with his wife.
His suspension officially begins today and that means the earliest Volquez could be back on the mound with the Reds is June 15.
Problem is, Volquez wasn't going to pitch before June 15, anyway.
Seems the suspension policy doesn't account for players on the disabled list, which means, you don't even have to be on the active 25-man roster to serve your suspension. The punishment to Volquez, therefore, is the loss of 50 games worth of his salary - which will amount to a little more than $137,000. The punishment to the Reds is, well, nothing. When their former all-star right-hander is well enough, he'll pitch again.
If you're thinking that this seems just, well, wrong, then you're right.
It's worse than wrong, actually. Major league baseball has been thumping its chest on the power of the 50-game suspension as a deterrent against performance-enhancing drug use. But something like this happens, and the commissioner's office doesn't see that it actually gives the injured players - the ones who are most likely to use steroids in the first place - a pretty good reason to use them.
That reason: There's no real penalty.
OK, the loss of salary. Health concerns. It's just not the right thing to do, morally.
Fine, they're all legitimate reasons to not use steroids anyway.
But if there's one thing ballplayers hate, it's being on the disabled list. Ever since Wally Pipp had a headache and Lou Gehrig took his place at first base, the bench has been seen by players as the first step toward the unemployment line. In so many ways, baseball is a reputation business, and when you're not playing, it doesn't look good for your reputation. Earning power is in direct correlation to performance, and no player has ever performed well while sitting on the 60-day disabled list.
Which brings us back to Brandon Webb.
On Sunday, Webb wound up in exactly the same spot Volquez is at - on the 60-day disabled list. Webb is still recovering from surgery to repair a badly injured shoulder last August, and despite throwing a few bullpen sessions in spring training, he really isn't close to coming back to Arizona to help anchor the Diamondbacks rotation anytime soon.
By the end of this week, he hopes to start throwing on flat ground again at the Diamondbacks training complex, and that's a long way from throwing that nasty, heavy sinker in front of 45,000 fans at Chase Field in the middle of a pennant race.
Is there a drug out there that can help Webb's shoulder begin to feel like new again? If the whole steroids era has taught us anything, we can definitively say yes.
Would the Diamondbacks be better off if Webb got back a little bit sooner, a little bit stronger? Absolutely.
Would Webb - who is a free agent at the end of the season - benefit from showing he's back and can win a few more Cy Young Awards down the road? The answer is obvious.
So, if he wanted to take whatever banned drug would help him get back the quickest, what can major league baseball really do to him? Tell him he can't play during a time when his team determined he couldn't play anyway and fine him the 50 games worth of his salary - or about $2.6 million? What if forfeiting $2.6 million was worth it to him?
Could any of us really blame him at this point?
Here's hoping Webb loves baseball too much and has standards that would preclude him from even considering the easy option that the commissioner's office has put on the table for him.
But even if he is, you know there are dozens of players out there who will feel the severe pain in their elbows or their shoulders or their knees as they recover from surgery and at some point think about how easy Edinson Volquez got off this time.
Taking it a little bit further, what's to prevent big league general managers from placing players on the 60-day disabled list if they get wind that a steroids suspension is on the way?
It's one thing to have a tougher steroids policy than you had, and totally another thing to have a tough steroids policy.
Last year, Manny Ramirez got suspended 50 games and spent a few weeks playing in the minor leagues anyway. Now, Volquez can rehab while serving his suspension. Why can't Bud Selig or the owners do what the fans know is right here? Make this a real punishment. Get caught with steroids, and you're gone for 50 days. Not the next 50 days. The first 50 days you're able to play. And until those 50 days are up, you are not welcome in any ballpark, at any level, for any reason.
Until that type of punishment becomes the norm, baseball won't be giving players a deterrent to steroids at all.
In fact, it will be giving the types of players who could benefit from them most the worst thing possible: A reason to turn to them.
Report by Donnie Collins
http://thetimes-tribune.com/
If you require further information on sports drug testing, blood alcohol testing or forensic expert witness services please contact Forensic Resources Ltd
Boston Firefighters must now partake in employee drug testing.
Major developments in Boston USA has seen the City of Boston enforce a new law to drug test firefighter. Not currently enforced anywhere in the UK, this new legislation is a major move to cut out recreational drug use amongst public sector staff and servicemen.
This bold move from Boston authorities could potentially cost tax payers an incredible $74 million. Part of the move is that firefighters will receive up to a 20% pay rise.
Council President Michael Ross said the deal will not get a rubber stamp. “I need the firefighters to understand that they need to be our partners too at the table when it comes to the current challenges with regards to our municipal finances,” Ross said. “We have an unsustainable system right now. That’s the firefighters’ fight, too.”
The ruling is the culmination of years of nasty fighting and stalled contract talks between Local 718 and Menino, much of which centered around employee drug testing.
Firefighters have resisted drug testing, but the arbitrator ordered the union to accept random urine tests. The city wanted hair follicle testing, which reveals drug use for a longer period of time and is the method used to test police officers.
In a statement, Menino said: “I am required by law to support this award and to submit its finding to the City Council, who will decide whether or not to accept and fund the decision. I am not however bound to stay silent on the facts. This contract provides a 19 percent raise - which is 5 percent more expensive than the wages provided to other public safety agencies during successful negotiations. These facts speak for themselves.”
