From J. E. STEPHENS
Your report on forensic evidence (This Week, 13 February) states ‘researchers
say that there is a shortage of forensic scientists in private practice’.
Our consultancy does a considerable amount of independent forensic science
work, and we frequently find that defence solicitors have not sufficiently
recognised the benefit of getting a second opinion on forensic science or
are ignorant of where to look for an independent scientist. There are many
commercially produced lists of available expert witnesses.
One of these sources has 1440 separate entries for private expert witnesses.
Other sources include the Forensic Science Society who also maintain a
list of independent expert witnesses registered with them. The problem
would not seem to be the supply of expert witnesses but the difficulty lawyers
face in finding them.
J. E. Stephens Keith Borer Consultants Durham
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