Qualifications
BSc (Hons) Chemistry (1976) Nottingham University
Registered
Forensic Practitioner (2002)
Career
Details
Diane
was recruited to the Home Office Forensic Science Service as a
Document Examiner (Scientific Officer) in 1978. She resigned in
1993 (Senior Scientific Officer) to join Document Evidence Ltd.
During
the course of her career she has examined thousands of cases involving
tens of thousands of documents. Forensic Document Examinations
involving handwriting, signatures, typescript, photocopies, indented
impressions, paper and inks are routinely part of her job.
She
has given evidence in court on many occasions. The vast majority
of these have been in the Crown and Magistrates' courts in criminal
proceedings.
She
has been involved in the training of Document Examiners (many
of whom were from overseas) both for Document Evidence and formerly
for the Forensic Science Service. In addition she has given lectures
on Document Examination to police officers as part of their formal
training.
She
has also been involved in running training programmes on handwriting
classification systems and has been co-author of two published
scientific papers on this subject:
- A
computer-based system for the classification of handwriting
on cheques (1986) Hardcastle, R.A., Thornton, D. and Totty,
R.N. Journal of the Forensic Science Society 26(6): 383-392.
- A
computer-based system for the classification of handwriting
on cheques. Part 2: Cursive handwriting. Hardcastle, R.A. and
Kemmenoe, D. (1990) Journal of Forensic Science Society 30(2):
97-103.
Current
Position
Forensic Document Examiner at Document Evidence
Ltd.
Other
Details
Member of the Council for the Registration of Forensic Practitioners.
née Thornton
