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Serious Crime Investigation > Part 5 Homicide and Serious Crime Victims > Flashcards

Part 5 Homicide and Serious Crime Victims Flashcards

1
Q

What are the three Key elements to investigating a homicide

A
  • Location
  • Victim
  • Suspect
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2
Q

List the responsibilities of the OC Body

A
  • Ensure death has been certified (Deceased Persons Certificate (Pol 265)
  • Maintain security of body continually from scene to post mortem
  • Secure and guard body
  • Note observations relating to body
  • Not details of medical staff who attended
  • Record actions taken in relation to body
  • Establish if body has been moved or disturbed
  • Take photos of body in situ and consider videoing
  • On authority of OC investigation, arrange transport to Mortuary
  • Complete 4B Procedures
  • On authority of OC investigation arrange formal ID using Pol 265A
  • Obtain historic medical records for pathologist
  • Attend post mortem examination with the OC Investigation or deputy appointed.
  • Attend debrief of the pathologist and record findings on the direction of the OC investigation and or pathologist
  • Ensure culture sensitivity
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3
Q

What are the additional responsibility when it comes to the post mortem examination?

A
  • Attend briefing of the Pathologist and OC investigation and contribute where applicable
  • Ensure Police photographer takes photos before and after clothing and throughout examination. Pathologist to guide.
  • Preserve evidence from the body
  • Record, label and secure all samples and exhibits form the body
  • arrange for fingerprints and palm prints to be taken if required
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4
Q

What is the responsibility of OC investigation in respect to the OC body duties?

A
  • Notify coroner of death
  • arrange post mortem examination in consult with coroner
  • Consult pathologist before examination regarding relevance of Xrays and CT/CAT scans of the body.
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5
Q

Unless in a emergency situation, who can give authority for the body to be moved?

A

OC investigation

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6
Q

When briefing experts and interested parties, list what should be considered to pass on.

A
  • Photos and videos at scene
  • Actions of first responders
  • ID of body
  • History of body (Medical, drugs at scene etc)
  • Timings in relation to locating body, last sightings etc
  • Scope and priorities of investigation
  • Special evidential expectations and requirements
  • Environmental factors (Weather, temp, pollen influences
  • Any info received from other experts
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7
Q

As OC body, an appreciation in respect to the removal of the body must be taken. List these factors

A
  • Inform coroner of removal and obtain their response
  • Views from Pathologist, ESR and Crown solicitor at crime scene
  • Consultation with other experts
  • Requirements for other expert examinations before removal
  • Best method and route to remove body to minimise contamination
  • Supervision of the body removal
  • Chain of custody form scene to mortuary
  • Safe custody of exhibits
  • Family and cultural considerations
    -Protective wear ie gloves for health and safety purposes.
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8
Q

Where the body has been disturbed prior to arrival what must you do or not do?

A
  • DO NOT attempt to restore the scene to its original unchanged condition
  • Make enquiries to enable the original unchanged scene to be subsequently reconstructed and photographed if required
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9
Q

Samples at the scene can only be taken under the authorisation of the OC investigations and after consultation between ESR, Pathologist, Crimes scene coordinator/OC scene and fingerprints officer. List the kinds of samples that could be taken at a scene.

A
  • Larvae and insects
  • Fingerprints from the skin on the body and or items of clothing worn. ie fine woven fabrics.
  • DNA Swabs
  • Extraneous item ie loose hair, fibres, glass, paint, other fragments
  • Firearm residue samples.
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10
Q

List the actions to be taken when recording body details and removing from scene.

A

(1) Record position of body ie sketch plan, photographs and video
(2) Consider recording position of body to fixtures near by, ie measurements
(3) Record all details of position of body ie Position of limbs, appearance, wounds and clothing, direction of blood trails on body, lividity, extent of rigor mortis
(4) Health and safety hygiene
(5) Cover hands feet and head with paper bags. use tape or other fitting fasteners. Anchor the tape to prevent it from falling off. Avoid making new marks on the body. Use plastic bags if paper is not ideal ie wet limbs (Under consideration from OC Investigation, Scene and or crime scene coordinator.
(6) Prevent clothing making contact with foreign objects and contaminating.
(7) Wrap body in plastic sheet and place in body bag
(8) carefully search underneath body where it lay
(9) Retain all sheets, bags and other materials used to transport body as exhibits
(10) Obtain approval from OC investigation to remove body. Only they can give such authority
(11) When directed by OC investigations arrange contracted undertaker to remove body to mortuary.

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11
Q

List the factors of appreciation PRIOR to post mortem

A
  • ID of body at mortuary
  • Authority form coroner to conduct post mortem
  • Consultation with Pathologist
  • Safe custody of exhibits
  • ID who should attend PM
  • Requirement for any specialist examinations
  • Appropriate resources at PM
  • Family and cultural considerations at PM
  • Any likely requirement for a second PM
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12
Q

List the purposes of a PM

A
  • Determine the mode and time of death (If possible)
  • Establish how injuries and or events at scene may have contributed toward the death
  • Determine nature and size of weapon used
  • Determine approx height and stature of suspect
  • negating possible defences
  • ID the victim if ID is an issue.
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13
Q

Under S38 of the Coroners Act 2006 who may attend a PM?

