WEBINAR - I’ve nothing to fear, I’m innocent! - The role of technical evidence in miscarriages of justice.

All of us have the hope that if we are wrongly accused of a crime then the Criminal Justice System will look fairly at the evidence and bring the correct verdict. In this presentation, Andrew Moncrieff draws on personal experience to illustrate worrying cases where this treasured process has most emphatically failed or come dangerously close to failing, around the consideration of forensic evidence. He goes on to explore some of the systematic reasons for these failures.

• Understand some of the problems associated with presenting technical evidence to courts and juries.

• Appreciate the importance of forensic evidence within the litigation process.

• Identify potential scenarios where evidential failures can occur.

Dr Andrew Moncrieff completed his first degree at Oxford University and his PhD at Cambridge before working as a geologist for the British Antarctic Survey. In 1992 he joined the forensic science firm, Hawkins, where he specialised in the investigation of fires and the use of forensic geology in the investigation of insurance claims and major crimes. He provided critical evidence leading to the conviction of Ian Huntley for the Soham Murders and has worked on many other similar cases for both the prosecution and defence. Andrew is now Managing Director of Hawkins and is based in their Cambridge office.