nd symposium on the forensic sciences adelaide...

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22ND

INTERNATIONAL

SYMPOSIUM ON THE FORENSIC

SCIENCES

ADELAIDE TWENTY14

Special Edition ANZFSS Newsletter

ANZFSS SYMPOSIUM CHAIRMAN’S WRAP UP

David Eitzen Here we are suffering from conference withdrawal syndrome.

Not really, but I’m sure I can speak for the whole committee

when I say there was a huge build up in the 3 or 4 weeks leading

up to Aug 31. We had things to do that could only be done at the

last minute. We had presentation withdrawals and program

changes, we had delivery of our tablets from China with only a

few days spare and we had to pack 850 satchels with the show

bag goodies. It was a great team effort and well supported by a

group of eager volunteers. Fortunately there were no dramas

with the Trade and Sponsors due to the early ground work we

had put in, and that part of it went very smoothly. So the stage

was set, we were all a bit anxious, but with all the planning and

good communications we just had to wait for the curtain to rise

and the show to begin.

The Welcoming went well, starting in the foyer overlooking

Adelaide Oval and the Torrens precinct with approximately 600

in attendance. When I announced we were moving into the

Trade Exhibition there was a 30 second delay. Then I felt the

Tsunami building. What was that?? Why the rumbles??

Oh, got it!!!

Organising Committee

Chair: David Eitzen

Scientific Program Chair:

Adrian Linacre

Darren (Stix) Bails

Ted Silenieks

Natasha Mitchell

Carolyne Bird

Kareana Uern

Newsletter compiled and

edited by Dan Butzbach, SA

Branch Editor

Adelaide twenty14 symposium newsletter

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Yes the drinks will continue & will accompany us into the new venue. Whew!!! Disaster averted.

The Trade Exhibition was excellent with 54 booths sold, far bigger than previous years and much

better than we expected, but again that came down to hard work by the team. If any of you get the

chance, please support these companies, as they supported us.

The Official Opening by the Chief Justice the Honourable Chris

Kourakis and the Police Commissioner, Mr. Gary Burns set the

stage for the plenary’s to begin. We tried a new initiative by

having a Punchy Plenary, Dr Jason Fox, a motivational speaker

up first and then followed up with the BIG Guns within the

scientific community.

I have had many compliments about the high standard of all 9

plenaries and collectively I believe they were the best for many

a conference.

Similarly, many of our International Speakers commented on

the high quality of the science presented and many of them

have said they will be putting the next ANZFSS 2016 meeting,

into their calendars.

The Social events were fantastic - a lot of fun that allowed

delegates to network and connect up with each other in a

relaxed fashion. Speaking of fashion, the Bonney & Clyde 1920s

Extreme Night Out was a fashionista’s highlight, with nearly

everyone getting into the theme. Wow, bring back the roaring

20’s, everyone looked fantastic.

The ANZFSS 22nd International Symposium concluded with the Official Dinner and the presentation

of awards. The presentations were handed out in a very slick manner (well done Adrian) and my

congratulations to all the award winners including our own editor, Dan Butzbach for Best New

Practitioner.

So, here we are post conference, with some debrief meeting scheduled for this week and we await for

the final invoices to come in so we can balance the books. Whilst we await these final tasks, I will

stick my neck out and declare the Adelaide Symposium a roaring SUCCESS.

Success comes with hard work and good team work. I thank the committee, Darren, Nat, Carolyne,

Ted, Adrian and Kareana, for being a good, no, GREAT team and performing their assigned tasks

superbly. I also thank the many people who volunteered to assist in both the hectic build up and

during the symposium. Your contribution made the meeting the success it was.

Chair: David Eitzen


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Finally, this is the 2nd ANZFSS International Symposium I have had the privilege to be involved with

and they keep building, getting bigger and better. It has been hard work, but it has been a lot of fun

too. If you get a chance to get involved, give it a crack, you will not regret it.

So I strongly recommend you start thinking of projects you can present in Auckland in 2016. I’m sure

that will be just as exciting!!!!

PS- On a personal highlight, I was humbled to be awarded ANZFSS Life Membership during the

AGM. What made it even more special, was that I stood alongside Dr Ross James, my previous boss

and a long time mentor, when he received his. Ross encouraged me to join the Society many, many,

years ago and made me feel very welcome. So welcomed, that I have stayed for my working lifetime &

will continue to be involved for many years yet.

ANZFSS 22nd Organising Committee Chairman (Retired)

David Eitzen.

