Forensic Analyst
Forensic analysts are solely laboratory based and do not attend a crime scene if a crime has been committed, their job role will only be carried out within the laboratory. When a crime is occurred scenes of crime officers will be requested to attend the scene and collect any vital pieces of evidence, this evidence will then be bagged and tagged correctly and placed within the chain of custody. Once the evidence is placed into the chain of custody It is sent off to a specific forensic laboratory where forensic analysts will attempt to evaluate the evidence through the correct techniques. The responsibility of the forensic analysts is to analyse the evidence that is given to then, they will perform tests on different types of evidence which will be dependent on the type of evidence that has been retrieved from the scene types of evidence analysed by a forensic analyst are; fingerprints, blood splatter, clothing and saliva etc. Each pieces of evidence retrieved from the scene needs to be handled carefully, so no damage occurs which could prevent the evidence from being significant in the court of law. When a forensic analyst carries out there role to perform tests on the pieces of evidence taken from the scene it is vital that they record results which are documented in high detail for further use. This will help them write a report on the findings of the evidence, which will then be passed on to officers so they are able to know if a suspect is guilty or not. The forensic analysts job can vary depending on the different types of evidence they have been given, if there has been a shooting and clothing has been taken from a suspect the forensic analyst will spend their time examining the clothes for any gunshot residue as well as any DNA from the victim if they may have come into contact. Although there job may vary they are always based In specialist laboratory's, forensic analysts are responsible for the evidence as soon as it is delivered to them and they have to ensure no contamination takes place and no evidence is lost. Different techniques are specific to specific types of evidence it is vital that the forensic analyst uses the correct technique as if the evidence is contaminated or ruined they may not be able to take the case may further due to the lack of sufficient evidence. Due to the forensic analysts having to use a number of techniques there job role varies as they have to meet the needs of the evidence they have been given within the case.
Roles of the Forensic Analyst within the Soham Murders
Due to Huntley leaving behind a lot of hidden evidence there was a large amount to be analysed which further linked him to the death of both young girls. Within the bin where the girls clothes where found Huntley had left hair samples as well as finger prints on both the clothing and the bin, it was known to the police that Huntley had access to the small building due to the finding of the keys within his home. Huntley also burned the girl’s bodies in a petrol fluid; this fluid was lifted from the children's bodies as well as the evidence the petrol fluid was then examined to predict the manufacturer and where it had come from. This was sufficient evidence to link Huntley to the case as there was CCTV footage showing Huntley at a petrol station purchasing the exact fluid, with this evidence and it being examined correctly this meant that the police had evidence to hold Huntley in custody for which later was used in the court of law where Huntley and Carr were both jails for their involvement in the death of both girls. Bodily fluids taken from Huntleys bathroom were also examined and traces of Holly Wells blood where found, which shown that both girls where in the home of Ian Huntley the night they were murdered. As there where many different pieces of evidence found at each three crime scenes this meant that the forensic analysts needed to vary there role in order to examine the evidence effectively and correctly. This meaning the forensic analysts would need to ensure they were able to perform the correct techniques on the evidence; the evidence varied which meant the type of techniques used also varied for the analysts. An example of this is that Huntley left hair samples at the scene, the forensic analysts would need to analyse these samples effectively using both a visual inspection and a microscopic inspection, petrol was also found in Huntleys car and on the girl’s bodies to match these samples chromatography would needed to be used to prove this. Within a different investigation the forensic analysts would need to analyse numerous pieces of evidence, but this would vary for example in a terrorist attack the main piece of potential evidence that would be analysed by the forensic analyst would be a suspected bomb.