Criminal Dismemberment: Forensic and Investigative Analysis

225 Pages·2017·6.074 MB·English

by  Sue Black, Guy Rutty, Sarah V. Hainsworth, Grant Thomson

Criminal Dismemberment
Forensic and Investigative Analysis

Professor Dame Sue Black is a Professor of Anatomy and Forensic Anthropology, the
Director of the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification and the Director of the
Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science at the University of Dundee, UK.
Professor Guy Rutty is a Home Office registered Forensic Pathologist and is the Vice-
Chair of the International Society of Forensic Radiology and Imaging, University of
Leicester, UK.
Professor Sarah Hainsworth is a Professor of Materials and Forensic Engineering,
University of Leicester, UK.
Mr. Grant Thomson is a former Scenes of Crime Officer and Crime Scene Manager of the
British Police and is now a senior trainer and consultant in capacity building within fragile
and conflict affected states.

Criminal Dismemberment
Forensic and Investigative Analysis

Edited by
Sue Black, Guy Rutty, Sarah Hainsworth
and Grant Thomson
CRC Press
Taylor & Francis Group
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Library of Congress Cataloging‑in‑Publication Data
Names: Black, Sue M., editor. | Rutty, Guy N., 1963- editor. | Hainsworth,
Sarah V., editor. | Thomson, Grant, editor.
Title: Criminal dismemberment : forensic and investigative analysis / edited
by Sue Black, Guy Rutty, Sarah V. Hainsworth, and Grant Thomson.
Description: 1st Edition. | Boca Raton : CRC Press, [2017] | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016048354| ISBN 9781482236286 (hardback : alk. paper) |
ISBN 9781315373126 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Forensic psychology. | Dismemberment. | Murder. | Forensic
sciences.
Classification: LCC RA1148 .C75 2017 | DDC 614/.15--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016048354
Visit the Taylor & Francis Web site at
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and the CRC Press Web site at
http://www.crcpress.com
Contents
Preface vii
Acknowledgements ix
Editors xi
Contributors xiii
1 Introduction to Criminal Human Dismemberment 1
SUE BLACK, GUY RUTTY, SARAH HAINSWORTH AND
GRANT THOMSON
2 Dismemberment: A Historical Perspective 7
SHANE McCORRISTINE
3 Psychology and Dismemberment 27
DAVID HOLMES
4 Mr. Adam Vincent, Humberside Police 41
MARK OLIVER
5 Miss Gemma McCluskie, Metropolitan Police Service 59
JOHN NICHOLSON
6 Terminology 69
SUE BLACK AND GRANT THOMSON
7 Principles of Tool Mark Analysis and Evidential Best Practice 79
GRANT THOMSON AND SUE BLACK
8 Overview of the Examination of a Dismembered Body 97
GUY RUTTY AND BRUNO MORGAN
9 The Role of Forensic Anthropology in Cases of
Dismemberment 113
LUCINA HACKMAN AND SUE BLACK
v
vi Contents
10 Identification Marks – Saws 135
SARAH HAINSWORTH
11 Identification Marks – Knives and Other Implements 157
SARAH HAINSWORTH
12 Future Research in the Analysis of Criminal
Dismemberment 177
SUE BLACK, NIAMH NIC DAÉID, LUCINA HACKMAN
AND GRANT THOMSON
Appendix I: Additional Investigative Resources 189
SONYA BAYLIS AND GRANT THOMSON
Appendix II: Known Cases of Criminal Dismemberment in
the United Kingdom Since 1985 199
SUE BLACK
Index 203
Preface
The act of dismemberment, in its original form, referred to cutting, tearing, pulling,
wrenching or otherwise separating the limbs from a living being as a form of capital
punishment. In today’s society, it has become associated most frequently with the crimi-
nal act of sectioning the remains of the dead in an attempt to conceal the death and dis-
pose of the remains, making the process of identification of the deceased more difficult
to achieve.
In the United Kingdom, there are few acts of criminal dismemberment identified in
any one year. As a result, there is variable experience across the practitioner community
and the investigative forces. As the act is considered an aggravation of the most serious
of crimes, murder, it is surprising that there has been no book published previously that
addresses the specificities of this action. At the outset of undertaking this project, and in
our early literature searches, we located many published papers that discussed saw marks
on bone or the marks made by different types of knives. However, we could find no sin-
gle source that combined the information into a cohesive single point of academic refer-
ence. Therefore, the overriding intention for this book was to co-locate the literature on
the subject of criminal dismemberment and view it through the different lenses of those
involved in the subject – social sciences, investigative officers and forensic practitioners.
In addition – with cognizance of current upheaval regarding admissibility of forensic
science – we also wished to convey what aspect of the interpretation of evidence can be
supported by robust science and, by doing so, to lay open clear avenues for future research-
ers to establish the work that is still required.
The first chapter introduces the subject of criminal dismemberment and discusses the
