Gemma turns CSI

By Clearing

Gemma Lynch has explored violent crime in the USA. Her examination occurred while on work placement to use her forensic science skills. Working on a string of murder cases, the sight of bodies and blood became a common sight for the University of Teesside graduate.

Gemma, 22, from Thornaby, is a graduate of the University’s BSc (Hons) Applied Science and Forensic Investigation degree. The course equips graduates with the skills to assess evidence from scenes of crimes to aid in the capture and conviction of criminals.

She was invited to attend an advanced course in blood stain analysis in New York after sending a copy of her dissertation (entitled Interpreting Blood Stains in Clothing) to the course leader, Herb MacDonald. Mr MacDonald is one of the world’s leading experts on blood stains and was so impressed with Gemma’s work that he not only invited her to attend the course, but also put her up at his own home.

Gemma said: “While I was on Herb’s course I was introduced to Laura Pettler who runs Carolina Forensics. It’s a private firm contracted by the North Carolina District Attorney’s Office to collect and analyse evidence from serious crime scenes.

“Laura gave me a six week internship with her firm and I was called to a murder scene on my first day! I thought I would be scared by the sight of my first corpse, especially as it was a shooting so it was really messy. But it’s what I had trained for and I just put it out of my mind. After a few more crime scenes I was completely used to it.

“I worked on 21 homicides during my six weeks there and the evidence I helped to collect and analyse played a big part in the cases. Some suspects would immediately confess after being presented with the forensic evidence, even after they had spent hours denying it. I also managed to see our evidence used in court to convict a double murderer who was sentenced to 126 years in prison!

“I thought the degree was really good. The staff are all well trained and have worked on real cases so they’ve got a lot of experience. The facilities are great, especially the crime house. We had the best of everything and I felt really confident when I began my internship in America.”

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