Two elderly shopkeepers bludgeoned to death, the only evidence – a smudged thumbprint inside a cashbox. A Quaker poisons his mistress in Slough and, confident he will evade justice, arrives at Paddington station unaware modern technology had alerted police who lay in wait. Great Britain has led the world in crime-detection methods and the forensic sciences; this volume examines real criminal cases that have tested the legality and admissibility of these crime-fighting methods as they pass through the British legal system. Together with many other examples encompassing police corruption, ballistics, entomology and riot, to name but a few, this volume demonstrates how crime has influenced present-day policing methods, Britain’s criminal justice system and ultimately the detection and conviction of some of this country’s most infamous men and women.

Gary retired from the police force after thirty-three years’ service (thirty spent as a detective) in London. He worked as a detective on New Scotland Yard’s Anti-Terrorist Branch and played a part in a number of murder and terrorist investigations. He regularly delivers talks and presentations to a number of historical societies and organisations.