The H-Unique project and the wider work of Professor Sue Black have been featured in several print, video and radio articles around the world, a selection are presented here.
Recent Items
TV, Video and Radio
BBC Radio 4 – The Hand Detectives : In this programme we explore how Sue and her teams in Dundee and Lancaster University have developed the science of Hand Identification, how it can be used in conjunction with digital forensic techniques to identify offenders, and how by creating a library of hands, Artificial Intelligence can be developed to quickly and accurately assess hands and link child abuse cases around the globe – protecting not just children, but the investigators who put their own mental health at risk as they work to protect the most vulnerable.
How Hands Convicted A Paedophile (FULL DOCUMENTARY) BBC Stories : In July 2014, police in Manchester arrested a 34-year-old man on suspicion of filming himself raping a child. In the video, the face of the perpetrator was hidden but his hands were visible. Detectives felt they had the right suspect in custody, but did not have enough evidence to secure a conviction. With time running out, they turned to Dame Professor Sue Black, a forensic anthropologist who is an expert in the identification of anatomical features, including hands.
Newspaper and Magazine Articles
The Times: Meet the baroness catching paedophiles red-handed : Her ability to identify the unique properties of a human hand has sent more than 33 child sex offenders to prison for life. Now Sue Black is feeding her expertise into an algorithm to help police around the world catch even more
The Week Magazine: Scientists developing AI to spot paedophiles just from images of their hands: Scientists are developing a sophisticated algorithm to track down child abusers