If you require further information on hair drug testing, employee drug testing, or random urine drug testing please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
This bold move from Boston authorities could potentially cost tax payers an incredible $74 million. Part of the move is that firefighters will receive up to a 20% pay rise.
Council President Michael Ross said the deal will not get a rubber stamp. “I need the firefighters to understand that they need to be our partners too at the table when it comes to the current challenges with regards to our municipal finances,” Ross said. “We have an unsustainable system right now. That’s the firefighters’ fight, too.”
The ruling is the culmination of years of nasty fighting and stalled contract talks between Local 718 and Menino, much of which centered around employee drug testing.
Firefighters have resisted drug testing, but the arbitrator ordered the union to accept random urine tests. The city wanted hair follicle testing, which reveals drug use for a longer period of time and is the method used to test police officers.
In a statement, Menino said: “I am required by law to support this award and to submit its finding to the City Council, who will decide whether or not to accept and fund the decision. I am not however bound to stay silent on the facts. This contract provides a 19 percent raise - which is 5 percent more expensive than the wages provided to other public safety agencies during successful negotiations. These facts speak for themselves.”
If you require further information on hair drug testing, employee drug testing, or random urine drug testing please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
New methods of Forensic DNA Testing can identify criminals by touch.
Florida Police have a new tool in their arsenal against crime. It's called, "touch DNA".
In years past, investigators would have to find some bodily fluid like saliva or blood to obtain a DNA sample. But now if a suspect were to rub his / her eyes or cover their mouth to cough and touch anything else, a DNA sample could be obtained from that object.
This gives crime scene investigators a number of new locations to search for DNA at a crime scene.Also revolutionary advances in forensic analysis technology have allowed smaller DNA samples to be analysed which would not have been possible in the past.
Law enforcement officers and investigators from across southwest Florida spent the Monday morning at Cape Coral's police department learning about the advances in DNA technology.
The new technology allows samples to be processed more quickly, but at a price. Each sample submitted for analysis can cost a law enforcement agency up to one thousand dollars.
For more information on DNA Analysis, Saliva Analysis or DNA Testing please visit Forensic Resources Ltd
In years past, investigators would have to find some bodily fluid like saliva or blood to obtain a DNA sample. But now if a suspect were to rub his / her eyes or cover their mouth to cough and touch anything else, a DNA sample could be obtained from that object.
This gives crime scene investigators a number of new locations to search for DNA at a crime scene.Also revolutionary advances in forensic analysis technology have allowed smaller DNA samples to be analysed which would not have been possible in the past.
Law enforcement officers and investigators from across southwest Florida spent the Monday morning at Cape Coral's police department learning about the advances in DNA technology.
The new technology allows samples to be processed more quickly, but at a price. Each sample submitted for analysis can cost a law enforcement agency up to one thousand dollars.
For more information on DNA Analysis, Saliva Analysis or DNA Testing please visit Forensic Resources Ltd
Forensic Bodily Fluid Analysis used to sue Burger King over whopper spit incident.
A US police officer is suing Burger King over a Whopper he says a worker spat in.
Burger King sacked the worker after Forensic bodily fluid analysis was used to provide accurate DNA evidence of the employee involved.
Sheriff's Deputy Edward Bylsma said he had an "uneasy feeling" about two employees after he stopped for a meal at a branch of the fast-food chain in Washington state.
When he went to check his burger, he says he found a big gob of saliva.
Forensic DNA testing on the burger identified the saliva to one of the workers, who was later arrested. Former employee Gary Herb, 22, received a three-month jail sentence after pleading guilty to third-degree assault.
Deputy Bylsma is reported to be suing the fast-food giant for £49,000 because he says it was negligent in its selection, training and supervision of employees.
In a statement Burger King said it had "zero tolerance" for the actions taken by the former employee. Herb has since been fired.
For more information on Forensic DNA Analysis, Forensic Saliva Analysis and Forensic Bodily Fluid Analysis please visit Forensic Resources Ltd.
Burger King sacked the worker after Forensic bodily fluid analysis was used to provide accurate DNA evidence of the employee involved.
Sheriff's Deputy Edward Bylsma said he had an "uneasy feeling" about two employees after he stopped for a meal at a branch of the fast-food chain in Washington state.
When he went to check his burger, he says he found a big gob of saliva.
Forensic DNA testing on the burger identified the saliva to one of the workers, who was later arrested. Former employee Gary Herb, 22, received a three-month jail sentence after pleading guilty to third-degree assault.
Deputy Bylsma is reported to be suing the fast-food giant for £49,000 because he says it was negligent in its selection, training and supervision of employees.
In a statement Burger King said it had "zero tolerance" for the actions taken by the former employee. Herb has since been fired.
For more information on Forensic DNA Analysis, Forensic Saliva Analysis and Forensic Bodily Fluid Analysis please visit Forensic Resources Ltd.
Forensic Investigation finds "conclusive" DNA evidence that could bring new light to Jill Dando's murder.
Forensic scientists have discovered tiny particles of evidence that could be influential in finding the killer of Jill Dando. Crimewatch presenter Jill, 37 was shot dead outside her home in Fulham, South London in April 1999.
A report in the Sun Newspaper today reveals that advances in DNA technology have unearthed the vital new clues. There is said to be a 20 per cent opportunity of matching the forensic breakthrough with a suspect. The new evidence is believed to have used Gunshot Residue Analysis to identify a suspect in the murder investigation.
