Lorna Dawson

Last updated

Lorna Dawson
CBE FRSE
Occupation(s)professor of soil forensics, and expert witness in courts
Employer James Hutton Institute
Known forgiving expert soil forensic evidence in major cases e.g. World's End murders
Awards Pride of Britain and Soil Forensic Expert Witness of the Year Award
Honours CBE FRSE

Lorna Anne Dawson CBE FRSE [Fellowship of the Royal Society of Biology [FRSB]] [Fellowship of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society [RSGS]] [Fellowship of the Royal Society of Arts [FRSA]] is professor and head of soil forensics at the James Hutton Institute, Scotland, who is an Expert witness, a [Chartered Scientist]], and registered expert with the National Crime Agency. She won the award of Soil Forensic Expert Witness of the Year in the Corporate INTL 2021 Global Awards [1] for her forensic research solving major criminal cases, including the World's End pub murders. She had won a special Pride of Britain Award by The Daily Mirror in 2017, [2] for her role in solving long standing criminal cases, and her science communications. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, [3] Commander of the Order of the British Empire, with international academic recognition. [4]

Contents

Education and early career

Dawson has a BA in Geography (honours) from the University of Edinburgh (1979) and a Ph.D. in Soil Sciences (University of Aberdeen, 1984). [5] She has an Expert Witness Certificate in Criminal and Civil Law (Cardiff University, 2011, 2012, updated 2017). [5] [6] She worked at the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute with increasing responsibility, until it merged to form Hutton Institute 2011. [7]

Career

Criminal evidence

Dawson was expert witness in the 2014 re-trial of the World's End pub murders of teenagers, Christine Eadie and Helen Scott, found Angus Sinclair, guilty when soil samples (taken in 1977) from Helen Scott's bare feet, were studied using her techniques, after the law on 'double jeopardy' in Scotland had changed. [8] And also her expert evidence on soil from the accused boots was critical in the Emma Faulds murder trial. [9] Dawson was also sent samples to be examined in relation to the missing toddler Ben Needham, 26 years after he was lost in Greece. [10] And her expertise was brought in to the re-opening of the case on the 60 year old disappearance of schoolgirl Moira Anderson. [11] [12] Dawson has advised and reported on more than 150 cases, written more than 100 expert witness reports and presented evidence in 13 courts, in the UK and abroad. [5]

Research

She is a Fellow of the British Society of Soil Science (BSSS), and has conducted online events (2021); [13] a Chartered Soil Scientist, keynote speaker in 2020 at the first BSSS Annual Conference for United Nations Soil Day. [14] Dawson was a council member of the Institute of Professional Soil Scientists (2009-2013) and was a member of the Science and Technology Facilities Council, Science in Society panel (2007-2011). Dawson has developed techniques on soil organo-mineral markers in forensic investigations with police authorities and European research collaborators. She is involved in international Geoforensics network as treasurer [15] and is a member of the ENFSI (European Network of Forensic Science Institutes) Animals, Plants, Soils Traces working group. [4] She serves on the Technical Committee of the University of Messina, Rome, where she teaches a Masters in Forensic Geology. [4]

As head of soil forensics, she now has thirty years experience, including crime scene research and forensic evidence, and leads a team studying botany, mycology, palynology, mineralogy, organic and isotope chemistry, plant DNA and statistics. [16] Dawson has published extensively on the subject of soil forensics and soil-plant interactions, with more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, books, and book chapters. She is also an expert advisor to the National Crime Agency, and has worked with numerous police forces in Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, Brazil, Belize, and Australia . [5]

She serves on SEFARI Scottish Environment, Food and Agriculture Research Institutes research consortium, conducting research under the Scottish Government Strategic Research Programme 2016-2021 on agriculture, environment, food and land. [17] There she is leading a programme on Climate and the Environment, focussing on understanding impact on soils, biodiversity and ecosystems and considering adaptation and resilience, and part of the organisations gateway team for external engagement. [18]

Dawson was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2019, [3] and is a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. [19]

Expert advisor

Dawson is an honorary professor in Forensic Science at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, as well as lecturing at the universities of Aberdeen, Strathclyde and Edinburgh. She was a member of the General Committee of the British Science Association from 2013. [4] And she works on the Soil Quality Expert Advisory Group of Environment Protection Scotland. [5] In 2016, she was a co-convenor of the international Symposium “Forensic Soil Science and Geology in South Africa, [20] and also convened major international conferences. [4]

