Graphical evidence: forensic animations and virtual reconstructions

Abstract

Courtroom environments, which have been one of the last bastions of the oral tradition, are slowly morphing into cinematic display environments1. The persuasive oral rhetoric of lawyers is increasingly being replaced by compelling visual media displays presenting a range of digital evidence in a convincing and credible manner2. The digital age has brought a plethora of novel evidence forms, evidence detection methods, and new means of evidence presentation. In particular, three-dimensional reconstructions of evidence offer great potential in the field of forensic science, they can potentially help in the presentation of complex scientific, spatial and temporal data to a non-technical audience3. This paper outlines the forensic process in terms of the tasks and phases involved, specifically relating to the presentation of evidence represented in a digital media form. A range of examples of where evidence has been presented in courtrooms using digital media (particularly forensic animation and virtual reconstruction technology) are described.a There are a number of fundamental implications inherent in the shift from oral to visual mediation, and a number of facets of this modern evidence presentation technology need to be investigated and analysed. aThe author acted as an expert witness in all the cases discussed, was responsible for the preparation of the virtual reconstructions described in this paper. Most of the work was undertaken through the author's company in the UK, Aims Solutions Ltd4.