Category: Speaker comparison

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R -v- Ahmed & Ahmed

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Trials for Directing and Membership of Al Qaeda |

J P French Associates were commended by the Greater Manchester Police for our “outstanding assistance … in connection with the prosecution of Rangzieb Ahmed and Habib Ahmed” for a number of terrorist offences.  Various members of the firm carried out a range of forensic work including enhancement of recordings and transcription and speaker comparison in English, Urdu and Panjabi languages.  The convictions in relation to Al Qaeda were the first of their kind in the UK.

Certificate of appreciation – GMP CTU

Manchester Crown Court, December 2008.

Instructed by the Crown.  Produced reports, transcripts and gave evidence in court.

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R -v- John Humble

‘The Yorkshire Ripper Hoaxer’ trial |

J P French Associates analysed the voice and speech patterns in a police interview recording made 26 years after the original hoax tapes received by the police.  The recordings were authenticated and speaker comparison provided evidence that lead to John Samuel Humble admitting that he was in fact the hoaxer.  The analysis was so extraordinary, given the length of delay, that the findings were published in a scientific journal article.

Leeds Crown Court, March 2006.

Instructed by the Crown.  Produced report.

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R -v- Abu Hamza al-Masri

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Trial of radical Muslim cleric |

We provided speaker comparison evidence in the trial of Abu Hamza al-Masri.  He was charged with soliciting murder, inciting racial hatred, possession of audio and video recordings for distribution to stir up racial hatred and possession of a document likely to be useful to a terrorist.

Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, London. 2005-6.
Instructed by the Crown.  Produced report.

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Hashwani -v- Hashwani

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Expert speech evidence for the Sindh High Court |

J P French Associates provided authentication and voice comparison evidence in a civil case from Pakistan.  The evidence was delivered in York to the removed Sindh High Court.

Sindh High court (removed to England to hear expert evidence), 2005?
Produced report and gave evidence in person.

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R -v- David Francis Bieber

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Trial for the murder of PC Ian Broadhurst and the attempted murder of PCs Neil Roper and James Banks |

We were engaged by the prosecution to compare the voice of the suspect placing bets with recordings from the scene of the shootings.  The report and witness testimony based on analysis of the voices contributed significantly to the conviction of David Bieber.
BBC news report on the speaker comparison evidence

Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Crown Court, November – December 2004.
Instructed by the Crown.  Produced report and gave evidence in person.

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R -v- Anthony O’Doherty

Landmark case in setting legal precedents for forensic speech analysis |

J P French Associates produced voice comparison evidence in the defendant’s appeal against convictions for aggravated burglary and causing GBH with intent. This case provided a new legal precedent in the UK for how forensic speech analysts should compare voice samples.

Northern Ireland Court of Criminal Appeal, Belfast, 2002.

Instructed by Director of Public Prosecutions, Belfast.  Produced report and attended court.

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United Nations -v- General Radislav Krstic

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The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia at The Hague |

General Radislav Krstic was found guilty of Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity and Violations of the Laws or Customs of War.  J P French Associates carried out speaker comparison using recordings of Gen Krstic, producing reports and giving evidence at the Hague for the first of these UN ICTY tribunal cases to pass a sentence for genocide.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, The Hague, 2001.
Instructed by the United Nations.  Produced reports and gave evidence in person.

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State of Mauritius -v- Sir Bhinod Bacha

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Murder trial of the former Head of Civil Service of Mauritius |

J P French Associates were engaged to authenticate telephone intercept recordings provided on an audio cassette tape to a Judge.

Supreme Court of Mauritius, Port Luis, 1996.
Instructed by the Defence.  Produced report and gave evidence in the witness box.