The ability to gather evidence from a crime scene has become one of the key issues in finding solutions to varied problems. In particular, these are related to elements of abuse especially among the elderly who not only need to prove the fact that there has been the physical and sexual abuse but also the continual exploitation in terms of finances. In this case, getting the physical evidence of sexual assault makes it possible to support the claims made and to charge the offenders for the crimes that have been outlined. For instance, this is a case study of Miss Mary, who was sexually assaulted by his grandson Billy after several instances of financial exploitation together with his wife. It is for this reason that the allegations made by Miss Mary require sufficient evident in the form of forensic science and evidence. This is an indication that the use of forensic evidence to provide evidence within the crime scene provides proof beyond reasonable doubt that the allegations made by the victim are true since they can also be substantiated during the court procedure.
Application of forensic science in legal investigations
For a long time, forensic science has been applied as one of the fields in the legal investigation to provide evidence on the claims made by the victims against their offenders. In particular, it refers to the ability to apply the scientific knowledge and methods in the attempt to find legal solutions to problems and in criminal investigations. Most of the time, it is only known as forensics, and it encompasses some fields in science that include biology, anthropology, chemistry, genetics, engineering, phonetics, toxicology, medicine and psychiatry. This means forensic sciences refers to the application of the different relevant sciences and combining them with the varied matters of law. Therefore, most of the forensic investigators use the science to create an understanding on how the blood splatters occur as is reflected in physics, to get an understand the nature of the composition and the source of evidence that include the drugs and the trace materials as may be found in chemistry. At times, the application of forensic science can be used through the use of biological methods to determine the identification of a suspect who is not known (NACCALL & Vandel, 2012).
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The first use of forensic science was to provide the evidence of the utilization of a chemical substrate during a murder trial. In this case, it would have been possible to establish whether the cause of death of the deceased resulted from the application of the arsenic-laced coffee as earlier claimed. It is in this way that John Bodle would have been prosecuted for causing the death of his grandfather. In the same way, the use of forensic science in the case of Miss Mary would be used to establish the truth in the case and help to find some solutions that revolve around the claims. Therefore, the use of forensic science plays a crucial within the criminal justice system where it provides scientifically based information. This is because it can provide the proper analysis for the physical evidence. With the use of the various areas of forensic science during investigations, it is possible to collect the evidence from the scene of the crime, the victim or even other parameters that may be found relevant after the offense incidence. This means that the evidence can be collected from a person and later used for analysis in a crime laboratory. The results from these can then be presented as evidenced in court and later used to substantiate the claims made by the victim against the offender. With the utilization of the forensic science in the performance of criminal investigations, it is vital to understand that each of the crime scenes is unique and that in each case, there are unique challenges that are presented by both the victim and the offender. For instance, in the case of Miss Mary’s allegations, it could not have been easy to prove that Billy and his wife molested the victims financially (NACCALL & Vandel, 2012). However, with the presence of assault injuries and the allegations of rape, it is possible to collect evidence from the crime scene and from those who are involved in making charges against the offender. Moreover, it is also possible to apply forensic research in the development of methods that are highly accurate, discriminating, cost-effective, reliable and rapid to the extent that they will be able to help in the identification, analysis and interpretation of the physical evidence that is created. For instance, after the allegations that are made by Miss Mary against her grandchild, it is possible to make use of the forensic research to identify whether the claims made are true and whether those who are accused are involved in the crime. Also, since the grandson and his wife also tend to counter the accusations by insinuating that she is not in her right state of mind and may be lonely. In this case, the nature of the case is unique and thus needs a higher level of investigation to enable the clarification of the claims that have been made by both parties in the case. Over time, the use of forensic science in criminal investigations has been done to make it possible to expand the scientific basis of the different forensic methods to ensure that they can perform deeper investigations and to identify many other factors that can be linked to the crime scene and the various offenders that are incriminated to the crime (Gaensslen, & Larsen, 2013).
Grant (2004) indicates that in the area of criminal justice, forensic research is mainly used in support of research and the development of different disciplines in forensic science. For example, those that can be enhanced through the use of forensic science include the use of forensic science and DNA where the pieces or parts of one’s body can be used to determine whether they were present in the area of crime or were involved in the alleged crime through the performance of various tests. For instance, this aspect can well be applied in this case to ascertain the claim that Billy not only assaulted his grandmother financially but also physically by causing her injuries and raping her. The other aspects where forensic science can be used in criminal investigations include controlled substances, forensic toxicology, forensic pathology and the medicolegal form of death investigation, forensic anthropology, the performance of impression and obtaining evidence using patterns, and the ability to get evidence using trace (NACCALL & Vandel, 2012).