A key suspect in 1999 -Barry George, now 50, was convicted of Jill's murder at the Old Bailey in 2001 but was cleared on appeal in 2008. Scotland Yard's homicide command has been carrying out a full review of the case and material evidence has been passed to the forensic science service for analysis.
A police source said last night: "This is the first time conclusive forensic evidence has come into the frame in this case. We are hopeful that it will lead to a charge and a resolution."
A forensic science source added: "All the forensic evidence in the case has been re-examined using up-to-date techniques.
"There is new material there which is being developed and we hope this will ultimately lead to conclusive proof about who murdered Jill."
Jill was shot dead outside her home in Gowan Avenue, Fulham, South-West London. Neighbours claimed a man in a dark blue overcoat had been present in the area before and after her killing.
More information is expected to be released on the forensic investigation in coming days.
For more information on Forensic Crime Scene Investigation, Forensic Gunshot Residue Analysis or DNA Analysis please contact Forensic Resources Ltd on 02920 647 043.
A report in the Sun Newspaper today reveals that advances in DNA technology have unearthed the vital new clues. There is said to be a 20 per cent opportunity of matching the forensic breakthrough with a suspect. The new evidence is believed to have used Gunshot Residue Analysis to identify a suspect in the murder investigation.
A key suspect in 1999 -Barry George, now 50, was convicted of Jill's murder at the Old Bailey in 2001 but was cleared on appeal in 2008. Scotland Yard's homicide command has been carrying out a full review of the case and material evidence has been passed to the forensic science service for analysis.
A police source said last night: "This is the first time conclusive forensic evidence has come into the frame in this case. We are hopeful that it will lead to a charge and a resolution."
A forensic science source added: "All the forensic evidence in the case has been re-examined using up-to-date techniques.
"There is new material there which is being developed and we hope this will ultimately lead to conclusive proof about who murdered Jill."
Jill was shot dead outside her home in Gowan Avenue, Fulham, South-West London. Neighbours claimed a man in a dark blue overcoat had been present in the area before and after her killing.
More information is expected to be released on the forensic investigation in coming days.
For more information on Forensic Crime Scene Investigation, Forensic Gunshot Residue Analysis or DNA Analysis please contact Forensic Resources Ltd on 02920 647 043.
Toxicology test needed to identify whether “Meow Meow” Methedrone drug was cause of shocking death of Wesley Sharples.
A young Bolton partygoer who took mephedrone has died after blasting himself in the head with a shotgun, it has been claimed. Wesley Sharples, 23, was discovered with gunshot wounds at his flat in Bolton after a party where friends claimed he had taken the drug - also known as 'meow meow'
The man was taken to hospital but died soon afterwards. Police said today they were unable to confirm reports that he may have taken the dance drug, but added that they were not able to rule it out until they receive the result of a forensic toxicology test.
A spokesman said: 'We have sent blood samples off to toxicology and until we get that back we cannot guess or speculate what he may or may not have taken”
From the 16th of April 2010 the drug Mephedrone, also known as Meow Meow, Bubbles and MCAT, will be made a class B drug following its link to a number of deaths across the UK. A Class B drug carries a penalty of up to five years in prison or an unlimited fine for possession and up to 14 years in prison for supplying the drug.
Mephedrone is reported to have a similar effect to amphetamines, ecstasy or cocaine but also causes nausea, palpitations and vomiting. It has been linked to over 25 deaths across the UK in the past 12 months including those of Louis Wainwright, 18, and Nicholas Smith, 19, in Scunthorpe last month.
If you require further information on Forensic Toxicology Testing, Mephedrone Testing, Drug Testing and Forensic Toxicology Analysis please visit Forensic Resources Ltd.
The man was taken to hospital but died soon afterwards. Police said today they were unable to confirm reports that he may have taken the dance drug, but added that they were not able to rule it out until they receive the result of a forensic toxicology test.
A spokesman said: 'We have sent blood samples off to toxicology and until we get that back we cannot guess or speculate what he may or may not have taken”
From the 16th of April 2010 the drug Mephedrone, also known as Meow Meow, Bubbles and MCAT, will be made a class B drug following its link to a number of deaths across the UK. A Class B drug carries a penalty of up to five years in prison or an unlimited fine for possession and up to 14 years in prison for supplying the drug.
Mephedrone is reported to have a similar effect to amphetamines, ecstasy or cocaine but also causes nausea, palpitations and vomiting. It has been linked to over 25 deaths across the UK in the past 12 months including those of Louis Wainwright, 18, and Nicholas Smith, 19, in Scunthorpe last month.
If you require further information on Forensic Toxicology Testing, Mephedrone Testing, Drug Testing and Forensic Toxicology Analysis please visit Forensic Resources Ltd.
Toxicology report cites drugs and alcohol in deaths of two teen girls
Forensic Toxicology Testing has show that two teen girls who died just hours apart in different locations earlier this month succumbed to a lethal combination of drugs and alcohol.
Martha Hernandez, 17, died March 2 after she was rushed to hospital from a house in the 4200-block Smith Crescent in Richmond. Just hours earlier, her friend, 16-year-old Kayla LaLonde, was found collapsed on the road in the 4000-block Rumble Street in Burnaby at about 12:40 a.m.