importance of its definition in relation to the legal significance for criminal sentencing.
There are at least five classifications that reflect the motivation of the perpetrator. These are
discussed as are the critical decisions made by the perpetrator that offer potential for the
recovery of forensic evidence.
In Chapter 2, Shane McCorristine considers the history of dismemberment from the
world of Inuit and Norse mythologies, through the brutalities of war to the infamous
Whitechapel murders of 1888. In Chapter 3, David Holmes follows by analysing the psy-
chology of the dismembering killer. The organization, the frenzy, the location and the
nature of the dismemberment lend clear evidence towards the nature and purpose of this
most heinous of acts. Superstition, tribal warfare and concealment are all motives that may
underlie the psychopathy and desperation of the action.
Chapters 3 and 4 provide two case histories written from the perspective of the police
investigators. We are inordinately grateful to the families of both deceased who willingly
gave their permission for these cases to be considered in the hope that they might assist in
the learning process. In Chapter 4, Mark Oliver from Humberside Police discusses the dif-
ficulties encountered when the search for body parts is dispersed over a wide area and the
importance of ensuring that all are ultimately recovered. In Chapter 5, John Nicholson of
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viii Preface
the Metropolitan Police conveys the difficulties of investigating a case of dismemberment
when it occurs within a family and when the deceased has a relatively high media profile.
Understanding and interpreting criminal dismemberment requires a common vocab-
ulary, which is presented in Chapter 6. Grant Thomson discusses the field of tool mark
analysis in Chapter 7. In Chapter 8, Guy Rutty examines the role of the forensic pathologist
in such cases, and, in Chapter 9, Lucina Hackman addresses the roles and responsibilities
of the forensic anthropologist.
In Chapters 10 and 11, Sarah Hainsworth looks specifically at the marks left by both
saws and knives on human remains. As would be expected, these are heavily illustrated
chapters, as they include the analytical components necessary to confirm that criminal
dismemberment has occurred and that it has been undertaken by a particular type of tool.
The concluding chapter (Chapter 12) from the Dundee team, places the research of
criminal dismemberment into the emerging landscape of validation and legal admissi-
bility. Its aim is to show where research has been undertaken and where there is still a
significant amount of work to be done. Although this is a field that has made some signifi-
cant strides forward, research in some aspects remains incomplete and it is important that
expert opinion be contained to what is within the boundaries of that which can be verified.
It is important to know what support is available to investigators when they face per-
haps their first case of dismemberment. In Appendix I, Sonya Baylis and Grant Thomson
lay out some of the additional resources available for investigators within the United
Kingdom. Appendix II came about as we tried to discover just how many cases of criminal
dismemberment we could identify in the United Kingdom over the past 30 years. I should
note that the included list is not necessarily complete. The information was researched and
gathered from open source materials, and, as such, it may not be complete in its accuracy.
The intent was not to form a database but to offer an indication of the scale and patterns
of the phenomenon. The results suggest that within the United Kingdom there are prob-
ably about three criminal dismemberments per year and more than 80% of these occur in
England, less than 10% in Scotland and less than 5% each in Wales and Ireland.
Books of this sort do not happen by themselves, and they require the work and com-
mitment of a number of people. The editors are enormously grateful to all the contributors
for each of the chapters, but we also wish to acknowledge the helpful assistance of Dr. Ryk
James, Dr. Debbie Cook, Dr. Ben Swift, Dr. Stuart Hamilton, Wendy Pitts, Lee Mellor
and Kathy Astbury. We are also grateful to Richard Ocone, Detective Inspector of Avon
and Somerset Constabulary, and Graham Sunderland, retired Assistant Chief Constable
of Cumbria Constabulary, for the experiences shared from their case work. Finally, no text
can be completed without the editorial and production teams at the publishers. We are so
inordinately grateful particularly to Mark Listewnik and Misha Kydd for keeping us on
track, as well as Linda Leggio and Bala Gowri on the production side.
Professor Dame Sue Black
Acknowledgements
The editors acknowledge the assistance of Dr. Ryk James, Dr. Debbie Cook, Dr. Ben Swift,
Dr. Stuart Hamilton, Wendy Pitts, Lee Mellor and Kathy Astbury in the production of this
text. We are also grateful to Richard Ocone, a Detective Inspector of Avon and Somerset
Constabulary, and Graham Sunderland, a retired Assistant Chief Constable of Cumbria
Constabulary, for the experiences shared from their case work.
ix