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Iain McKie · Joined: 08 May 2007 Posts: 189 Location: Ayr, Scotland.

The Fingerprint Society has consistently (since the demise of David Charlton) taken a strong pro SCRO stance with Chairman Martin Leadbetter, Fellow Peter Swann and other SCRO luminaries like Robert McKenzie leading the way as SCRO’s main apologists.

Despite causing untold harm to the Society these members have continued to deny what the rest of the world accepts – that the SCRO experts were wrong in two fingerprint identifications in the Marion Ross murder case.

Those of you who have been following the debate on clpex.com will be aware that their latest ploy is to seek to allow Fiona McBride - one of the original SCRO experts to get it wrong and an enquiry witness who was accused of ‘forging’ colleagues signatures on a fingerprint form in an effort to cover-up the mistakes - to assume editorship of the ‘Fingerprint Whorld.’

http://clpex.com/ - (‘Message Board’ – ‘Calls for Inquiry to be scrapped’)

Pursuing their own narrow self-interest agenda Martin Leadbetter et al risk holding the Society up to international ridicule, driving potential and existing members away and giving a platform to experts who have already been accused of criminality and who will be major witnesses at the anticipated Judicial Enquiry into their mistakes.

All the Society Committee members who we must assume have voted for this move are shown below. Is it too much to hope that good sense will prevail, that the reputation of the Society will not be further dragged through the mud and that one of the most respected fingerprint organisations in the world will not be used to further the cause of experts who at best have been labelled incompetent and at worst criminal.

Fingerprint Society Committee

Vivienne Galloway President Leicestershire Constabulary Fingerprint Bureau, St Johns Enderby, Leicester LE5 9BX
Martin Leadbetter Chairman PO Box 257 , Little Wymondley, Herts. SG4 7WW
Kathryn Smith Secretary Warwickshire Police Fingerprint Bureau, Scientific Support Unit, High Street Southam. Warwickshire CV47 0HB Tel. 01926 684 933
Paul Smith Membership
Richard Case Webmaster Greater Manchester Police, Forensic Identification Services, Bardford Park Complex, Bank Street, Clayton, Manchester. M11 4AA
Mervyn Valentine Archivist
Phil Swindells Subscriptions Lancashire Fingerprint Bureau, PO Box 77, Hutton, Preston. PR4 5SB
Cheryl McGowan Treasurer
Steve Mewett Advertising Sussex Fingerprint Bureau, Sussex House, Crowhurst Road, Brighton. BN1 8AF

http://www.fpsociety.org.uk/pages/ukmap.html

Pat A. Wertheim · Joined: 23 Apr 2007 Posts: 39 Location: USA

Graham Hughes, as Editor of Fingerprint Whorld in the 1990's, tried very hard to bring Ridgeology, Science, and the teachings of David Asbaugh to the UK. As the result of his efforts as an advocate to update the practice of fingerprint identification, he lost both his position as Editor and his career.

Dave Charlton took a different approach and tried to be a mediator rather than an advocate. Dave likewise suffered, even for his more moderate approach.

Fiona McBride presents the opposite end of the spectrum from Graham Hughes. Her appointment is just the latest step in a long retreat from the 21st Century back into the 19th Century and the dark ages of fingerprint identification. Goodbye, Science. Goodbye, Progress.
_________________
Pat A. Wertheim
foridents@aol.com

Big Wullie · Joined: 25 Apr 2007 Posts: 548 Location: Glasgow

Pat

As a decent and Proper expert in your field you must be really disheartened at the prospect of losing credibility due to some Scottish Numpties.
When i say losing credibility i mean the society are losing credibility not some experts certainly not you.

It is hard for me to admit this but we do need crime prevention science of which fingerprints are a part of.

In my defence i will also state that we need honest and credible experts not ones willing to lie to protect colleagues or protect the science.

They would gain more credibility and respect by admitting their mistakes from the beginning.

I admire your stance in the Van Der Vyver case: Yes it was his print, but no you never took it from the flat DVD case, it came from a glass, and to prove it shows the difference of real experts.
Your expertise is renowned and will never be forgotten.

Please keep up your good work

Wullie Beck