Dawson's leadership on the Royal Society of Edinburgh Food, Farming and Countryside Scotland Inquiry, produced a report which concluded 'Farmers and farming groups are very much part of the solution to the issues of climate change and biodiversity loss'. [21] And her conclusions are summarised from a virtual tour of Scottish agriculture and biodiversity, for delegates to 2021 UN Climate Change conference (COP26). [22]

She continues to push at improving the science of forensic evidence from soils and promotes practical database collaboration. [23]

Dawson's up to date bibliography is published by the Hutton Institute. [4]

Her research published output is also available on GoogleScholar. [24]

In 2010, she co-edited and contributed chapters to the textbook Criminal and Environmental Soil Forensics. [25]

Dawson has been involved in television documentaries Catching History's Criminals: The Forensics Story (2015) [26] and Britain's Most Evil Killers (2017) [27] and media interviews. [28] She took an academic sabbatical to advise the BBC on programmes, such as Countryfile, Vera [4] and Silent Witness. [29]

Dawson began her TedX talk by saying 'You could say that soil is in my blood' referencing a childhood accident on her family farm. [30] A BBC radio interview explained how she began a career in soil science, partly as she was a student at the time of the World's End murders. [28] She has encouraged students to follow her into what she sees as a 'cool job'. [31]

Dawson was the inspiration for a character (Professor Lee-Ann Inglis) in one of crime writer Ian Rankin's novels, In aHouse of Lies. [32]

Honours

Dawson was given a special recognition in the 2017 Pride of Britain awards: '“Soil sleuth” who has pioneered forensic techniques that have helped solve more than 100 crimes, and put some of the UK’s most notorious killers behind bars.' [33] Dawson was made a CBE in the Queen's birthday honours list of 2018, and elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. [19] [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

An expert witness, particularly in common law countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States, is a person whose opinion by virtue of education, training, certification, skills or experience, is accepted by the judge as an expert. The judge may consider the witness's specialized opinion about evidence or about facts before the court within the expert's area of expertise, to be referred to as an "expert opinion". Expert witnesses may also deliver "expert evidence" within the area of their expertise. Their testimony may be rebutted by testimony from other experts or by other evidence or facts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forensic science</span> Application of science to criminal and civil laws

Forensic science, also known as criminalistics, is the application of science principles and methods to support legal decision-making in matters of criminal and civil law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Bell</span> Scottish surgeon and lecturer

Joseph Bell FRCSE was a Scottish surgeon and lecturer at the medical school of the University of Edinburgh in the 19th century. He is best known as an inspiration for the literary character, Sherlock Holmes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forensic linguistics</span> Application of linguistics to forensics

Forensic linguistics, legal linguistics, or language and the law is the application of linguistic knowledge, methods, and insights to the forensic context of law, language, crime investigation, trial, and judicial procedure. It is a branch of applied linguistics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernard Spilsbury</span> English pathologist (1877–1947)

Sir Bernard Henry Spilsbury was an English pathologist. His cases include Hawley Crippen, the Seddon case, the Major Armstrong poisoning, the "Brides in the Bath" murders by George Joseph Smith, the Crumbles murders, the Podmore case, the Sidney Harry Fox matricide, the Vera Page case, and the murder trials of Louis Voisin, Jean-Pierre Vaquier, Norman Thorne, Donald Merrett, Alfred Rouse, Elvira Barney, Toni Mancini, and Gordon Cummins. Spilsbury's courtroom appearances became legendary for his demeanour of effortless dominance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miscarriage of justice</span> Conviction of a person for a crime that they did not commit

A miscarriage of justice occurs when an unfair outcome occurs in a criminal or civil proceeding, such as the conviction and punishment of a person for a crime they did not commit. Miscarriages are also known as wrongful convictions. Innocent people have sometimes ended up in prison for years before their conviction has eventually been overturned. They may be exonerated if new evidence comes to light or it is determined that the police or prosecutor committed some kind of misconduct at the original trial. In some jurisdictions this leads to the payment of compensation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buck Ruxton</span> British physician and convicted murderer

Buck Ruxton was an Indian-born physician convicted and subsequently hanged for the September 1935 murders of his common-law wife, Isabella Ruxton, and the family housemaid, Mary Jane Rogerson, at his home in Lancaster, England. These murders are informally known as the Bodies Under the Bridge and the Jigsaw Murders, while Ruxton himself became known as The Savage Surgeon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sue Black, Baroness Black of Strome</span> Scottish forensic anthropologist (born 1961)

