The field of toolmark evidence has been developing since 1900s, however the implementation of new measurement technologies has yet been verified. This means the way in which evidence in court has yet to be utilised. Currently toolmarks are compared with use of a comparison microscope. The samples are magnified, and placed side-by-side and an expert examiner deems if two samples are a match or not. This current method is subjective. With new technologies and methods available this report aims to prove new methods are available which do not contain subjectivity and bias. This thesis will discuss the relevant literature related to the subject matter. It will explain and discuss advanced measurement techniques available and the methodology behind these methods. The novel contribution in this thesis is direct comparisons of two samples which were obtained using the Alicona G5 focus variation instrument. Then the optimum pre-processing technique was attained and applied to all test samples. Finally, these were compared using a developed MATLAB code which will present ACCFmax% and Ds values. The thesis proves how advanced methods for toolmarks can be applied reducing the issues surrounding data fidelity. It will also prove the optimum pre-processing techniques were applied for the thesis.
| Date of Award | 8 Aug 2022 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Supervisor | Karl Walton (Main Supervisor) & Liam Blunt (Co-Supervisor) |
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