As indicated in AFS (2013), for a long time, there has been the application of forensic science in the performance of criminal investigations to gain sufficient evidence through the development of research and programs that focus on the basic and the applied scientific research. The primary purpose of this is to get the direct findings of the basic scientific research in broader scientific fields that are related to the area of forensic science. For example in this case, the varied areas of forensic science such as biology, physics, chemistry and medicine can be applied to ascertain the claims made by the victim and to provide the relevant evidence that would be used to incriminate the offender and to improve the living conditions of the victim especially in her old age. The other application of forensic science would be in the
The idea of forensic science can clearly be applied in this case where certain elements of forensic science can be collected from the scene. They include different parts of the body from both the victim and the offender. For example, the pieces of hair, skin, and fingerprints can be taken from the area of the crime to prove that the alleged crimes were performed by the offender in the effort to ensure that he is punished for his crime. On the other hand, the ability to prove that Miss Mary was actually reporting some of the incidences that have taken place in the house will also make it possible for the relevant authorities to move her from the house where she lives with her grandson and his wife and place her in a facility where she will be comfortable and free from harm. In particular, several tests can be performed to ascertain that it is the son who assaulted her both physically and sexually to verify the claims. This is an indication that forensic research can be appropriately applied in matters of criminal investigation to ensure that it is possible to produce the useful materials that are relevant to the case and which will help to establish the truth in the case in regards to the allegations that are made by both the parties that are involved in the case. Moreover, it becomes possible to work with the right devices, methods, and systems that have the potential to produce results with the application of forensic research. It is for this reason that over time, since the invention of forensic research in criminal investigations, it has been possible to increase the body of knowledge that guides and informs the area of forensic science through the ability to develop new policies and practise that make the results of the investigations more accurate and reliable to the extent that justice is achieved with the use of the new methods. In this case, the application of such methods, in this case, would ensure that the correct investigations are made and that the truth is obtained in this case to enable the implementation of the proper solutions (Gaensslen, & Larsen, 2013).
In this sense, it is clear that Miss Mary had figured it out that it was only through the making of the report about the activities of her grandson and wife that she would be redeemed. She was highly convinced that it was the best opportunity that she could use to get help since the people in authority would be able to do everything in their capacity and powers to unearth the truth and to convict the offender. She did this as she lay down on her bed after taking some beers. From the evidence and investigations done in this case, it is clear that Miss Mary had told the truth about the entire incidence. She was willing to do everything in her power to ensure that she went away from her abusive family. Also, she wanted to make sure that her grandson was put away for having engaged in harsh acts against her. This is despite the fact that she knew that he did not have the perfect form of mind frame. However, he also appeared not to care or take concern for his grandmother whom he treated as an instrument of his choice. The incidence was made worse as they tried to express that that the elderly lady was just talking out of the fact that she missed her husband. Therefore, they sought to insinuate that she was not really in the right state of mind as she made her allegations. It is for this reason that the use of forensic science during the investigation would act as an important role since they would make it possible to distinguish what was being said as truth and false. Indeed, they would make it possible to set aside the ideas brought about by Billy and his wife against their grandmother as non-sense. This is mainly because the actions that they took against her would be confirmed as true. Hence, they would serve as the right form of evidence to incriminate them and provide the right grounds for Miss Mary to move out of the house and into a better and comfortable nursing home care.
For this reason, all the activities that are performed in the case go back to the need to complete the entire process through the identification of the evidence, the documentation, collection and the ability to package the evidence in a comprehensive, clear and convincing manner. About the use of forensic science, there is a need to make sure that all these are achieved through the ability to wear gloves carefully and packing away the collected evidence in a careful way during the collection of evidence. This process should be done in a careful manner to ensure that all the necessary details are collected and that the final evidence is accurate and valid. It is through the ability to follow this procedure that the court was able to prove the allegations made by Miss Mary to the tune that her grandson Billy touched her and the additional evidence that was presented to support the claims that he raped her.
References
All about Forensic Science (AFS). (2013). Crime Scene Evidence . Retrieved from: http://www.all-about-forensic-scienc.com/crim_scene_evidence.html
Gaensslen, R.E. & Larsen, A.K. (2013). Introductory Forensic Science . San Diego, CA. Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
Grant, L. (2004). The Independent: Why do young men rape senior women? And Why does Nobody Care: A Special Report by Linda Grant on a shocking crime with it seems we all prefer to ignore , retrieved from http://www.idnependent.co/uk/life-style/shy-do-young men-rape-elderly-women-and-why-does-nobody-care-a-special-report-by-Linda-grant-on a-shocking-crime-which-it-seems-we-all-prefer-to-ignore-1408839.html
Rape. (2003). International Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family. Retrieved from http://www.credoreference.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/entry/galemarriage/rape
Tera Noval Films and the National Clearinghouse oN Abuse in Later Life (NACCALL) (Producers), and Vanden Bosch, J. (Director), 2012, He wouldn’t turn me loose: The Sexual Assault Case of 96-year-old-Miss Mary [documentary]