Both teens were seen together earlier that night and police say their deaths are linked. RCMP say further details are not being released to protect the integrity of the investigation.
If you require further information on Forensic Toxicology Testing and Forensic Toxicology Analysis please visit Forensic Resources Ltd.
Martha Hernandez, 17, died March 2 after she was rushed to hospital from a house in the 4200-block Smith Crescent in Richmond. Just hours earlier, her friend, 16-year-old Kayla LaLonde, was found collapsed on the road in the 4000-block Rumble Street in Burnaby at about 12:40 a.m.
Both teens were seen together earlier that night and police say their deaths are linked. RCMP say further details are not being released to protect the integrity of the investigation.
If you require further information on Forensic Toxicology Testing and Forensic Toxicology Analysis please visit Forensic Resources Ltd.
Forensic toxicology tests needed to identify how ‘speed’ killed man from Bootle, Merseyside.
Police have reported that a forensic post mortem examination on a man who died after taking “speed” was inconclusive earlier today.
Forensic toxicology tests will now be carried out on the body of the Merseyside man allegedly killed by a dangerous batch of amphetamines.
The man who is believed to be in his 30s, went with his female partner to Fazakerley hospital on Saturday afternoon after the pair took the drug “speed” at his home. They were reported to have suffered nausea, dizziness and fitting, but while the woman recovered, his condition worsened and he later died.
Detectives were unable to ascertain why the man died following the post mortem yesterday and more tests are needed. It could be up to two months before the cause of death is officially established.
A man, 40, from Bootle, was arrested on Monday on suspicion of supplying the amphetamines.
For further information on drug testing, forensic toxicology testing or poison analysis please call Forensic Resources Ltd on 02920 647 043.
Forensic toxicology tests will now be carried out on the body of the Merseyside man allegedly killed by a dangerous batch of amphetamines.
The man who is believed to be in his 30s, went with his female partner to Fazakerley hospital on Saturday afternoon after the pair took the drug “speed” at his home. They were reported to have suffered nausea, dizziness and fitting, but while the woman recovered, his condition worsened and he later died.
Detectives were unable to ascertain why the man died following the post mortem yesterday and more tests are needed. It could be up to two months before the cause of death is officially established.
A man, 40, from Bootle, was arrested on Monday on suspicion of supplying the amphetamines.
For further information on drug testing, forensic toxicology testing or poison analysis please call Forensic Resources Ltd on 02920 647 043.
Former WWE wrestler Umaga becomes latest controversial death in professional wrestling.
The 36-year-old star was found dead in December, six months after being fired by WWE for refusing rehab after failing a drugs test. Forensic Toxicology examination found Umaga was killed by a heart attack brought on by a toxic cocktail of drugs, it was revealed today.
Chief forensic investigator Dan Morgan said "The cause of death is acute toxicity due to combined effects of hydrocodone, carisoprodol and diazepam."
Carisoprodol is better known as the muscle relaxer Soma, Diazepam is more commonly called Valium and Hydrocone is a painkiller. All three substances have been prevalent in other wrestling tragedies over the past 3 years and has once again cast controversy over the illegal use of drugs in professional wrestling.
If you require further information on drug testing, forensic toxicology or sport drug testing please contact Forensic Resources Ltd on 02920 647 043.
Chief forensic investigator Dan Morgan said "The cause of death is acute toxicity due to combined effects of hydrocodone, carisoprodol and diazepam."
Carisoprodol is better known as the muscle relaxer Soma, Diazepam is more commonly called Valium and Hydrocone is a painkiller. All three substances have been prevalent in other wrestling tragedies over the past 3 years and has once again cast controversy over the illegal use of drugs in professional wrestling.
If you require further information on drug testing, forensic toxicology or sport drug testing please contact Forensic Resources Ltd on 02920 647 043.
Out of competition drug testing controversy in football league.
The football league is the latest much publicised casualty of breaking the Football Associations doping control regulations. Two Football League clubs have been fined and dozens of players have been identified as breaking out-of-competition dope testing in England in the past year.
The two clubs in questions have been identified as QPR and Bradford City whom have been fined £6,000 and £1,000 respectively for repeated failure to provide accurate information to sampling officers trying to locate players they want to test.
The anti doping regulations state that it’s prohibited for a player to miss three tests in an 18-month period — anybody who does so faces a lengthy ban. The failure of a club to give the FA accurate information concerning the whereabouts of players is also prohibited.
In recent times the heaviest suspension of a leading player was the eight months imposed on Rio Ferdinand, who failed to take a drugs test in September 2003 and was also fined £50,000.
On the world stage there have been examples of leading players taking performance-enhancing drugs in competition. The most notorious case involves Diego Maradona, the Argentina star, who tested positive at the 1994 World Cup for a cocktail of banned substances. He was suspended for 15 months, which effectively ended his career, although he will return to the World Cup this summer as manager of Argentina.
If you require further information on sports drug testing, team drug testing, employee drug testing or recreational drug testing please contact Forensic Resources Ltd on 02920 647 043
The two clubs in questions have been identified as QPR and Bradford City whom have been fined £6,000 and £1,000 respectively for repeated failure to provide accurate information to sampling officers trying to locate players they want to test.
The anti doping regulations state that it’s prohibited for a player to miss three tests in an 18-month period — anybody who does so faces a lengthy ban. The failure of a club to give the FA accurate information concerning the whereabouts of players is also prohibited.
