Dr Sara Short - Forensic Access independent forensic scientist specialising in forensic biology: human contact traces, DNA, body fluids, blood pattern interpretation, bpa

Dr Sara Short - Forensic Access independent forensic scientist specialising in forensic biology: human contact traces, DNA, body fluids, blood pattern interpretation, bpa

Dr. Sara Short BSc, PhD, MFSSoc

I have more than twenty years experience as a biology Court reporting officer; half of that time with the Forensic Science Service and the other half providing advice for the defence.

I am a Registered Forensic Practitioner in Human Contact Traces – DNA, body fluids and blood pattern interpretation.

I have dealt with more than eight hundred and fifty cases including murder, rape, scene visits, cold case reviews, assaults, car crime, burglaries; anything involving expertise with DNA, blood, body fluids, hairs, fibres, damage to clothing. I regularly provide written and oral evidence at Crown Courts and Magistrates courts within England and Wales and have provided evidence for other jurisdictions such as Armed Forces tribunals, Scotland and the States of Jersey. I am regularly involved in Appeal Court cases.

My expertise in DNA analysis includes the older techniques of MLP and SLP as well as amplification methods from HLA DQα, STR Quad, SGM, SGM Plus and Y STR analysis through to the low template methods of LCN and HSP DNA SenCE. Also mitochondrial DNA sequencing. I presented a paper in relation to the evaluation of DNA mixtures, entitled "Unsuitable for Statistical Evaluation. A Call to Action" at the Forensic Science Society conference at University of Teesside on 17th April 2008.

I have expertise in paternity analysis and can undertake calculations for the likelihood that any relative of a defendant could instead be the true father of a child in a disputed paternity case. I have some drugs experience (mainly identification of illicit drugs) and I am acquiring a specialty interest in analysis of stomach contents as an aid to time of death estimates.

I regularly give training talks for lawyers and have in the past been involved in training for Police officers and Scenes of Crime officers. I am a visiting lecturer at the University of Wolverhampton for their undergraduate forensic science courses.

I became a reviewer for the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine (formerly Journal of Clinical Forensic Medicine) in Spring 2008.