WELCOMING RECEPTION, SUNDAY

Sunday night's Welcome drinks: From 5pm on Sunday, delegates were entertained by various

performers, including acrobats, gymnasts, baton twirlers and jugglers, plus one girl who used a staple

gun on her own forearm! And after seeing her arm after her performance, I can vouch that she wasn't

faking the staple gun at all! Delegates were provided with a choice of beer, red or white wine,

sparkling wine, and some quite tasty foods, all of which were nicely labelled for those with dietary


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requirements. The wines were supplied from Byrne's Wines. Following an hour of drinks and mixing,

the delegates were brought into the exhibition hall to enable some time to mingle with the trade

partners for another hour. It was a thoroughly enjoyable few hours to warm up for the week ahead

and reconnect with some old friends from previous symposia, and make new friends for the week

ahead.

MONDAY

Official opening, plenaries, scientific sessions and “free night” or Happy Hour at the Publisher’s and Franklin Hotel After the welcome from Symposium Chair David Eitzen, the Honourable Chris Kourakis, South

Australian Chief Justice, officially opened the 22nd International ANZFSS Symposium on the Forensic

Sciences. Following the opening, we also heard from the ANZFSS President, Claude Roux and the

South Australian Police Commissioner Gary Burns.

It was highlighted that SA is the only free settlement in Australia, as compared to the other states,

which were settled by convicts. We had over 800 delegates in attendance for the week, with 26

different countries represented, making this a truly international conference. A big part of the theme

for the week was for everyone to connect and build relationships across our various jurisdictions and

fields, in efforts to remove the “silos” within forensic science. It was also acknowledged that many of

the practitioners in Australia and New Zealand have, are, or will be, contributing to the investigation

into the downing of flight MH17, and the identification and repatriation of the remains which is being

performed in the Netherlands.

Another exciting feature for the week was the tablets provided to all delegates. On this, and by using

the wi-fi sponsored by Life Technologies, delegates could access the timetables, abstracts and delegate

lists, among other features. There was also the capability for the attendees to vote on the

presentations and posters presented during the week, and provide questions to be asked of the oral

presenters during the question times. Unfortunately there were reports that some people found it

difficult to access the wi-fi in the session rooms. Overall, it appeared that the tablets were a hit, and

definitely alleviated the hassle of carrying around a big heavy program filled with abstracts.

In an effort to get more interaction between the delegates and the trade partners, a bottle of Penfolds

Grange was up for grabs for those who visited each of the 54 trade booths and got their Exhibition

Passports signed by each booth.

Plenaries:

Dr Jason Fox: As scientists, we are typically skeptical about new things, and I'll admit I was even more

so when I saw we were going to be hearing from a motivational speaker. But I can say I was

pleasantly surprised and spent a good portion of the plenary session agreeing with Dr Fox and

laughing along with the rest of the audience. One particularly resonant quote for me was “many


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Dr. Jason Fox

introverts aren't shy, they are just very selective”. Jason also looked at the differences in motivation

styles:

Recognition for good work

Interpersonal support

Clear targets and goals

A sense of progress

Incentives and rewards

He showed that many managers thought that recognition for good work

was a primary motivator for employees, whereas he revealed that most

employees actually find that a sense of progress was more beneficial. This

is because we inherently default to doing activities that give us an

immediate sense of progress, so celebrating the small wins along the way

helps to keep our motivation up.

Prof. Christophe Champod from University of Lausanne “The future of delivering

fingerprint evidence: a roadmap towards Twenty20”. Christophe's presentation

looked at the increasing demands on forensic science laboratories, including the

requirement for more extensive documentation, transparency in policies, and the

high sample throughput from volume crime. He suggests for instance, with

fingermarks, that we move towards automated systems in an effort to remove

bias and to deal with the sheer high volume of the work. In this way, using

automation for the simpler analyses allows more human resources to be

redirected to the more complex cases.

Dr. Mark Reynolds from Western Australian Police “The future of trace

evidence – are we wasting our time?” Mark's presentation focused on the

importance of trace evidence and how many people tend to think of DNA

and fingermarks as the “best thing since sliced bread”, which is great but it

doesn't necessarily help in the “what and how” of a crime. DNA and

fingermarks are about finding out the “who” of a crime, but can't

necessarily help with the other aspects of crime investigations. From his

case studies, he was able to show how trace evidence can be instrumental

in solving a case. For instance, being able to show that a knife purchased

only a few days before a homicide, and had been sharpened by the suspect,

was able to give proof of intent when it came to court. Some of the statistics he provided were also

interesting. In Australia, homicide numbers are dropping, but more are occurring within residences,

going from 55% in 2009, up to 64% in 2013. In these instances, where the DNA and prints of the

inhabitants may be explained away as simply being from living there, the trace evidence can provide

proof of the sequence of events and be used to indicate who the suspect in a violent crime is.

