Free Crime Scene Investigator by Paul Millen

known exactly how many tablets he had taken as the bottle was now empty. His lack of consciousness indicated to the medical staff that he was under the influence of some drugs and they would have to take action.
    One of the uniformed police officers there was a friend, John Cronin. I had known John before he joined the police. He was a friend of my young sister-in-law. John was a big jovial man, always with a smile on his face.
    I wanted to recover Alan Wood’s clothing as soon as practical. There was also the sticky subject of consent. He was under arrest, but he was also unconscious. The information we had about the whole event was hearsay. That is, it was yet to be determined. As far as I was concerned, I wanted to help establish the truth. For all I knew, the story on which we were basing our actions could be completely wrong. Alan too may have been a victim of an as yet unknown suspect. Taking samples without consent could be seen as contrary to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act. Although not law at that time, it was due to be so within a few months. We were undertaking to work within its guidelines as, for the first time, it offered protection for the rights of detained persons and the police who dealt with them correctly.
    Although Alan Wood could not consent due to his condition, recovering evidence could help establish what happened, what was the truth. It could prove or disprove any allegations. Failure to take action to recover this evidence would make it harder to do so. We might not be allowed to use such samples if consent were not subsequently given by Alan Wood or his legal representative to use them. We also had to be careful that we were not accused of assault by taking the samples without his consent. I explained the situation to the senior nurse and to John and his colleagues. I suggested that we (the police) would advise and help recover the clothing and other samples, some which we would need and some medical staff would need and some we would both need. In order to allow any legal argument regarding the right of the police to take and retain these items, they would all be preserved but left in the secure possession of the hospital staff. This I confirmed with the medical staff and hospital administrator. It was a tightrope walk between the rights of the unconscious Alan Wood and the quest for evidence, evidence which I hoped would establish what had happened, and establish the truth about the events and even the medical condition of Wood at the time of the attack.
    At the very least, I would be seeking to retain Wood’s clothing, any blood stains on him (he had no wounds himself) and samples of blood grouping, drugs and urine. Normally these samples would be taken by a forensic medical examiner, but the casualty officer was happy to assist. Any external swabs I could direct or take myself, mindful still that I had no consent, although I did obtain, by phone, the authority of a superintendent. This allowed me to take external (non-intimate) samples of a suspect in a serious arrestable offence, where evidence was likely to prove or disprove involvement. It gave me some protection, although that could be tested in court.
    The medical staff indicated to me that they wanted to pump out Alan Wood’s stomach. This seemed like an opportunity to establish not only if he had taken any drugs but what they were and how much. I think when I indicated that I wanted a sample they thought that I wanted just a small pot. I had decided that I wanted the lot. This I found out was likely to be a couple of gallons as they would force water into his stomach through a tube in his mouth and then pump the contents out. I quickly obtained three large clean glass jars from my van. They were designed for debris from fire scenes but they would do for this purpose.
    As we began, we got the sad but inevitable news that Dr Goss had died. It was a sobering moment. I ensured that her body would be preserved so that we could examine