60. Little Helen: How fallible are forensics? - a podcast by BBC Radio

On the 20th of April 1934, eight-year-old Helen was sent to buy bread for her mother. She reached the bakery around 1.30 in the afternoon, spent exactly 4 dimes and was seen returning home by a few neighbors. But she never made it all the way and later that day her parents, friends and the police began a search that lasted through the night.

What do Aberdeen, a half-loaf of bread, and the history of forensic science have in common? In this episode of Bad People, recorded live at the festival Granite Noir, Dr Julia Shaw and Sofie Hagen discuss the impact of bias on forensics, the use of bacteria in analysing crime scenes and the way in which fingerprints are actually compared – hint, it’s not like the movies.

Warning: This episode contains strong language, descriptions of violence, child abuse and sexual violence.

CREDITS
Presenters: Dr Julia Shaw and Sofie Hagen
Producer: Louisa Field and Caroline Steel
Assistant Producer: Simona Rata
Music: Matt Chandler
Editor: Rami Tzabar
Academic Consultants for The Open University: Lara Frumkin and James Munro
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Commissioning Assistant Producer: Adam Eland
Commissioning Executive: Dylan Haskins

Bad People is produced in partnership with The Open University and is a BBC Audio Science Production for BBC Sounds.

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