Prof. Christophe Champod

Dr. Mark Reynolds


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The concurrent scientific sessions began after lunch, with Science & Education, Biological

Criminalistics, Education & Training, Crime Scene Investigation, Pathology & Clinical Medicine,

Chemical Criminalistics, and Illicit Drugs & Clandestine Labs all running through until close of the

day. Monday night was a “free night” in terms of social events, however there was a Happy Hour at

The Publishers’ and The Franklin Hotel, with money put onto the bar by the Symposium Committee.

It can be safely said that a good time was had by everyone that attended!

TUESDAY

Plenaries & scientific sessions Prof. Kimmo Himberg from Police College Helsinki “On the impacts of

forensic science: from case level to clearance level”. Kimmo’s focus in his

presentation was on the effectiveness of forensic science in supporting

intelligence, investigation and criminal justice practices. Using data from

Finland, Kimmo illustrated the current low rate of use of forensic science in

less serious crimes such as volume crime as compared to serious crimes

where the use and benefit of forensic science in the investigation is much

higher. Kimmo surmised based on his data that clearance rates for volume

crime may increase with greater use of crime scene investigation and forensic

science.

Dr. Bryan Found from Victoria Police “Deciphering the human

condition: the rise of cognitive forensics”. Bryan's presentation was

about how context can result in bias in the subjective fields of forensic

science, but how recent studies and cognitive scientists can be utilized

to minimize any potential bias in result interpretations. This was

focused upon the comparison sciences such as fingerprints, shoe

impressions and document examination, etc.

The concurrent scientific sessions began after morning tea with Education & Training, Biological

Criminalistics, Management & Quality Assurance, Crime Scene Investigation, Wildlife

Forensics/Entomology/Botany, Chemical Criminalistics and Illicit Drugs & Clandestine Labs.

Education & Training finished prior to lunch and was followed by the Science & Justice stream. At

the end of the day, Toxicology & Pharmacology began following the end of Crime Scene Investigation.

Prof. Kimmo Himberg

Dr. Bryan Found


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Clockwise from top left: ladies fashions, gambling tables and the dance floor rocking out!

EXTREME NIGHT OUT

1920’s Gangsters and Molls at the William Magarey Room, Adelaide Oval In the tradition of ANZFSS Symposia, the

Ladies and Gents gathered on the Tuesday

evening for a night of frivolity, entertainment

and dancing! It was lovely to see so many

people dressed up in their 1920’s costumes and

having a marvelous time. The vintage cars

parked out the front of the Oval were also a

very nice touch!

The photo booth near the entrance was a winner with many groups of people having their pictures

taken. These photos can be seen at:

http://www.snapslrbooth.com.au/galleries/anzfss2014photos/

There was also the opportunity for some gambling for those not interested in dancing, with many

people hitting up the tables with a view out to the oval itself.

Vintage cars outside Adelaide Oval

http://www.snapslrbooth.com.au/galleries/anzfss2014photos/


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The live band was a hit, with the dance floor packed as the evening went on. Upon the walls and large

screens there were some old photos and mug shots from the villains of that era, just to help the

“Gangsters and Molls” theme! I think it can be agreed that a good time was had by all that attended!

WEDNESDAY

Plenaries & scientific sessions Prof. Niamh Nic Daeid from University of Strathclyde “The future of

forensic evidence: developing some joined up research thinking”. Niamh's

presentation was about how we as the forensic science community should

be looking toward a multi-disciplinary view of forensic science. One point

that stuck was that we should stop calling ourselves, or our work

“forensics”, but ensure we include the science and be “forensic science”. In

this we need the scientific underpinning for our work and research and we

need to remove the “silos” within forensic science and encourage multi-

disciplinary collaborations.

Liesl Chapman SC from Len King Chambers “Playing forensic science

monopoly”. Liesl's presentation was based around a monopoly game of

forensic science (with some entertaining cartoons provided by her brother).

As a defence lawyer, it is more costly to land on the DNA square, while some

discipline squares could have houses or hotels made of sub-standard

materials (or scientific underpinnings) but those may not easily detected by

many in the legal system. The big question of Liesl’s game was who has

control of the game of forensic science monopoly?

The concurrent scientific sessions began after morning tea with Science & Justice, Biological

Criminalistics, Anthropology, Archaeology & Odontology, Firearms & Toolmarks, Wildlife

Forensics/Entomology/Botany, Chemical Criminalistics and Illicit Drugs & Clandestine Labs. After

lunch, Blood Pattern Analysis took over from Wildlife Forensics, Fingerprint Examination took over

from Chemical Criminalistics, and Toxicology & Pharmacology took over from Illicit Drugs &

Clandestine Labs. In the afternoon sessions, there were also singular presentations in Electronic

Evidence, and Biometrics. The Technology on Trial Panel Discussion was also on during the

afternoon sessions, and in the evening there was a Public Night hosted by the SA Branch of ANZFSS

(see below).