Susan Margaret Black, Baroness Black of Strome, is a Scottish forensic anthropologist, anatomist and academic. She was the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Engagement at Lancaster University and is past President of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. From 2003 to 2018 she was Professor of Anatomy and Forensic Anthropology at the University of Dundee. She is President of St John's College, Oxford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forensic geology</span>

Forensic geology is the study of evidence relating to materials found in the Earth used to answer questions raised by the legal system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sydney Smith (pathologist)</span> British pathologist

Sir Sydney Alfred Smith CBE OPR FRSE, was a forensic scientist, pathologist and one of the pre-eminent medico-legal specialists in the world. From 1928 to 1953, Smith was Regius Professor of Forensic Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, a well-known forensic department of that time. Smith's iconic 1959 autobiography Mostly Murder has run through many British and American editions and has been translated into several other languages.

Jessie Gordon, formerly McTavish, is a Scottish retired nurse who was convicted in 1974 of murdering a patient with insulin, and of administering a variety of substances with intent to cause harm. The conviction was overturned on appeal in 1976. She was dubbed the "Angel of Death" by the press.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World's End Murders</span> Crime in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1977

The World's End Murders is the colloquial name given to the murder of two girls, Christine Eadie, 17, and Helen Scott, 17, in Edinburgh, in October 1977. The case is so named because both victims were last seen alive leaving The World's End pub in Edinburgh's Old Town. The only person to stand trial accused of the murders, Angus Robertson Sinclair, was acquitted in 2007 in controversial circumstances. Following the amendment of the law of double jeopardy, which would have prevented his retrial, Sinclair was retried in October 2014 and convicted of both murders on 14 November 2014. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 37 years, the longest sentence by a Scottish court, meaning he would have been 106 years old when he was eligible for a potential release on parole. He died at HM Prison Glenochil aged 73 on 11 March 2019. Coincidentally, he died on the same day the BBC's Crimewatch Roadshow programme profiled the murders.

David S. Reay is a climate change scientist, author, and professor of carbon management and education at the University of Edinburgh. He serves as co-chair of the Just Transition Commission, and served as executive director of the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute and policy director of ClimateXChange between January 2020 and January 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Hutton Institute</span> Scottish research institution

The James Hutton Institute is an interdisciplinary scientific research institute in Scotland established in 2011, through the merger of Scottish Crop Research Institute (SCRI) and the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute. The institute, named after Scottish geologist James Hutton, one of the leading figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, combines existing Scottish expertise in agricultural research, soils and land use, and works in fields including food and energy security, biodiversity, and climate change. With more than 600 employees, the institute is among the largest research centres in the UK. It is a registered charity under Scottish law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Littlejohn</span> British surgeon and forensic scientist

Sir Henry Duncan Littlejohn MD LLD FRCSE was a Scottish surgeon, forensic scientist and public health official. He served for 46 years as Edinburgh's first Medical Officer of Health, during which time he brought about significant improvements in the living conditions and the health of the city's inhabitants. He also served as a police surgeon and medical adviser in Scottish criminal cases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Glover (biologist)</span> Scottish biologist (born 1956)

Dame Lesley Anne Glover is a Scottish biologist and academic. She was Professor of molecular biology and cell biology at the University of Aberdeen before being named Vice Principal for External Affairs and Dean for Europe. She served as Chief Scientific Adviser to the President of the European Commission from 2012 to 2014. In 2018 she joined the Principal's senior advisory team at the University of Strathclyde.

Violet Rosemary Strachan Hutton FInstP FRSE FRAS, known to her peers as Rosemary, was a Scottish geophysicist and pioneer of magnetotellurics. Her research focused on the use of electromagnetic methods to determine the electrical conductivity and structure of the Earth's crust, lithosphere and upper mantle, with a particular focus on the African continent and Scotland. She spent over two decades at the University of Edinburgh School of GeoSciences as a researcher and lecturer and was a Fellow of many societies including the American Geophysical Union and The Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Professor Patricia Wiltshire is a forensic ecologist, botanist and palynologist. She has been consulted by police forces and industry in almost 300 investigations in several countries and has been instrumental in solving several high-profile crimes, including the killings of Sarah Payne and Millie Dowler, the cold case of Christopher Laverack, the Soham murders, and the Ipswich serial murders.

