Recovery of footwear marks from difficult surfaces - Kevin Farrugia studentship

Chemical Enhancement of Footwear Marks

The main of the project is to focus on the recovery of footwear impression evidence from human skin and fabric. Footwear evidence can be present when somebody is kicked and stamped to death. Although there exist a number of techniques to enhance and recover such evidence from different substrates, little work has been done on fabric and skin since these are considered as difficult substrates. Techniques utilised for fingerprints will be utilised for footwear impressions and see how they compare on skin and fabric. Some other newer methods will also be utilised such as alginates for casting impressions.Furthermore, work will be carried with Bioengineering unit to see the force and pressure involved in kicking and also to imitate the spongy action of the skin.

This work produced a comprehensive guide to the best chemical and visual enhancement techniques for the recovery of footwear marks in blood or soil made on fabrics.