Liesl Chapman SC

Prof. Niamh Nic Daeid


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Assoc. Prof. Stewart Walker’s hair On the Wednesday in the lunch break, Stewart

Walker, who has been growing his hair for over 10

years for research, finally got it shaved! Well, half

of it. One of Stewart’s areas of forensic science

research is in the use of stable isotope ratios, and

whether the stable isotopes trapped within the

hair as it grows can be used to track the location

of a person. Over this last decade, Stewart has

been keeping a diary of where in the world he has

been travelling, and hopes that various

laboratories can track his global movements by

the stable isotopes in his hair, which would be

present from his dietary intake. The hair removal was filmed by the ABC and can be seen here:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-05/water-molecule-research-prompts-scientists-

haircut/5723548 Stewart was also using this opportunity to fundraise for Beyond Blue and the Cancer

Council, with the Symposium Organising Committee donating the first $100. The shave stopped

halfway, with Stewart looking quite strange only being half hairy, and it wasn’t completed until more

funds had been raised on Thursday, when the shave was finished! At the conclusion, over $1200 was

raised – many thanks to all those who donated to such good causes.

TECHNOLOGY ON TRIAL

Article by Dr. Duncan Taylor The 2014 ANZFSS International Symposium held in Adelaide was host to a panel discussion

“Technology on Trial”.

The panel consisted of Hon. Justice John Sulan, Leisl Chapman SC as defence barrister, Dr Damien

Abarno playing the role of a defence expert, Sandi McDonald SC as prosecutor, Dr Duncan Taylor, a

technical expert, and Sean Fewster representing the jury. The event was moderated by prominent

South Australian barrister, Michael Abbott QC.

The panel, representing all facets of the judicial system examined the admission of new technology to

the courtrooms, using the recently developed DNA interpretation software, STRmix™ as an example.

A mock case scenario involving an assault carried out by two men was used as a catalyst to promote

the discussion. The scenario outlined that a sample taken from the victim was analysed using the

expert software system and provided some evidence to support the presence of DNA of both the

accused.

Michael Abbott led the panel through a briar patch of questions and conundrums that explored many

interesting concepts and ideas: What constitutes an expert? Can a scientist use software and testify to

Stewart mid-shave

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-05/water-molecule-research-prompts-scientists-haircut/5723548

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-05/water-molecule-research-prompts-scientists-haircut/5723548


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Technology on Trial panel

the results if they don’t understand the mathematical calculations underpinning the software? Or

should we consider these systems as tools, much in the way that a pilot can fly a plane but not know

how to build the turbines that propel it? Is there even a choice with technology, by necessity,

becoming ever more specialised and complex to deal with the massive amounts of data now readily

available from crime investigations? All of these questions come before a scientist even sets foot in a

courtroom.

If a witness is called to present evidence in court, this brings about an entirely new set of

considerations: How do judges assess new technology? What does defence council really think of

expert witnesses and their evidence? How does a prosecutor lead a case or a defence barrister cross-

examine evidence they barely understand? What is the jury to make of the evidence, particularly if

faced with experts dueling on the stand? How is a judge to make an advisement or ruling in such a

situation?

The event was enjoyed by all, and helped to show the alternative and sometimes contrasting ideas that

occupy the barrier between science and law. With so many questions raised it is this sort of discussion

that will help break down the barriers and ultimately improve the effectiveness of scientific evidence

in a courtroom. There is only one certainty that has come from the ‘Technology on Trial’ discussion…

the future holds some exciting times.

SA BRANCH PUBLIC NIGHT: DETECTIVE INSPECTOR GARRY JUBELIN

NSW Police - “Underbelly Uncovered” The SA Branch of ANZFSS were lucky enough to secure Detective Inspector Gary Jubelin from NSW

Police to speak at the Public Night. Gary joined the NSW Police in 1985 and has had roles including

uniform patrol, tactical response and criminal investigations including major crime and homicide.

Gary led Strike Force TUNO, which was the investigation into the abduction and murder of career

criminal Terry Falconer, which was made into the TV series “Underbelly: Badness”.


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While on day release from prison, Terry Falconer was

approached by 3 men dressed to appear like detectives and

driving a car modified to look like a unmarked police car.

After handcuffing Falconer, the men rendered him

unconscious before taking him to the town of Girvan. After

his death which was reportedly during the transit to Girvan,

his body was dismembered and dumped in 7 weighted bags

in the Hastings River near Port Macquarie. They were

found 10 days later after they surfaced and found by a

fisherman. His remains were identified by fingerprints and

tattoos. Due to his previous criminal activities and

associations, there were up to 70 suspects to investigate for Falconer’s murder. Several possible

motives were that Falconer was a police informant and the bikie organization he was talking about

found out, to the fact that he was suspected of murdering an elderly couple in their home in 1993 and

that he was killed in retaliation. At the height of the investigation, there were 30 police working on

the case with a core group of 8 detectives.