A
  • Pathologist
  • Coroner
  • Assistant pathologist (Authorised by Coroner)
  • DR who treated victim
  • Dr/Nurse/ Funeral director representing deceased (If authorised by coroner)
  • Dr representing interests of suspect (If authorised by coroner)
  • Police
  • any pother person authorised by coroner
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14
Q

List the Police whom should attend the PM

A
  • OC Investigation
  • OC body
  • OC exhibits of body
  • Police photographer
  • SOCO, fingerprint officer if required.
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15
Q

List other experts the OC investigation may consult regarding the conduct of a PM

A
  • Odontologist
  • Biologist
  • Medical illustrator
  • Toxicologist
  • Ballistics expert
  • Crime scene examiner
  • Entomologist
  • Anthropologist
  • Disaster Victim Identification
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16
Q

List the equipment the OC body will require for the PM

A
  • MEK examination kit
  • Toxicology kit
  • Body label
  • A notebook and pens for use solely during the post-mortem
  • A Scene Exhibit Schedule form - a template is included in the Serious - - Crime Template
  • Copy of completed Pol 47
  • Pol 265 Deceased Person Certificate
  • Pol 265A Deceased Person Identification
  • Exhibit packaging supplies
  • Protective clothing
  • Photographs from the scene, if available, showing the body ‘in situ’
  • A range of available exhibit numbers for the post-mortem, obtained from the OC Exhibits
  • Pre-printed exhibit labels bearing the allocated exhibits numbers
  • Roll of brown paper, for placing layers between folds of any bloodstained clothing
  • Firearms residue kit, if relevant.
17
Q

List actions step on arrival to mortuary. What must the OC body do?

A

(1) Ensure mortuary staff do not wash the body
(2) Ensure body is labelled and secured in the secure mortuary fridge
(3) retain any key used to secure the body
(4) Ensure body remains in its present condition until the PM
(5) Arrange formal ID of body

18
Q

List methods of identification of a body

A
  • Fingerprints
  • DNA profiling
  • Dental records
  • Eye examination records
  • Medical examinations ie scars birth marks, implants
  • Facial reconstruction
19
Q

What information can be provided through skeletal remains

A
  • Whether the remains are actually bones.
  • Whether the bones are human.
  • The age, gender, height and race of the person.
20
Q

What information and resources does OC body provide to brief the pathologist?

A
  • Copy of the Notification to the Coroner (Pol 47).
  • Medical Examination (MEK) kit.
  • Toxicology kit.
  • Medical records of the deceased, where available.
  • Photos and videos taken at the scene including exhibit photos in situ
21
Q

In regards to taking notes of discussion during the PM, what is the general rule?

A

You must NOT take notes of general discussion during the PM unless directed to by OC investigations or the Pathologist

22
Q

List the guidelines to stripping the body of clothing in a PM

A

(1) Body must be stripped in the presence of a Pathologist
(2) Remove body from secure fridge and assist mortuary staff with body to the examination room
(3) Remove body from bag causing minimal disturbance.
(4) Take body bag and other sheets used to wrap the body as exhibits
(5) Instruct photographer to take additional photos with and without clothes
(6) Remove clothing, or instruct mortuary staff to do so under you supervision. Cutting clothes should be avoided though maybe necessary. If so avoid cutting in evidential areas. Search clothing pockets and make inventory of each pocket contents.
(7) Make inventory of clothing and possession as each item is removed
(8) Label each
(9) Seal each item separately
(10) Ensure exhibits do not cross contaminate
(11) Maintain security and continuity of the body and exhibits taken form body until conclusion of PM
(12) In cases involving obvious head trauma, before blood and debris is washed form the body in particular the head hair area, place sieve in mortuary table drain hole to collect trace evidence.

23
Q

List the responsibilities of the photographer and ensured by OC body.

A

Photographs of
- the body before it is stripped
- the boy after it is stripped
- close up photographs of wounds/marks/internal injuries/unusual features

24
Q

What is the general purpose for fingerprinting the body and when should this be done?

A
  • ID purposes
  • Comparison fingerprints at scene
  • completed at the conclusion of PM after being examined by Pathologist
  • consider footprints if applicable
25
Q

General responsibilities in relation to exhibits at a PM

A
  • All exhibits bags mus be sealed before leaving PM
  • Items found such as ballistic projectiles, foreign objects (Hairs, fibres, semen on or in body) Ligatures.
  • If Pathologists retains exhibits for further analysis ensure you record on scene exhibit schedule and allocate exhibit numbers.
  • Request copy of any record made by pathologist of these exhibits.
26
Q

List what the OC body should hand over to the OC Exhibits at the conclusion of the PM

A
  • The post-mortem Scene Exhibit Schedule
  • Copy of the OC Body’s notebook entries
  • Formal statement
27
Q

OC body needs to prepare 1S file. What must it contain for the coronial process to be opened.

A
  • Statement relating to victims formal ID
  • Pol 47
  • Deceased person certificate POL 265
  • Deceased Person ID POL 265A
28
Q

In what instances would a second PM occur?

A
  • The pathologist unable to determine cause of death
  • A suspect’s lawyer seeks approval from the Coroner to conduct an independent post-mortem
  • The Solicitor General orders a further post-mortem, after an application to the High Court
29
Q
A

Serious Crime Investigation (8 decks)

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