The interpretation of elemental composition measurements from forensic glass evidence: I
1997; Elsevier BV; Volume: 37; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/s1355-0306(97)72197-x
ISSN1876-4452
AutoresJames M. Curran, C.M. Triggs, José R. Almirall, John Buckleton, K.A.J. Walsh,
Tópico(s)Analytical chemistry methods development
ResumoThe interpretation of glass evidence is crucial to the accurate appraisal of the evidential value of the analytical results. Frequently, the first step in this assessment is a comparison between the analytical results of the recovered and control glass fragments to determine whether they could have come from the same source of glass. A number of different methods are available depending on the type of analytical test(s) performed. The second step is to determine the evidential value of these findings. The glass evidence can be interpreted at the source level, which provides an opinion as to the likelihood of the recovered glass coming from the control glass; or more usefully at the activity level, which assesses the evidence with consideration to the alleged circumstances of the case. An activity level assessment involves consideration of a number of factors, including the amount of matching and non-matching glass found, the commonness or rarity of the matching glass, the probability of glass being transferred given the particular case scenario, and the amount of background glass found on a random person. The assessment of the evidential value can be made in an essentially subjective manner or by using a more formal framework, such as the calculation of the likelihood ratio (LR). Methods to report these findings are also presented.
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