A witness came forward and gave information to the team. He was recently released from prison and

owned a boat. A group of men approached him about borrowing the boat however he feared they

wanted to use it to dump a body and that they would double-cross him. The investigation team

checked the information the witness provided and it appeared to be credible. The information

indicated that Anthony and Andrew Perish were the main suspects, and that the motive was revenge

as Falconer was suspected of murdering their grandparents, Albert and Frances Perish, in 1993. With

great risk to the witness, an 18 month long covert operation ensued with the witness gathering

information and passing it on to the investigation team. During the course of the investigation,

Matthew Robert Lawton and Sean Waygood were also listed as suspects. After monitoring key players

the team found out about a meeting located between Sydney and Newcastle where 2 people met and

discussed a photo for 10 minutes. The two people were “cleanskins”, in that they had no prior

criminal history.

A shed located Mudgee came to the attention of the

police, which Anthony Perish was known to visit.

There was a secret compartment under the shed,

however it was also booby-trapped and it was

surrounded by surveillance equipment, making

surveillance by police difficult. It was thought that

the underground room was a drug lab. Anthony had

been on the run for years for amphetamine supply

from when he was in his 20’s.

One of the Perish’s acquaintances, Sean Waygood, was also often hired by them as their hitman. One

target that he was supposed to kill resulted in an innocent man being targeted mistakenly and shot 3

Det. Insp. Gary Jubelin

Part of the crowd at the public night


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times, who luckily survived. DNA recovered from Waygood’s failed evidence destruction attempt

linked him to other cases including a murder scene in QLD.

Another victim to the Perish’s illicit drug trade was Paul Elliot from Melbourne. After being provided

with a batch of poor quality drugs, Elliot and his girlfriend drove to Sydney to recover monies from

the bad deal. However, 2 days later he hadn’t returned to the girlfriend and so she knew something

had happened and flew back to Melbourne. Elliot’s body had been placed in a metal toolbox and

thrown overboard into the ocean at Sydney.

In 2008 the storage shed at Mudgee was searched, with drugs and also a gun used in murders found.

There was a coordinated arrest of the 14 people in the Perish’s web, with convictions for the murders

of Terry Falconer and Paul Elliot along with convictions for numerous other offences.

After discussing Strike Force TUNO, Gary opened the floor to questions from the audience, and

discussed the sacrifice that members of the investigation team took, being away on surveillance for

days at a time with no notice for family and friends and the break downs in personal relationships.

The SA Branch again thanks Detective Inspector Gary Jubelin for coming to Adelaide and speaking

for around 90 minutes to a very interested crowd!

THURSDAY

Plenaries & scientific sessions Dr Max Houck from District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences,

Washington DC. “How forensic science works: an architecture for the forensic

enterprise”. Max's presentation focused on the “detect, decipher, deliver”

theme of the Symposium. One of the things he talked about was how “hunting

is the oldest forensic activity” in that the hunter needs to find (detect) and

interpret (decipher) tracks to be able to find animals for food for themselves

and others (deliver). Max pointed out that forensic science is a historical

science, even if it’s the very recent history,

and that it should be considered a separate

basic science itself.

Sebastian Marino from The Jig Lab, New Zealand “Future trends in

reality capture and visualization”. Sebastian was able to show the

audience some examples of the reality capture technology used in the

big-budget film industry and how this can be utilised in forensic

science. Jig Lab and ESR have been collaborating towards making

the technology usable for the presentation of crime scene scenarios.

The concurrent scientific sessions began after morning tea with Fire & Explosions, Biological

Criminalistics, Document Examination, Biometrics, Blood Pattern Analysis, Fingerprint Examination

Sebastian Marino

Dr Max Houck


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and Toxicology & Pharmacology. Following lunch, Management & Quality Assurance took over from

Fire & Explosions and Electronic Evidence took over from Biometrics. After the conclusion of the

scientific sessions for the Symposium, the Annual General Meeting was held (see below).

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The AGM was held after the close of the scientific sessions but before the Gala Dinner on Thursday.

Some quick highlights include:

Official Journal – Australian Journal of Forensic Sciences

New Code of Professional Practice replacing the Code of Ethics; see “Resources” on the website

for details

New website homepage: www.anzfss.org (no “.au” as we are Aus & NZ)

Members are all being added to a centralised database which the respective branches can

update, along with new membership categories and fees being consistent across the branches

The new Executive Committee was voted in, with the following positions now occupied:

President – Prof. Claude Roux, University of Technology, Sydney

Vice-President – Mrs. Anna Davey, Forensic Foundations

Vice-President (NZ) – Matthew Gittos, NZ Police

Secretary – Assoc. Prof. James Wallman, University of Wollongong

Treasurer – Prof. Chris Lennard, University of Western Sydney

ANZFSS Executive L-R: Outgoing VP Prof. James Robertson, Assoc. Prof. James Wallman, Prof.

