The Alien Characteristic
| Published date | 01 January 1957 |
| Author | Frederick Owen |
| Date | 01 January 1957 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X5703000108 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
THE
ALIEN CHARACTERISTIC
The
Alien
Characteristic
By
DETECTIVE
CONSTABLE
FREDERICK
OWEN
Oxford City Police.
47
HOW many characteristics in agreement is it necessary to prove
in order to satisfy a court that amark left at the scene
of
a
crime was made by an article produced?
It
would seem that much
depends on the article itself, and with the nature of the characteristic(s)
of
that particular article. I relate the following case as an example
of
what I call
"the
alien characteristic."
On the night of the 23rd-24th April, 1955, a printing works and its
offices in the west of this city was entered. Cash and a number
of
articles, which included a paper knife in the form of a sword, were
stolen. The intruders had moved the safe in the manager's office
but
had
not
made any attempt to force it. The curtains in this same office
had
been drawn by one of the intruders standing on a leather-topped
chair, which left the impression of a right crepe sole thereon (Fig. 1).
There was another crepe sole impression
of
a different pattern on a
filing cabinet which had obviously been caused by some person to
gain leverage in moving the safe. This mark was also photographed.
No other marks or fingerprints were found at the scene.
During the early hours of the morning of the 24th April three men
with criminal records were stopped in the city in possession
of
amotor-
car. Each was wearing crepe sole footwear and, therefore, became
suspects for this offence. However, it was established
that
the im-
pressions found at the scene could
not
have been caused by their
respective footwear and they were released.
It
is usual in establishing identification with such impressions to
rely on the early arrest of the offenders before the shoes which have
caused the marks have altered in their characteristics through prolonged
wear,
but
in one of the impressions (Fig. 1) it was noticed that a
characteristic alien to a crepe sole was present in a certain position
on the sole,
and
this appeared to have been caused by a nail head
which had apparently been picked up by the wearer, and which
had
embedded itself in the crepe.
My story now goes to the early hours of the morning of the 25th
June, 1955. A constable on duty in Queen Street in the centre of the
city found a shop had been entered and owing to his immediate action,
in a commendable manner, the arrest of two men, Patrick Coates
and
Stanley Butler, was effected. Both these men had criminal records and
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