Elisabeth Briggs
Hannah Pocock
About Us
Elisabeth Briggs
Forensic Document Examiner and Handwriting Expert
MNatSc (Chem) MSc MCSFS MAE
An expert witness with over 20 years' experience, Lis has worked at both Police and private laboratories undertaking criminal, civil and corporate work.
Click here for more information.
Hannah Pocock
Forensic Document Examiner and Handwriting Expert
BSc (Hons) MSc MCSFS
An expert witness with over 10 years' experience, Hannah has worked at private laboratories undertaking criminal, civil and corporate work.
Click here for more information.
Equipment
The QDE offices are equipped with standard equipment required for the forensic examination of documents. This includes:
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Hand magnifiers and stereo microscopes including digital camera attachment.
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Video Spectral Comparator (Projectina Inspec 8s): For the examination of documents using infrared, ultraviolet and other specialised light sources. Images are captured electronically and can be included in reports.
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ESDA (Projectina Docustat): Electrostatic Detection Apparatus used to reveal indented impressions of writing.
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Zarbeco MiScope: A powerful, portable digital microscope.
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Measurement Tools: Typewriter measuring grids, DCS Typometer, paper micrometer.
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Transmitted Light: Lightbox facilities to allow examination of documents using back-lighting.
These tools allow detailed examination of documents, including the identification of alterations, differences in inks and indented impressions of writing that may not be visible under normal conditions.
Computer software includes Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Acrobat Pro, together with standard office software.
On-Site Examinations
Examinations are always best performed in the laboratory environment. However, in the event of an examination off-site (e.g., at a solicitor's office or court), we utilise portable equipment including a flatbed scanner and a forensic magnifier with integrated camera and specialised light sources.
Qualifications of a forensic document examiner
Forensic document examiners are trained to assess handwriting and documents using established comparative methods.
Their work requires an understanding of writing movement, variation and document examination techniques.
In the UK, experts providing opinion evidence must also comply with the requirements of the Civil Procedure Rules and Criminal Procedure Rules when reporting to the court.