Solving crime using the bleeding obvious

Forensic experts are helping to solve crime with equipment that they always carry with them and that doesn't rely on expensive gadgetry - their eyes. Professor Adrian Linacre, South Australia Chair in Forensic Science at Flinders University will explain at a seminar on Thursday, 1 July how blood pattern analysis is a relatively simple yet underused means of gathering valuable information about a crime.

“Blood pattern analysis requires no more than looking at the pattern of blood on items and at crime scenes,” Professor Linacre said. “We know there is a direct relationship between the size of blood spots and force, namely, the greater the force, the smaller the spot,” he said. “The highest impact, usually involving a gunshot or another mechanical device, creates a fine mist of blood. Equally, we know spots of blood can only travel certain distances. A fine mist of blood will normally travel a maximum of one metre. Using simple laws of physics and trigonometry, it is possible to determine the possible forces involved in blood loss and from where it most likely originated.”