By Juanita Copeland
A forensic scientist in Christchurch is using the patterns left by blood as it spurts from a victim, to help lead police to the killer.
For forensic scientists the process of slowing down spattering blood is the equivalent of turning back time itself.
Scientist Dr Michael Taylor explains “Where this technology comes in is that if we can study some of the ways that liquid and in this case blood, spatters, distributes itself under circumstances similar to what happens in a real crime then hopefully we can be better at interpreting the pattern.”
Most standard television cameras record images at 25 frames per second, but cameras that record up to 20,000 frames a second, can make for ultra slow motion, and often bizarre, images.
Such cameras now have a more practical side, being able to reconstruct how a victim's blood flies through the air and spatters.
When forensic scientists arrive at a crime scene the blood has already been spilt, the new cameras allow them to recreate how they believe wounds were inflicted and from what angle.
Dr Taylor said “…the camera actually gives us a view of the event itself, how the liquid is dispersed”
He says images of a glock being fired have already led to a significant discovery.
“It's not only the impact of the bullet that will cause blood to spatter but it's also the gases that emerge from the firearm, that if the firearm is close enough can have a significant impact on the way the blood is dispersed.”
These are all issues that were at the very heart of the recent retrial for David Bain.
Dr Taylor says they hope to gain more insights into how the blood stains at crime scenes are created and that will in turn allow them to give more accurate and conclusive evidence in court.
3 News