In recent times the heaviest suspension of a leading player was the eight months imposed on Rio Ferdinand, who failed to take a drugs test in September 2003 and was also fined £50,000.
On the world stage there have been examples of leading players taking performance-enhancing drugs in competition. The most notorious case involves Diego Maradona, the Argentina star, who tested positive at the 1994 World Cup for a cocktail of banned substances. He was suspended for 15 months, which effectively ended his career, although he will return to the World Cup this summer as manager of Argentina.
If you require further information on sports drug testing, team drug testing, employee drug testing or recreational drug testing please contact Forensic Resources Ltd on 02920 647 043
RECORD TESTS FOR LONDON
The British Olympic Games will be taking a no drugs tolerance stance with a record numbers of drugs tests being carried out at the London 2012 Olympics.
It’s reported that around 5,000 tests will be carried out in 2012 which accumulates to 10% more tests than the Beijing 2008 Games where there were 4,500 samples taken. During the Beijing Games drug testing found 20 positive results either during or after the Games.
The London organising committee (LOCOG) will carry out the drug-testing programme under the authority of the International Olympic Committee and they have signed a memorandum of understanding with UK Anti-Doping about delivering the programme.
There will be 1,200 further athlete drug tests carried out at the London 2012 Paralympics.
LOCOG's director of sport Debbie Jevans said: "We need to have a strong message that drugs cheats are not welcome at the London Games.
"The input of UK Anti-Doping, our new national anti-doping organisation, will assist LOCOG in the delivery of a world class anti-doping programme at the London Games."
The agreement will see LOCOG to recruit specialist doping control officers, with the assistance of UK Anti-Doping, to volunteer in the LOCOG programme.These volunteers will come from UK Anti-Doping, other national anti-doping organisations, international federations and local NHS Trusts.
LOCOG and UK Anti-Doping will also work together to provide doping control at test events in 2011 and 2012.
Andy Parkinson, UK Anti-Doping chief executive said: "UK Anti-Doping is pleased to work with and support LOCOG in the lead-up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. We are partnering with LOCOG to develop a comprehensive programme of testing, athlete education and training for anti-doping volunteers in the lead-up to, and during, the London 2012 Games."
If you require further information on Forensic Drug Testing, Sports Drug Testing or Recreational Drug Testing please contact Forensic Resources Ltd on 02920 647 043.
It’s reported that around 5,000 tests will be carried out in 2012 which accumulates to 10% more tests than the Beijing 2008 Games where there were 4,500 samples taken. During the Beijing Games drug testing found 20 positive results either during or after the Games.
The London organising committee (LOCOG) will carry out the drug-testing programme under the authority of the International Olympic Committee and they have signed a memorandum of understanding with UK Anti-Doping about delivering the programme.
There will be 1,200 further athlete drug tests carried out at the London 2012 Paralympics.
LOCOG's director of sport Debbie Jevans said: "We need to have a strong message that drugs cheats are not welcome at the London Games.
"The input of UK Anti-Doping, our new national anti-doping organisation, will assist LOCOG in the delivery of a world class anti-doping programme at the London Games."
The agreement will see LOCOG to recruit specialist doping control officers, with the assistance of UK Anti-Doping, to volunteer in the LOCOG programme.These volunteers will come from UK Anti-Doping, other national anti-doping organisations, international federations and local NHS Trusts.
LOCOG and UK Anti-Doping will also work together to provide doping control at test events in 2011 and 2012.
Andy Parkinson, UK Anti-Doping chief executive said: "UK Anti-Doping is pleased to work with and support LOCOG in the lead-up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. We are partnering with LOCOG to develop a comprehensive programme of testing, athlete education and training for anti-doping volunteers in the lead-up to, and during, the London 2012 Games."
If you require further information on Forensic Drug Testing, Sports Drug Testing or Recreational Drug Testing please contact Forensic Resources Ltd on 02920 647 043.
DNA Paternity Testing: How accurate are tests?
The most important question for anyone looking to have a paternity test is “How accurate is a paternity test?”
As with most tests nothing can ever be regarded as 100% but with developments in modern DNA Paternity Testing there is very little room for error. When taking a paternity test there are two main types of test one is an exclusion test the other is an inclusion test.
Exclusive paternity test results exclude a man from being a father of a child. This means that in the paternity test the DNA of the father did not sufficiently correspond to the DNA of the child to consider him as a prospective father. In this case the result should be 100% accurate, if a man is excluded from being a child's father there should be no way he could possibly be.
Inclusive paternity test results however are different, they refer to the likelihood that someone is the father of the child. Most inclusive paternity test results should prove at least 99%, preferably closer to 99.99% that a child is the father.
The accuracy of paternity test results depends on how many loci are tested on the DNA segments of the alleged father and child; the higher the number of loci, the greater the accuracy that can be obtained. For best results on a paternity test you should choose a forensic dna paternity laboratory test that tests at least 13-16 loci and that excludes fathers who show a difference in two or more DNA patterns on the loci.
To summarise although paternity test results can never be 100% through testing a larger number of loci (good DNA testing labs usually test about 16) a result should be 99.9% accurate. For more information on DNA Paternity Testing, Forensic DNA Paternity Analysis and DNA Paternity Expert Witness Services please contact Forensic Resources Ltd on 02920 647 043.
