Blood, sweat and tears – beyond the visible
Yvonne Turner
UK Sales Foster + Freeman

The detection of body fluids at the crime scene is a fundamental objective for both forensic scenes of crime officers, and forensic serologists alike. Since the mid-1980s, forensic light sources (FLS) have been developed and utilised to help in the search for body secretions either in the laboratory, or more recently in field.
Biological evidence such as blood, semen, saliva and urine are commonly encountered in crime scene investigation, and have been the focus of most studies exploring body fluid detection. Additional excretions such as sweat and vaginal fluid have been little investigated, but should not be ignored as they have the potential to offer significant evidence within the forensic case as well as presenting a suitable target area for DNA analysis.
Historically, white light, ultraviolet light (UV) and laser light sources have been used in the visualisation of body fluids across a range of substrates, typically fabrics. Owing to the inherent fluorescence of many natural secretions, these light sources may be utilised as a non-contact, non/minimally-destructive screening method of choice for forensic examiners.
Light sources immediately offer a more convenient, simple and contamination-free alternative that have become more and more exploited within the discipline over recent years. Moreover, the evolution and technological advancement within the LED industry has allowed Foster + Freeman Ltd to develop a range of LED light sources that achieve extremely high levels of light intensity output, without compromising the safety of the end user(s). The Crime-lite range has been shown over many years to offer a fit-for-purpose screening method for use both in field and in the laboratory. A comprehensive evaluation into the ability of a range of wavelengths to induce fluorescence that may be observed using carefully selected viewing parameters.

Yvonne holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Applied Biochemistry from Brunel University. She is a member of the Institute of Biology and a member of the Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences and was a Link Person in the Forensic Science Service London Laboratory and Chepstow Laboratory.
In 1986 Yvonne joined the Metropolitan Police Forensic Science Laboratory (later the Forensic Science Service) in the biology section where she examined items for body fluids, specialised in textile fibre analysis and also, at an early stage of her career, delivered training to police officers. She later developed into training police officers, scenes of crime officers and other visitors to the laboratory in various aspects of forensic science. Presentations to the Chartered Society and school workshops featured as a break to bench work. She then spent a number of years in the DNA Unit and as a textile fibres specialist in the Analytical Department. This period included presentation of evidence at court on both DNA and textile fibres and the publication of scientific papers. A formal training position followed many years as an examiner at the bench and at crime scenes. In 2001 she transferred internally to the Chepstow Laboratory as a Customer Training Consultant to provide bespoke training courses for police forces in the South West and Wales region.
Yvonne has delivered training courses to a wide range of audiences including police, scenes of crime officers, scientists, forensic medical examiners and support staff. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and was awarded her Advanced Diploma in Learning and Development at Cambridge University in 2010 following on from her Certificate in Training Practice (2000).

Location

Richmond JSB