Niamh Nic Daéid is an Irish forensic scientist. She is Professor of Forensic Science and Director of the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science at the University of Dundee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheila Rowan (physicist)</span> Professor of Physics, Chief Scientific Advisor to the Scottish Government

Sheila Rowan is a Scottish physicist and academic, who is Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, and director of its Institute for Gravitational Research since 2009. She is known for her work in advancing the detection of gravitational waves. In 2016, Rowan was appointed the (part-time) Chief Scientific Advisor to the Scottish Government.

References

  1. ↑ Rodriguez-Salcedo, Bernardo (1 February 2021). "Professor Lorna Dawson wins Corporate INTL Soil Forensic Expert Witness of the Year award | SEFARI". sefari.scot. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Lion, Patrick (7 November 2017). "Technique of 'soil sleuth' that's put some of UK's biggest killers behind bars". mirror. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 "Professor Lorna Dawson CBE FRSE – Royal Society of Edinburgh" . Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Professor Lorna Dawson | Environmental and Biochemical Sciences | The James Hutton Institute". www.hutton.ac.uk. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 www.expertcodelab.com, Expert Code Lab Pvt. Ltd. "Forensic Event One Stop for All Forensic Reach - Team Members". Learn Forensic. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  6. ↑ "Lorna Dawson". Leaders in Law. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  7. ↑ Institute, Macaulay Land Use Research (26 April 2007). "Macaulay Land Use Research Institute". macaulay.webarchive.hutton.ac.uk. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  8. ↑ "World's End murders: Possible DNA match between accused and victims". BBC News. 22 October 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  9. ↑ McCabe, Grant. "Prison officer Ross Willox convicted of murdering Emma Faulds". The Times . ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  10. ↑ "Ben Needham: Blood found on sandal and inside toy car". BBC News. 24 July 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  11. ↑ Ruffell, Alastair (23 March 2017). "How science is helping the police search for bodies in water". The Conversation. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  12. ↑ "Police focus on canal in search for remains of missing schoolgirl Moira Anderson who disappeared 60 years ago". HeraldScotland. 14 March 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  13. ↑ "Zoom into Soil: Soil Functions". The Science Council ~. 22 February 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  14. ↑ "BSSS Annual Conference - Soil in Action". British Society of Soil Science. 9 November 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  15. ↑ "IUGS Imitative on Forensic Geology". www.qub.ac.uk. 1 May 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  16. ↑ "Professor Lorna Dawson | SEFARI". sefari.scot. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  17. ↑ "About Us | SEFARI". sefari.scot. 29 March 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  18. ↑ "Climate and the Environment | SEFARI". sefari.scot. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  19. 1 2 "The Queen's Birthday Honours List 2018". GOV.UK. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  20. ↑ Symposium: Forensic soil science and geology. 5th International conference on Criminal & Environmental Soil Forensics. Soil Forensic International (SFI-2016) (PDF). 35th International Geological Congress. 1916.
  21. ↑ "Research finds climate change innovation at the heart of Scotland's rural life". The National. 24 October 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  22. ↑ "Climate solutions from peatlands to parasites". DGWGO. 21 October 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  23. ↑ Hornyak, Tim (16 August 2021). "Predictive Forensics Helps Determine Where Soil Samples Came From". Eos. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  24. ↑ "Lorna Dawson". scholar.google.co.uk. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  25. ↑ Criminal and environmental soil forensics. K. Ritz, Lorna Dawson, David Miller. Dordrecht. 2009. ISBN   978-1-4020-9204-6. OCLC   314175891.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
  26. ↑ "BBC Four - Catching History's Criminals: The Forensics Story". BBC. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  27. ↑ "Lorna Dawson". IMDb. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  28. 1 2 "BBC Radio Scotland - Brainwaves, Series 4, Professor Lorna Dawson". BBC. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  29. ↑ "'It's not like CSI' — why Silent Witness adviser Professor Lorna Dawson wants us to learn the secrets of forensic science". 8 May 2019.
  30. ↑ The Importance of Soil in Forensic Science | Lorna Dawson | TEDxAberdeen , retrieved 6 November 2021
  31. ↑ "Cool Jobs: Unearthing the secrets of soil". Science News for Students. 16 November 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  32. ↑ Hendry, Ben. "Sherlock inspired scientific sleuth Lorna Dawson, and now Ian Rankin has turned her into fictional crime-buster". Press and Journal. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  33. ↑ "Special Recognition - Pride of Britain Awards" . Retrieved 6 November 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.