Programme Index

Discover 11,128,835 listings and 281,617 playable programmes from the BBC

Experts on Trial

5. DNA Transfer

Duration: 14 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 FMLatest broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 LW

Available for over a year

Can psychological bias contaminate forensic science? Author and criminal psychologist Dr Julia Shaw lays bare the secret world of expert witnesses. An expert on the reliability of memory, she has submitted evidence in more than 50 trials in the UK, US, and Canada. In this series, she dives into five seminal legal cases where the outcome hinged on a crucial piece of expert evidence.

In this episode, Julia tells the story of Lukis Anderson, whose DNA found its way on the fingernails of a murder victim he never crossed paths with. It turns out that a DNA match is not quite the smoking gun we think it is.

Dr Julia Shaw once again speaks with forensic scientist Jo Millington, this time about the limitations of DNA evidence and secondary transfer of DNA. She asks how bias in forensic science might come into play, even for DNA analysis.

Presenter: Dr Julia Shaw
Produceer: Simona Rata

A TellTale Industries production for BBC Radio 4 Show less

About this data

This data is drawn from the data stream that informs BBC's iPlayer and Sounds. The information shows what was scheduled to be broadcast, meaning it was/is subject to change and may not be accurate. More