We have supplied results for a case where the murder victim was a close
cousin of one of my lab staff - but the police needed the results and
were very happy to find that the staff member concerned was off on
maternity leave so could not have had any contact with the sample...
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Prof. Tim Reynolds,
Queen's Hospital,
Belvedere Rd,
Burton-on-Trent,
Staffordshire,
DE13 0RB
work tel: 01283 511511 ext. 4035
work fax: 01283 593064
work email: [log in to unmask]
home email: [log in to unmask]
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-----Original Message-----
From: Clinical biochemistry discussion list
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of gordon challand
Sent: 03 August 2009 22:51
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Police seizure of samples
Dear Mike and Janice
I am astonished that from your angle you believe that only 'Home Office
labs' can produce results acceptable in Court. First, do any 'Home
Office
labs' still exist? the old Forensic Science Service was dismantled many
years ago. Second, the Royal Berkshire Hospital Clinical Biochemistry
Department has produced many results over the years which even without a
chain of custody document of the sample (although we try to obtain this,
it
is not usually possible to obtain it retrospectively) have been used as
evidence in many Court cases, without anyone seriously challenging their
authenticity or the ability of the Department to produce valid results
which
were acceptable in a legal case - one of these Cases which I was
involved in
led to a change in the law, in that failure to ask for medical
assistance in
a methadone toxicity case led to a charge of manslaughter being
successfully
brought.
Best wishes
Gordon Challand
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