Chris Lennard, Matthew Gittos, Prof. Claude Roux, Anna Davey

A significant highlight of the AGM

was the awarding of 4 new ANZFSS

Life Memberships. These were

selected by the Branches, and

awarded at the AGM. The worthy

recipients were (from L-R) David

Eitzen (SA), Eric Murray (NSW),

Ross James (SA) and Tony Raymond

(NSW).

http://www.anzfss.org/


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GALA DINNER AND AWARDS CEREMONY

The Symposium Gala Dinner was a rather blue affair with the room decorated in the colours of

PathTech, the Dinner Sponsor. Camille from PathTech also greeted the crowd and noted that the

company was very excited to be a major sponsor for the Symposium as it was the first time they had

been involved to such a degree. The table decorations were lovely and each guest was provided with a

portable electronic device charger as their gift. Wines for the evening were provided by Koppamurra,

90 Mile Wines and ShowBlock Estate.

Article by Prof. Adrian Linacre – Scientific Chair The primary reason why the symposium exists is to showcase high quality science and it is only right

that there are prizes for the best oral presentation and poster. Additionally, at this symposium an

additional award of ‘Highly Recommended’ was awarded by five of the bigger discipline streams.

It should be recognised that an award is something special and those that score and judge the talks

and posters are mindful of this. The scoring was by the three discipline contacts, unless there was a

clear conflict of interest, and all were provided a generic template. If there was any reason for

arbitration then advice from the Scientific Chair was provided. Undoubtedly there were some very

difficult decisions due to the high calibre of talks and posters. Some of the largest disciplines, such as

Biological Criminalistics with 42 oral presentations, required much time from the judges and for this I

am very grateful.

There are a few points to consider for Auckland and beyond. Keynote speakers were not eligible for

this type of award; largely on the basis that a Keynote is given normally by a senior experienced

individual and that they have a significantly longer time for their presentation. Yet quite a few of these

Keynotes had been originally submitted as a standard abstract but deemed of sufficient interest and

standard to merit a longer time; thus making the presenter ineligible. The other point to consider is

whether it is equitable that one prize is awarded if there are 42 oral presentations in one discipline

stream and 6 in another.

At the conclusion of the symposium I hope that all have come away wiser and with continued

enthusiasm for research. Without research underpinning our science there is no doubt that the quality

of our practice can decline. In an era when there seems to be less and less time and finance for

research, it was still the case that at the symposium there were so many highly quality presentations.

Our international quests left with glowing compliments about the calibre of science ANZFSS symposia

showcase. Very many congratulations to one and all.


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Award Winners:

Archaeology, Anthropology & Odontology: Best Oral Presentation: Brad Ross (L) “Access to patient databases to

assist with antemortem record retrieval in forensic odontology”

Best Poster: Oznur Gulhan (R) “Skeletal sexing standards in a complex

population: A potential aid in the forensic identification of human

remains in Turkey”

Biological Criminalistics: Highly Commended: Nano Nagle (near R) “Antiquity and diversity of

Australian Aboriginal Y chromosomes: a perspective” and Eletra Williams

(far R) “RNA Suspension FISH; A Novel Method for Single Cell

Identification”

Best Oral Presentation: Kaye Ballantyne (L) “Contextual

biasing in biological examinations and DNA collection”

Best Poster: Sue Vintiner (not pictured) “LMD DNA Analysis of Archived Casework

Slides”

Biometrics: Best Oral Presentation: Alice Towler (R) “Can rating feature similarity improve face

matching accuracy?”

Bloodstain Pattern Analysis: Highly Commended: Niki Osborne (R) “How Reliable are Current

Methods for Bloodstain Pattern Analysis on Fabric?” and Patrick

Geoghegan (far R) and Michael Taylor (not pictured) “The Use of a

Novel Physical Model for Gunshot-Related Blood Spatter Simulation”

Best Oral Presentation: Nick Laan (far

L) “Impact velocity of blood droplets for

crime scene reconstructions”

Best Poster: Natasha Garcia (near L) “Contamination of bloodstain

patterns on fabric: what is the impact?”