As with most tests nothing can ever be regarded as 100% but with developments in modern DNA Paternity Testing there is very little room for error. When taking a paternity test there are two main types of test one is an exclusion test the other is an inclusion test.
Exclusive paternity test results exclude a man from being a father of a child. This means that in the paternity test the DNA of the father did not sufficiently correspond to the DNA of the child to consider him as a prospective father. In this case the result should be 100% accurate, if a man is excluded from being a child's father there should be no way he could possibly be.
Inclusive paternity test results however are different, they refer to the likelihood that someone is the father of the child. Most inclusive paternity test results should prove at least 99%, preferably closer to 99.99% that a child is the father.
The accuracy of paternity test results depends on how many loci are tested on the DNA segments of the alleged father and child; the higher the number of loci, the greater the accuracy that can be obtained. For best results on a paternity test you should choose a forensic dna paternity laboratory test that tests at least 13-16 loci and that excludes fathers who show a difference in two or more DNA patterns on the loci.
To summarise although paternity test results can never be 100% through testing a larger number of loci (good DNA testing labs usually test about 16) a result should be 99.9% accurate. For more information on DNA Paternity Testing, Forensic DNA Paternity Analysis and DNA Paternity Expert Witness Services please contact Forensic Resources Ltd on 02920 647 043.
Forensic Knife Analysis and Knife Crime Injury Analysis
Forensic Knife Analysis Experts regard the pattern of injuries to a victim of an assault or murder as vital to identifying not only the suspect but the weapon used.
Similar to gunshot wound analysis and gunshot residue analysis, knife wounds and knife injury patterns tell a story of an incident whether it was an attack from the front or behind. Or possibly a self inflicted injury. Forensic Injury Analysis is often used to identify whether knife cuts are self caused. An in-depth analysis of knife wounds from a knife attack will demonstrate a pattern and identify whether a slashing motion was evident which is an infliction of long but superficial cuts or a jab which demonstrates a deep puncture wound. A forensic knife expert witness will also be able to determine from the crime scene the timing of the blows, to determine which of the blows may have killed a victim.
When analysing a knife which has been involved with an assault or murder its common for the knife to retain some of the victims blood (and even that of the assailant), and because the knife needs to be held to be effective, a knife can be a storehouse of forensic information. Blood types, skin cells that house DNA, and fingerprints may all be present on a knife recovered at a crime or accident scene.
Knife crime is a significant problem in the UK and many new punishments are being issued to deter young people from carrying knives. Knives come in all shapes and sizes from pocket knifes to machetes. Amongst youths today Knives and daggers have been concealed in belts in belt buckles, and even in the plastic arms of eyeglasses. But, when the aim is to attack someone, a large knife is desirable. Domestically, kitchen knives often become the preferred choice amongst suspects.
If you require further information on knife crime analysis, forensic knife analysis, knife expert witness service or injury analysis please contact Forensic Resources ltd on 02920 647 043.
Similar to gunshot wound analysis and gunshot residue analysis, knife wounds and knife injury patterns tell a story of an incident whether it was an attack from the front or behind. Or possibly a self inflicted injury. Forensic Injury Analysis is often used to identify whether knife cuts are self caused. An in-depth analysis of knife wounds from a knife attack will demonstrate a pattern and identify whether a slashing motion was evident which is an infliction of long but superficial cuts or a jab which demonstrates a deep puncture wound. A forensic knife expert witness will also be able to determine from the crime scene the timing of the blows, to determine which of the blows may have killed a victim.
When analysing a knife which has been involved with an assault or murder its common for the knife to retain some of the victims blood (and even that of the assailant), and because the knife needs to be held to be effective, a knife can be a storehouse of forensic information. Blood types, skin cells that house DNA, and fingerprints may all be present on a knife recovered at a crime or accident scene.
Knife crime is a significant problem in the UK and many new punishments are being issued to deter young people from carrying knives. Knives come in all shapes and sizes from pocket knifes to machetes. Amongst youths today Knives and daggers have been concealed in belts in belt buckles, and even in the plastic arms of eyeglasses. But, when the aim is to attack someone, a large knife is desirable. Domestically, kitchen knives often become the preferred choice amongst suspects.
If you require further information on knife crime analysis, forensic knife analysis, knife expert witness service or injury analysis please contact Forensic Resources ltd on 02920 647 043.
Handwriting Analysis can identify suicidal tendencies
Forensic Handwriting Analysis Specialists have come to the conclusion that handwriting can be used to determine suicidal tendencies following an in-depth research into the psychology behind handwriting.
With teenagers and young adults today facing pressure from various parties including bullying at school, pressure from parents and teachers, self doubt and money problems to name a few. Many young adults want to believe that they have the ability to cope with life, though they may actually lack the maturity and emotional stability. New research has found that this stress and anxiety will become apparent within an individual’s writing style, the longer the anxiety the more erratic someone’s writing style becomes.
Forensic handwriting experts use specialist handwriting analyses techniques to determine hidden messages within writing styles. For example a ‘t’ where the bar is crossed very low on the stem indicates that the person has very low self esteem and a ‘y’ with the end portion curling in a loop that declines towards right shows severe fatalistic attitude that needs immediate attention.
