The use of a linkage analysis as evidence in the conviction of the Newcastle serial murderer, South Africa

Labuschagne, Gérard

doi:10.1002/jip.51

Cited by 26 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Bennell & Canter, 2002;Grubin et al, 2001;Labuschagne, 2006). This interest is unsurprising given the potential investigative benefits of successfully linking crimes.…”

Section: Behavioral Case Linkagementioning

confidence: 99%

Linking Different Types of Crime Using Geographical and Temporal Proximity

Tonkin

Woodhams

Bull

et al. 2011

Criminal Justice and Behavior

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In the absence of forensic evidence (such as DNA or fingerprints), offender behavior can be used to identify crimes that have been committed by the same person (referred to as behavioral case linkage). The current study presents the first empirical test of whether it is possible to link different types of crime using simple aspects of offender behavior. The discrimination accuracy of the kilometer-distance between offense locations (the intercrime distance) and the number of days between offenses (temporal proximity) was examined across a range of crimes, including violent, sexual and property-related offenses. Both the intercrime distance and temporal proximity were able to achieve statistically significant levels of discrimination accuracy that were comparable across and within crime types and categories. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed and recommendations made for future research. Keywords ProximityOne of the most compelling and well-supported findings in criminology is that the majority of crime is committed by a minority of offenders (e.g. Kershaw, Nicholas, & Walker, 2008;Laub, 2004;Piquero, Farrington, & Blumstein, 2007). In the United States (US), for example, estimates suggest that approximately 5% of offenders are responsible for 30% of felony convictions (Office of the Legislative Auditor, 2001). Findings such as these suggest that an effective way for the police to tackle and reduce crime is to target serial and repeat offenders who are responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime.Targeting serial offenders specifically, however, requires the police to identify serial offenses (referred to hereafter as linked crime series), which are essentially two or more crimes committed by the same offender or the same group of offenders (Woodhams, Hollin, & Bull, 2007). The most reliable way of identifying linked crime series is through the recovery of forensic evidence, such as DNA or fingerprints, left at the scenes of several different crimes (Grubin, Kelly, & Brunsdon, 2001). However, despite the impression that television programs such as CSI create, the availability of forensic evidence is surprisingly limited, with less than 1% of recorded crimes yielding such evidence (House of Commons, 2005). Therefore, the police often need to rely on other approaches to linking crime. One potential alternative is to use behavioral similarity, whereby crimes that show evidence of similar offender behavior are judged to have been committed by the same offender/s (referred to as linked crimes), whereas those that involve different behavior are said to have been committed by different offenders Running head: Linking Different Types of Crime 3 (referred to as unlinked crimes). This procedure is known by several names, including linkage analysis and comparative case analysis, but the term behavioral case linkage will be used in the current paper. Behavioral Case LinkageBehavioral case linkage is an investigative procedure that has received growing attention both prac...

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“…Bennell & Canter, 2002;Grubin et al, 2001;Labuschagne, 2006). This interest is unsurprising given the potential investigative benefits of successfully linking crimes.…”

Section: Behavioral Case Linkagementioning

confidence: 99%

Linking Different Types of Crime Using Geographical and Temporal Proximity

Tonkin

Woodhams

Bull

et al. 2011

Criminal Justice and Behavior

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“…The primary use of this form of behavioural analysis is to inform investigative decision making, however, some recent publications have reported the use of behavioural similarity in offending behaviour in legal proceedings in the United Kingdom, the United States, and South Africa (Hazelwood & Warren, 2003;Labuschagne, 2006;Meyer, 2007;Woodhams & Toye, 2007). Whilst the presentation of expert evidence of behavioural similarity is relatively rare, there are now several examples of its use in legal proceedings, one of which dates back 50 years.…”

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confidence: 96%

“…More recently, evidence of behavioural similarity has also been admitted in the case of the State of California v. Prince (2007( , as cited in Turvey, 2008) which relates to a series of murders. Labuschagne (2006) reported on the use of linkage analysis evidence in the case of the Newcastle serial murderer in South Africa (South Africa has an adversarial system where the State and Defence can both present a case and cross-examine witnesses, however, there is not a jury.). This evidence was presented to assist the presiding offi cer of the court to decide whether the same individual was responsible for the series of murders.…”

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confidence: 97%

A qualitative analysis of mock jurors' deliberations of linkage analysis evidence

Charron

Woodhams

2010

Journal Invest Psychology

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“…Crime linkage is currently used to inform police investigations of a range of crime types, in cases of sexual assault and murder (see the Serious Crime Analysis Section; National Crime Agency, n.d.) and in a wider variety of crime types according to police service priority, notably burglary, robbery, and car crime (Burrell & Bull, ). In some countries, it is also used to support prosecutions in court (Labuschagne, , ; Pakkanen, Santtila, & Bosco, ). Using offender behaviour to link crimes can be advantageous where more traditional linkage methods are expensive and time‐consuming (Pakkanen, Zappalà, Grönroos, & Santtila, ), or where there is limited or no physical forensic evidence (Grubin, Kelly, & Brunsdon, ; Labuschagne, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When used as an investigative tool, the potential ramifications of inefficient or erroneous crime linkage could be severe. This consideration is especially important given that crime linkage is used in this capacity across many different policing contexts and across different continents, including countries in Europe (Rainbow, ), North America (Hazelwood & Warren, ), and Africa (Labuschagne, ). Inaccurate linkage predictions may hinder, rather than help, an investigation, including the inappropriate allocation of law enforcement resources and, in the case of incorrectly identifying several cases as linked, generating unwarranted media interest and unnecessary public anxiety (Grubin et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The practice of crime linkage: A review of the literature

Davies

Woodhams

2019

Journal Invest Psychology

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Crime linkage has been the subject of increasing attention in academic research. Research has found support for the principles of behavioural consistency and distinctiveness, which underpin crime linkage, but this does not provide direct evidence as to whether crime linkage is useful in practice. This literature review draws together documentation that refers to the practice of crime linkage, from assessing analysts' efficacy, to discussing the usage of computerised tools to assist with the linkage process, to providing a comprehensive outline of the process itself. The implications of the amount and type of information currently available are discussed, including the variations in practice and terminology that were explored. Avenues for future investigation and the manner in which future research could be conducted are set out in a research agenda.

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The use of a linkage analysis as evidence in the conviction of the Newcastle serial murderer, South Africa

Abstract: Abstract

Cited by 26 publications

References 11 publications

Linking Different Types of Crime Using Geographical and Temporal Proximity

Linking Different Types of Crime Using Geographical and Temporal Proximity

A qualitative analysis of mock jurors' deliberations of linkage analysis evidence

The practice of crime linkage: A review of the literature

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