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Chemical Criminalistics: Highly Commended: Georgina Sauzier (L)

“Discrimination and classification of blue-dyed

acrylic fibres using microspectrophotometry with

chemometrics”

Best Oral Presentation: Regina Verena Tautde (near

R) “The Development and Comparison of

Procedures for the Combined Collection of Organic

and Inorganic Gunshot Residues”

Best Poster: Karen Cavanagh-Steer (far R) “Body Bags – A Trace of Trace”

Crime Scene Investigation: Best Oral Presentation: Claire Ferguson (near R) “Staged Homicides:

An examination of common features of faked burglaries, suicides,

accidents and car accidents”

Best Poster: Michael Lee (far R) “Using helicopter mounted Forward

Looking Infrared Radar (FLIR) to locate human remains via the heat

signature of maggot masses”

Document Examination: Best Oral Presentation: Simon Baechler (L) “The systematic

processing of forensic science data to provide crime

intelligence: the example of false identity documents”

Best Poster: Melanie Holt (R) “The effect of tape lifting on the

ability of the ESDA to recover latent indentations in paper”

Education and Training: Best Oral Presentation: Cyril Muehlethaler (L) “Interactive teaching

and E-learning as complementary tools for forensic science students:

an example with microscopy Bachelor course”

Best Poster: Shirly Berends-Montero (R) “Adding value to a

professional visit”


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Electronic Evidence: Best Oral Presentation: Jason Barr (L) “Data accuracy of photo-fitting in to 3D point

clouds”

Fingerprint Examination: Best Oral Presentation: Mackenzie de la Hunty (L)

“Investigation of current and new techniques for the

development of fingermarks on porous substrates that have

been wet”

Best Poster: Michelle Death (R) “Effects of fingerprint

development protocols on DNA yield using Magnetic Bead

Extraction”

Firearms and Toolmarks: Best Oral Presentation: Jason Barr (L) “Crime scene trajectory recording and

representation using 3D laser scanning”

Best Poster: Alex Caruana (not pictured) “Choking the life out of less lethal munitions”

Fires and Explosives: Best Oral Presentation: John Goodpaster (L) “Mapping of

explosive residues on pipe bomb container fragments by a novel

total vaporization technique”

Best Poster: Margaret Black (R) “Field test kits for collection of

ignitable liquid residues: the first year of use”


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Illicit Drugs and Clandestine Laboratories: Best Oral Presentation: Kerrie-Anne Maroney (L) “Investigation of the I-

phenylacetylcarbinol process to substituted benzaldehydes of interest”

Best Poster: Christopher Ewers (not pictured) “Potential limitations of handheld

Raman devices in identifying illicit drugs”

Management and Quality Assurance: Best Oral Presentation: Katrina Edmonson (not pictured) “A multi-discipline

approach to Forensic Case Management and examinations”

Best Poster: Loene Howes (R) “The effectiveness of communication of expert

opinion: Themes from interviews with police and scientists”

Pathology and Clinical Medicine: Best Oral Presentation: Sarah Weller (L) “The use of electrolysis in

the examination of stented coronary vasculature”

Best Poster: Roman Lenchine (R) “Does the use of insecticide

interfere with DNA recovery and profiling?”

Science and Justice: Highly Commended: Peter Woodman (L) “The effectiveness of

forensic science in the criminal justice system: measuring the impact

of chemical trace evidence on police investigations and court trials”

Best Oral Presentation: Kate Cashman (R) “Lawyers’ use of DNA

evidence in criminal trials”

Toxicology and Pharmacology: Best Oral Presentation: Hilary Hamnett (L) “Toxicology case studies

from New Zealand involving LC-TOF-MS”

Best Poster: Amy Kok (R) “The toxicology of fatal cases involving

opium poppies in Tasmania”


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Danielle Butzbach with Chris Pearman and Janene Garde (Ian Riebeling’s

widow)

Wildlife Forensics, Entomology and Botany: Highly Commended: Michael Pais (L) “Histological

method for the aging of eggs of C. vicina using

qualitative determination of anatomical structures”

Best Oral Presentation: Rebecca Buis (near R)

“Confirming the validity of human decomposition

fluid as a cadaver-detection dog training aid”

Best Poster: Katelynn Perrault (far R) “Establishing the persistence of an odour signature in

decomposition soil”

Ian Riebeling Memorial Medal Winner 2014: Danielle Butzbach “Post-mortem production of paracetamol via degradation of its

metabolite”.

Presenters who are in the early stages of their career as a

forensic practitioner can be nominated for this prestigious

award. Many were nominated but not all meet the criteria

of being within the first five years, or part-time equivalent,

of their employment as a forensic practitioner. The

Scientific Chair, or a proxy when there was a clash as

happened only three times, judged each presentation on its

merits. There were certainly a few candidates who

presented clearly the aims to their talk, how they went

about it, what they found and its significance to their area

of forensic practice. These elements of the presentation

need to be articulated clearly both through the chosen

medium (of powerpoint) and by engagement with the audience. These are skills that may not come

easily to all, but one part of our role in forensic science is to explain what we do to a wider audience.

