Legal Services
Expert witness evidence in criminal proceedings.
Solicitors can contact us on 01942 522946 - if you are the defendant, get your solicitor to contact us. Alternatively you can email us
We offer a comprehensive case analysis, involving detailed consideration of all relevant documentary evidence including:
- Witness statements - when and where items seized, continuity, Police/Customs valuations
- Interviews -consumption levels, price paid, nature of offence
- Forensic evidence - familiarity with common forensic techniques in drugs analysis, examination of laboratory casenotes for additional data, comment on validity of conclusions in witness statements.
- IMPORTANT !!!! Force Policy to Destroy Evidence (Cannabis Plants)
- Inspections of exhibits (findings of fact): quality of cannabis varieties, identification of cannabis resin varieties, grades of herbal cannabis (leaf, imported, 'skunk') yields and phenotype of cannabis plants significance of paraphernalia (sensitivity of scales etc) whether e.g. cannabis resin has been partially used (from surface characteristics) weights of individual packages within items.
Further analyses with detailed specifications can be arranged with the Forensic Science Service or private analytical laboratories.
Expert Opinion - comment, based on experience and/or referenced source materials, can be provided on a number of areas including the following:
- Consumption of drugs - levels of use among casual and heavy users, from survey data and literature reviews. Would state how long a given variety of drug would last different types of user, level of consumption required to consume cannabis crops over growth cycles, whether claimed consumption falls within a common range or documented limits.
- Purchasing patterns - how and how often drugs are bought, common reasons for purchases to sustain longer-term use, shelf-life, availability etc.
- Valuation of drugs - based on reported prices in our own drug user surveys at different levels of the market, internal police/customs price lists.
- Purities/Potencies - review of forensic/Home Office data, average purities of powders, impurities in tablets, potencies and user-ratings of different cannabis varieties.
- Paraphernalia - significance of items seized (or not seized) in inference of intent.
- Yields of cannabis plants/crops
- examination of photographic evidence, plants and growing equipment, diaries
or documentary evidence in order to determine:
(a) Phenotype (variety) of plant (based on examination of appearance, gross morphology, odour etc)
(b) Yield of total foliage, leaf and flowering tops
(c) Capacity of system
(d) Growth cycles in individual cases and/or in general
(e) Duration of cultivation (e.g. from electricity records)
(f) Average weekly production
(g) Methods of cultivation
- Drug Powders - Interpretation of forensic data re purities and composition of different drugs including amphetamine, heroin, cocaine. Confirmation or exclusion of links between different seizures of powders. Packaging methods, significance of wraps & paraphernalia (e.g. differences between used and unused wraps).
- Pills (Ecstasy etc) - Interpretation of motifs on 'ecstasy' tablets, previous test results of genuine and bogus tablets, availability and significance of DIY testing kits. Marketing of alternatives (e.g. ketamine). Valuations & consumption, interpretation of forensic evidence.
- Magic Mushrooms - Legal position - evidence of preparation. Data on use, acquisition patterns, valuations, effects etc.
EFFECTS OF DRUGS - These involve comprehensive reviews of literature on effects of cannabis and other drugs on health and behaviour.
- Medicinal Cannabis Use - Scientific literature reviews, including historical, political and legal aspects, of cannabinoids are available for a variety of medical conditions including. Multiple Sclerosis, Pain relief, Epilepsy, Muscle Spasms, Asthma, easing opiate or alcohol withdrawal, stress relief, depression, irritable bowel syndrome, Huntington's chorea. We expect to be able to offer comment on the following areas in due course: Glaucoma, Appetite Stimulation, Nausea, Cancer Chemotherapy.
- Drugs and Driving - Effects of cannabis on driving ability in laboratory, simulator and actual driving situations, road accident statistics, culpability analysis studies. Significance of blood/saliva/urine test results, detection times for drug/metabolites, false positives, passive exposure etc. Reviews also available for cocaine.
- Drugs in the Workplace - Testing methods, false positives, detection times, effects on performance.
- Drugs and Behaviour - Crimes committed under the influence of drugs, effects on aggression of amphetamine, cocaine, steroids, LSD etc. Effects of drugs on fitness for interview (e.g. ecstasy intoxication, heroin withdrawal)
Miscellaneous Drug Issues - If we don't have the information immediately to hand, we can usually either find this within 24 hours, or advise where the information can be found.
Customised Abstract Service - We can search the literature databases by key word and provide lists of scientific papers and/or abstracts by fax or e-mail.
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