Other senior handwriting analysis specialists have also suggested that the angle of cursive writing is helpful in understanding a person’s emotional responsiveness. A steady right slant can indicate self-confidence and insensitivity but an overall positive approach to life, whereas a steady left slant can indicate that somebody is comfortable with his own company, hides emotions, but has strongly-controlled feelings.
Handwriting analysis is a simple tool used to study behaviour. If you require further information on forensic handwriting analysis please contact Forensic Resources Ltd on 02920 647 043.
With teenagers and young adults today facing pressure from various parties including bullying at school, pressure from parents and teachers, self doubt and money problems to name a few. Many young adults want to believe that they have the ability to cope with life, though they may actually lack the maturity and emotional stability. New research has found that this stress and anxiety will become apparent within an individual’s writing style, the longer the anxiety the more erratic someone’s writing style becomes.
Forensic handwriting experts use specialist handwriting analyses techniques to determine hidden messages within writing styles. For example a ‘t’ where the bar is crossed very low on the stem indicates that the person has very low self esteem and a ‘y’ with the end portion curling in a loop that declines towards right shows severe fatalistic attitude that needs immediate attention.
Other senior handwriting analysis specialists have also suggested that the angle of cursive writing is helpful in understanding a person’s emotional responsiveness. A steady right slant can indicate self-confidence and insensitivity but an overall positive approach to life, whereas a steady left slant can indicate that somebody is comfortable with his own company, hides emotions, but has strongly-controlled feelings.
Handwriting analysis is a simple tool used to study behaviour. If you require further information on forensic handwriting analysis please contact Forensic Resources Ltd on 02920 647 043.
Experts read between the lines on Obama's signature
President Obama is a little bit secretive, former President George W. Bush is resentful -- and Theodore Roosevelt was a good listener with health problems in his chest.
These are among the conclusions of handwriting experts asked to examine the three presidential signatures, along with that of the late President Reagan.
Reagan, Obama and Bush tend toward oversized capital letters -- a trait shared by musicians, actors and politicians -- that analysts say say show a need for recognition.
"Reagan's handwriting changed drastically after his assassination attempt," said Michelle Dresbold, a Pittsburgh-based handwriting expert. "He even would put a tiny dot above Reagan, which looked like a bullet."
Dresbold, author of the book, "Sex, Lies and Handwriting: A Top Expert Reveals the Secrets Hidden in Your Handwriting," said Bush's signature, in which the "B" looks like the numeral 13, indicates a person fond of saying one thing while thinking another.
"And the G in George starts very low," she said. "That is a resentment stroke ... and it wouldn't surprise me if some long-seated resentment is what pushed him forward."
Denise Alvarado, a handwriting analyst from New Orleans who blogs under the name "Voodoo Mama," said the illegibility of Bush's signature suggests he loses thoughts midstream, while the open spaces in his name indicate his urge for socializing.
The handwriting experts agreed that Obama's bold signature -- notably the distinctive, decorated "O" in his surname, is loaded with clues about his personality. "Many people put symbolism in their handwriting," Dresbold said. The intersecting letters in Obama's surname form the Greek letter Phi, Dresbold said, which means the golden ratio and indicates his desire for balance in all things. She noted that Obama accepted his party's nomination on a convention stage decorated like a Greek theater, and is frequently photographed near architectural columns. "Somewhere in his head, it means something to him," Dresbold said. At the same time, "the rest of his letters are going a little downhill, which means he's feeling tired and not very optimistic." Lara Fine, a Washington-area intuitive psychic trained in handwriting analysis, said Obama's divided O signaled a character capable of being internally swayed and divided by the opinions of others -- which she surmised leaves him dissatisfied at times. Beverley East, a Washington-based handwriting analyst, said the oversized B and O in Obama's signature show his pride in his family. Obama is surprisingly more reserved than advertised, misses an older mentor and has a sensitivity issue about his hair, said Dennis Duez, a Pittsburgh-based analyst whose Web site is HandwritingAnalyst.com "He haunts himself with his own frustrations," Duez said. "And he is a consummate weaseler -- he knows how to makes things work his way." Duez said Roosevelt's careful, old-fashioned signature indicates a friendly, intense person who suffered hay fever and was a good planner, but not terribly creative.
Reference Article: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/Experts-read-between-the-lines-on-Obama_s-signature-90389839.html
For more information on handwriting analysis please visit http://www.forensicresources.co.uk/
These are among the conclusions of handwriting experts asked to examine the three presidential signatures, along with that of the late President Reagan.
Reagan, Obama and Bush tend toward oversized capital letters -- a trait shared by musicians, actors and politicians -- that analysts say say show a need for recognition.
"Reagan's handwriting changed drastically after his assassination attempt," said Michelle Dresbold, a Pittsburgh-based handwriting expert. "He even would put a tiny dot above Reagan, which looked like a bullet."
Dresbold, author of the book, "Sex, Lies and Handwriting: A Top Expert Reveals the Secrets Hidden in Your Handwriting," said Bush's signature, in which the "B" looks like the numeral 13, indicates a person fond of saying one thing while thinking another.
"And the G in George starts very low," she said. "That is a resentment stroke ... and it wouldn't surprise me if some long-seated resentment is what pushed him forward."
Denise Alvarado, a handwriting analyst from New Orleans who blogs under the name "Voodoo Mama," said the illegibility of Bush's signature suggests he loses thoughts midstream, while the open spaces in his name indicate his urge for socializing.