There was much deliberation and advice was sought to ensure that there was transparency in any final

judgment due to the high quality of the contenders. I am delighted to confirm that Dan, the editor of

our newsletter in her spare time and committee member of the SA Branch, was a worthy winner of the

Ian Riebeling Award. She provided a clear explanation of her work with calm confidence but clearly

with an underlying enthusiasm for the research, and was able to place her (and her teams’) findings in

the context of previous and current research.

Very many congratulations to Dan, and her colleagues, and I am sure that there will be some

presentations by new practitioners at Auckland of equally high quality.

Prof. Adrian Linacre, Scientific Chair.


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SYMPOSIUM WORKSHOPS

On the weekends before and after the Symposium, numerous workshops took place in connection

with ANZFSS. These included the popular 2-day Ian Riebeling New Practitioner Workshop run by

ANZPAA & NIFS, Evidence reporting and interpretation, Next generation sequencing, Elemental

analysis and stable isotope ratio in forensic science, instrumentation workshops by PerkinElmer and

ABSciex, LabWare & FSSA project, Contextual bias in decision making, the annual meeting of the

Forensic and Clinical Toxicology Association (FACTA), and many others.

Forensic Clinical Medicine & Pathology combined meeting - Evidence Based Practice (AAFP & FAMSACA) + RCPA Forensic Interim Meeting 2014

Article by Prof. Neil Langlois More than 100 registrants attended the first combined RCPA Forensic Pathology and Clinical

Forensic Medicine meeting, which was held over the weekend of 30th - 31st August as a 'workshop'

event for the following 22nd International Australian and New Zealand Forensic Science (ANZFSS)

symposium. The meeting was opened by Katrina Power, followed by an address by Katrine Hildyard

(MP for Reynell, South Australia). Two concurrent streams of clinical medicine and forensic

pathology were held culminating in a combined session for all registrants on the Sunday afternoon.

The forensic programme included international guest speaker Dr Rob Ainsworth from Edinburgh and

covered a range of topics including forensic aspects of animal attacks, the emergence of new illicit

psychotropic drugs (NBOMe), explosives and bomb scene investigation. The clinical forensic

programme was organised by FAMSACA (Forensic and Medical Sexual Assault Clinicians of

Australia) and AAFP (Australasian Association of Forensic Practitioners) with the theme of Evidence

Based Practice including a key note address from international guest speaker Dr Catherine White

OBE. The meeting promoted interchange between forensic pathologists and clinicians during the

programme and at breaks. The combined session covered Herbal medicines & death, Post-mortem

sexual assault examination, Domestic violence death review mechanisms and ended with Dr Morris

Odell talking on Working Together: the establishment of the Faculty of Clinical Forensic Medicine

within the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia.


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SPONSORS AND TRADE EXHIBITION

Of course, such a high quality Symposium can’t happen without its Sponsors and Exhibitors!

Friends of the Symposium

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors


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Bronze Sponsors

Barista Sponsor

e-lounge Sponsor

Poster Session Sponsor

USB Sponsor

Speaker Corner Sponsor

Pad Sponsor

Workshop Sponsors


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Morning & Afternoon Tea

Sponsor Media Sponsor Satchel Insert Sponsor

Additional Sponsors

Exhibitors: AB Sciex, CRKennedy & Co, Eppendorf, Forensic Technology, Grycol International Pty Ltd, House

with No Steps, Illumina Australia, JusticeTrax, Leica Microsystems, MACS Image, Morpho Multigate

Medical, Nikon, Optimum Technology, Panasonic, PerkinElmer, Qiagen, Ronlox Toxicology, Russell

Frazer Sales, Sanax Medical, Sarstedt Australia, Shimadzu Scientific, Shotton Group, Southern Cross

Science Pty Ltd, TekMed, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Warsash Scientific, Waters Australia, and XTek.

Without the support from these companies, such a high quality Symposium just would not be

possible. And of course, the bottle of Penfolds Grange that was won simply by visiting each of the

Exhibitors during the week would not be possible either!


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2016 AUCKLAND

“The Maori warrior is challenging you

On behalf of his people, our people

To come to his country, our country

To take up the challenge

To accept our hospitality

And to be welcomed

On behalf of ANZFSS

The President has accepted the challenge

Officially bringing the Symposium to Aotearoa”

Go to the website www.anzfss2016.org to register your interest!

http://www.anzfss2016.org/


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PHOTOS

As many of the Symposium attendees will have noticed during the week, there was a roving band of

photographers snapping away during the week. These 700+ photos have now been uploaded onto

Flickr at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/twenty14/sets/

Contact Us

The Australian & New Zealand Forensic Science Society

P.O. Box U188

Wollongong NSW 2500

[email protected]

www.anzfss.org

https://www.flickr.com/photos/twenty14/sets/

nd symposium on the forensic sciences adelaide...

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