Inside Forensic Science

In the fifth series of the award winning Inside Forensic Science podcast, we travel to 1883 to hear how a series of explosions in Glasgow city shaped how we investigate terrorism today.

Now that all the evidence is gathered, it becomes the role of prosecutors and expert witnesses to present their evidence in the courtroom. In the final episode of this series, we explore what happened in the courtroom and what became of the culprit. Join us on Facebook or visit our website to see further resources and discuss the podcast. Inside Forensic Science is an Adventurous Audio Ltd product...

Content warning: mentions of domestic violence and discussions of dead bodies, decomposition and dismemberment. Having arrested a suspect for the murders, investigators shift their attention to the potential crime scene in 2 Dalton Square, Lancashire. What did forensic scientists find and what does it tell us about what happened to Mary and Isabella? In episode 5, we discuss what evidence was foun...

Content warnings: mentions of domestic violence and discussions of dead bodies, decomposition and dismemberment. How can investigators be sure that the bodies found in Moffat were those of Mary Jane Rogerson and Isabella Ruxton? Who did this to them and why? In episode 4, we discuss more of the forensic science techniques that were used to identify the victims of the Moffat murders. Join us on Fac...

Content warning: discussions of dead bodies, decomposition and dismemberment Investigators initially thought the two bodies from Moffat were of a man and woman. However, further investigation leads police to suspect that they may be mistaken. Not long before the bodies were found a young maid from Lancaster and her mistress were reported missing. Could the bodies found in Moffat belong to these tw...

Content warning: discussions of dead bodies, decomposition, including mentions of insects and dismemberment. Now that the body parts have been recovered, it is the responsibility of forensic scientists to attempt the gruelling task of examining and putting the pieces back together. However, with DNA unavailable as a forensic technique in 1935, what other forms of examination could experts use to i...

Content warning: discussions of dead bodies, decomposition and dismemberment On a quiet Sunday in September 1935, two women walking outside the small town of Moffat stop at a stone bridge overlooking a ravine through which a small waterfall and stream flowed. It was then that the women spotted something shocking, a partially decomposed human arm protruding from a small package. Police found many s...

In the fourth series of Inside Forensic Science we unravel a case of stolen identity. If a victim’s identity is stripped from them, what can forensic scientists do to reclaim who they were and bring their stories to light?

What did our experts and the jury of the day decide? How can people make a decision when experts disagree and who can be an expert in criminal cases? This episode covers all of the details and also answers the question of what happened to Scott and Monson after the trial. Join us on Facebook to see further resources and discuss the podcast or visit our website. Inside Forensic Science is an Advent...

Content warning: graphic descriptions of injury and death involving a gun and mention of suicide Accident or murder? To determine which is the most likely explanation for Hambrough’s death, experts in both 1893 and the present carry out experiments to test what distance the shot could have come from. What exactly can these experiments tell us about what happened on that fateful day and what are th...

Alfred John Monson is accused of the murder of young Dudley Cecil Hambrough. For over 3 years Monson had acted not only as Hambrough’s tutor and guardian, but as his friend. What motive could there have been for Monson to commit murder? The prosecution say money. Join us for this episode as we scrutinise personal accounts, financial documents and the arguments made by both the prosecution and defe...

Content warning: this episode contains graphic descriptions of the autopsy process. A young man has been shot dead on a hunting trip; his two hunting companions are suspected of murder. With Monson arrested and Scott on the run, attention turns to the body. What can an autopsy tell us about how someone died? Can the postmortem and knowledge of ballistics tell us whether this death was truly a murd...

This is a bonus episode designed to accompany Episode 2 of Series 3. It features an interview between Pennie Stuart and Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science Senior Research Engineer Vincenzo Rinaldi about the application of Virtual Reality in forensic science.

The police believe the death of Cecil Hambrough was no accident. His tutor Alfred John Monson is arrested for his murder 20 days after the incident. Scott, the last member of the hunting party has disappeared. Now it is up to the experts to gather what evidence they can from the scene. But after all that time, is there any evidence left to find? This episode discusses what evidence may have been l...

The early morning of Thursday 10 August 1893, a party of three men leave to hunt rabbits on the Ardlamont estate in Tighnabruaich—only two return. The youngest, Lieutenant Dudley Cecil Hambrough has died from a bullet to the back of his head. The local doctor decrees the death an accident, but is the story really so clear cut? In this episode, we question what evidence might have been lost followi...

This third series of Inside Forensic Science delves into our most complicated historical case yet: the Ardlamont Trial.  On 10 August 1893 a young man dies from a gunshot to the back of the head while hunting on the Ardlamont Estate. Was this incident an accident or did one of his hunting companions seek to benefit from his death? Inside Forensic Science interviews forensic scientists including ba...

It's now time to put all the pieces of this puzzle together. Do you believe Madeleine Smith is guilty of poisoning her lover? Only Scotland has a ‘not proven’ verdict. What does this mean for a jury and for those who receive this judgement? Join our Facebook group to see further resources and discuss the podcast or visit our website . Inside Forensic Science is an Adventurous Audio Ltd production...

Content warning: this episode discusses suicide. There are unanswered questions around the circumstances of Emile's death. What can the forensic toxicology evidence tell us? Was everything carried out at the time that could have been and how would that differ with an investigation today? Join us in our Facebook group to see further resources and discuss the podcast or visit our website . Inside Fo...

Content warning: this episode dicusses suicide Pierre Emile L'angelier is dead. What happened next and how did this lead to Madeleine Smith being accused of murder? Discover the next piece of this mystery and learn about what tales the body can tell after death. Join our Facebook group to see further resources and discuss the podcast or visit our website . Inside Forensic Science is an Adventurous...

To understand the case of Madeleine Smith, we must first understand what life was like in the past. How can forensic scientists bring to life what happened previously? Join us in our Facebook group to see further resources and discuss the podcast or visit our website . Inside Forensic Science is an Adventurous Audio Ltd production for the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science (LRCFS) at...

Madeleine Smith's private letters to her deceased lover were presented as evidence in court of her motive for murder. What can letters and handwriting reveal to forensic scientists? What did the letters in the Madeleine Smith trial tell the jury and what do they reveal to us today? Join us in our Facebook group to see further resources and discuss the podcast or visit our website . Inside Forensic...

A scandalous case that rocked Victorian Scotland. A middle-class young woman is on trial for the murder of her lover. What was the case of Madeleine Smith all about? In this episode, we provide an overview of the case and the evidence presented. Join us on Facebook to see further resources and discuss the podcast or visit our website. Inside Forensic Science is an Adventurous Audio Ltd production...

The second season of Inside Forensic Science is here. A new historical case is in focus where we ask forensic scientists and experts from the criminal justice system ‘What would you do differently today?’ In this series we take a look at a case that rocked Victorian Scotland in 1857, the trial of Madeleine Smith.  The podcast was commissioned by the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science...

The evidence has been collected and the analysis completed. What happens next with the only suspect in the case of Miss Jean Milne? Was there enough evidence to prosecute and what do the experts today think of the conclusion? Inside Forensic Science is an Adventurous Audio Ltd production for the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science (LRCFS) at the University of Dundee and was funded by T...

As the case starts to come together we dig deeper into what scientific advancements have allowed us to detect at crime scenes and whether forensic science can place a person at the scene of a crime. This episode takes a closer look at a possible suspect and DNA evidence - a key difference in the forensic science toolbox between 1912 and now. Speakers in this episode include Professor Niamh Nic Dae...