The handwriting experts agreed that Obama's bold signature -- notably the distinctive, decorated "O" in his surname, is loaded with clues about his personality. "Many people put symbolism in their handwriting," Dresbold said. The intersecting letters in Obama's surname form the Greek letter Phi, Dresbold said, which means the golden ratio and indicates his desire for balance in all things. She noted that Obama accepted his party's nomination on a convention stage decorated like a Greek theater, and is frequently photographed near architectural columns. "Somewhere in his head, it means something to him," Dresbold said. At the same time, "the rest of his letters are going a little downhill, which means he's feeling tired and not very optimistic." Lara Fine, a Washington-area intuitive psychic trained in handwriting analysis, said Obama's divided O signaled a character capable of being internally swayed and divided by the opinions of others -- which she surmised leaves him dissatisfied at times. Beverley East, a Washington-based handwriting analyst, said the oversized B and O in Obama's signature show his pride in his family. Obama is surprisingly more reserved than advertised, misses an older mentor and has a sensitivity issue about his hair, said Dennis Duez, a Pittsburgh-based analyst whose Web site is HandwritingAnalyst.com "He haunts himself with his own frustrations," Duez said. "And he is a consummate weaseler -- he knows how to makes things work his way." Duez said Roosevelt's careful, old-fashioned signature indicates a friendly, intense person who suffered hay fever and was a good planner, but not terribly creative.
Reference Article: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/Experts-read-between-the-lines-on-Obama_s-signature-90389839.html
For more information on handwriting analysis please visit http://www.forensicresources.co.uk/
A background to Hair Analysis and Hair Drug Testing
Forensic Hair Analysis is common across a wide range of forensic disciplines including DNA Analysis, Drug Testing and Alcohol Testing.
A hair follicle test is a highly accurate way of diagnosing nutritional deficits. It is also a common method of testing for drugs as it gives up to 90 days of accurate testing compared to other techniques including Urine Analysis which last for just 7 days.
Forensic Hair Analysis is a small sample of hair tested to assess a person's health or drug use history. Because hair is metabolically active tissue, each hair is a timeline in a sense. Hair makeup depends on influences like genetics, the environment, hormones, and even transient factors like sweat.
When a substance is ingested, substances called metabolites are produced, as the body breaks down and processes the drug. A metabolite is a compound that is created from chemical changes to a drug within the body. Blood carrying these metabolites circulates, eventually enters and nourishes the hair follicle, and the metabolites are then incorporated into the hair strand the follicle produces.
The most common use for a hair follicle test is as a forensic drug test. Hair collected from the scalp represents approximately 90 days of toxicological history in people with an average rate of hair growth which can be effective when testing for drug abuse in criminal investigations and also testing employees during employee drug testing.
Forensic Hair Testing Experts have proven that hair analysis is more accurate than urine and blood tests when it comes to drug testing and alcohol testing. Hair testing is used, sometimes secretly, by parents worried about their child's possible use of drugs. Hairs collected from a pillow can be collected and sent to a laboratory for testing. The advantage of hair testing over other types of drug testing is that a hair follicle test can detect drug use for up to 90 days after the drug has been used. This is because trace amounts of drug chemicals become trapped inside the structure of the hair as it grows out. Drug tests from hair samples can detect every major type of drug including cocaine, ecstasy, PCP, methamphetamines, marijuana, and opiates.
If you require further information on Hair Analysis, Hair Testing, Hair Drug Testing, Hair Expert Witness Services or any other Forensic Hair query please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
A hair follicle test is a highly accurate way of diagnosing nutritional deficits. It is also a common method of testing for drugs as it gives up to 90 days of accurate testing compared to other techniques including Urine Analysis which last for just 7 days.
Forensic Hair Analysis is a small sample of hair tested to assess a person's health or drug use history. Because hair is metabolically active tissue, each hair is a timeline in a sense. Hair makeup depends on influences like genetics, the environment, hormones, and even transient factors like sweat.
When a substance is ingested, substances called metabolites are produced, as the body breaks down and processes the drug. A metabolite is a compound that is created from chemical changes to a drug within the body. Blood carrying these metabolites circulates, eventually enters and nourishes the hair follicle, and the metabolites are then incorporated into the hair strand the follicle produces.
The most common use for a hair follicle test is as a forensic drug test. Hair collected from the scalp represents approximately 90 days of toxicological history in people with an average rate of hair growth which can be effective when testing for drug abuse in criminal investigations and also testing employees during employee drug testing.
Forensic Hair Testing Experts have proven that hair analysis is more accurate than urine and blood tests when it comes to drug testing and alcohol testing. Hair testing is used, sometimes secretly, by parents worried about their child's possible use of drugs. Hairs collected from a pillow can be collected and sent to a laboratory for testing. The advantage of hair testing over other types of drug testing is that a hair follicle test can detect drug use for up to 90 days after the drug has been used. This is because trace amounts of drug chemicals become trapped inside the structure of the hair as it grows out. Drug tests from hair samples can detect every major type of drug including cocaine, ecstasy, PCP, methamphetamines, marijuana, and opiates.
If you require further information on Hair Analysis, Hair Testing, Hair Drug Testing, Hair Expert Witness Services or any other Forensic Hair query please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.
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