Forensic Handwriting Analysis

Signature Forensics

When it comes to forensic handwriting analysis, our experts provide unparalleled insight into the world of signature forensics, ensuring every nuance of the writing is thoroughly analysed.

Benefits of Handwriting Analysis Forensics

When it comes to establishing the legitimacy of a signature or identifying the author of a handwritten document, forensic handwriting analysis plays an indispensable role. This analytical method goes beyond the ordinary to provide you with:

• Accurate Identification: Using a meticulous approach, our forensic handwriting expert can often determine the genuineness of a signature or ascertain the authorship of a piece of writing.
• Courtroom Credibility: Layman’s opinions might not hold much weight in court. Our experts’ findings, backed by rigorous research and experience, stand strong in legal settings.
• Clarity and Assurance: In situations where there’s a dispute or doubt, our signature forensics service offers clarity, giving you peace of mind knowing that you have the best in the business on your side.

Forensic Handwriting Analysis Explained.

1. Why courts require evidence from handwriting experts as opposed to laymen.

The rule of evidence that sets out how only an expert witness can give opinion evidence about a handwriting/signature comparison is based on two considerations:

• The rules of evidence in Australia usually prevent a non-expert person from giving opinion evidence on matters that are considered to be outside of that person’s everyday experience as the opinion may be unreliable.
• The forensic handwriting analysis research conducted over the last 20 years into the opinions of handwriting/signature comparison experts versus the opinion of laypersons suggests that experts consistently give more reliable opinions. This does not mean that the experts have been proven to be error-free witnesses but merely more reliable than lay witnesses.

 2. The types/categories of Forensic Handwriting Analysis experts are typically asked to conduct.

Most inquiries regarding signature and handwriting comparisons typically fall into these two categories:

• a disputed signature on a formal document such as a will, financial agreement or contract. In other words, is the signature a forgery?
• handwriting on a document (or any surface which can be written on) where the content of the handwriting is important for proving an issue. In other words, who wrote the handwriting?

A variation on the above is where there is a collection of signatures or handwriting samples which may be used to prove the likelihood of an issue if it can be shown that the same person wrote all of the signatures/handwriting. This is not asking who wrote it but instead, was it all written by only one person?

3. What documents help you when performing forensic handwriting analysis to form an opinion in such matters including terminology such as “questioned” and “specimen”?

The methodology of a signature or handwriting comparison depends on the following factors which influence what documents are required to endeavour to form a definite conclusion:

LIKE-to-LIKE: It is usually essential to compare “like to like”, e.g. cursive to cursive, uppercase to uppercase and lowercase letters to lowercase letters. It is also normally essential to compare handwriting to handwriting and NOT handwriting to a signature as many writers will depart from the normal letter designs of their handwriting to write their signatures.

CONTEMPORANEOUS: It is best to compare a writing sample written at approximately the same date, as handwriting can change over time or due to injury.

SPECIMEN: A signature or piece of handwriting written by an unknown author is described as “questioned”. It is compared against the usual or “specimen” signatures or handwriting of a known writer. A sufficient quantity of specimens is required for a reasonably conclusive result. It is not possible to precisely advise on this quantity, as it will depend on the skill of the writer and the exclusiveness and complexity of their writing. When examining specimens, it is important to have a sufficient quantity of samples that will reveal the usual parameters of natural variation that all writers display in their handwriting, i.e. all writers vary the letter form in their signatures/handwriting to some degree, some more than others. It is also the case that some writers will use a range of designs, use short and tall letters  or will vary the style or format depending on the circumstances of writing. A strong forensic handwriting analysis opinion is prevented where there is a risk that the specimen handwriting supplied in an examination does not necessarily reveal the full range of variation of the writer.

INJURY or ILLNESS: It is important to know the extent of any injury or illness that may affect handwriting when obtaining specimen handwriting or where a suspect is thought to have written questioned handwriting.

COMPLEXITY. What is meant by the expression “complexity” is the relative number of intersections, retraces, multiple pen movements, connections and finer pen movements that characterise more complex handwriting. Signatures or handwriting that are low in complexity are problematic for two reasons:

-firstly, the simple handwriting of one person is more difficult to distinguish from the simple handwriting of another writer because there are fewer individualising features to compare.

-secondly, simple handwriting is relatively easy to copy by a skilled writer without revealing the tell-tale signs of forgery, i.e. tremor, pen lift, low speed, etc. If the complexity is extremely low, and/or there is little questioned handwriting to examine, there is a strong possibility that the questioned handwriting could be copied by almost any writer without the production of the tell-tale signs of forgery. Therefore, if a signature or questioned handwriting is low in complexity, or there is very little of it to compare, it can prevent a definite forensic handwriting analysis conclusion irrespective of the other factors that are taken into account in forensic examinations.

In a forensic handwriting comparison, it is not usually possible to produce a definite conclusion based on, for example, a comparison of four questioned words written in upper case even if there are many pages of specimen handwriting. The low number of comparable features in only 4 words and the relative simplicity of uppercase writing (compared to the more complex designs of cursive handwriting, for example) usually prevent a definite opinion in most cases. This is a general example only and there are exceptions to this rule – it may be possible to offer a qualified rather than definite forensic handwriting analysis opinion.

4. Is the quality of copies of documents important?

In comparing handwriting and signatures it is always optimal to have original documents with original ink writing but it can be possible to achieve good results with copies. The chance of a definite result is enhanced by high-definition copies that, when enlarged, allow the expert to see fine details such as the tapering of an ink stroke or the scrape marks within the borders of an ink stroke. Obviously, high-definition copies are not always available but it may still be possible to give valuable evidence by examining poor-quality copies IF there is sufficient handwriting to form a reliable opinion and the handwriting is sufficiently complex to form a reliable opinion.

In general terms, the clarity of copied documents will depend on the observable detail when the image is enlarged.

It is always important when performing forensic handwriting analysis to examine originals where there is a risk of “copy and paste” forgery, i.e. where a copy of a forged signature is imaged onto a copy of a genuine document by the forger.

5. What types of opinions you can form after an analysis?

The types of opinions that are provided are based on the methodology an expert uses. The majority of local Government-employed experts use a methodology created in Australia that has 5 levels of opinion, which include two types of definite conclusions (one for a proposition whilst the other is against), two that are not definite but qualified and one that is inconclusive. This is a very general summary as the wording of the definite opinions always includes the specific and strong message that no forensic examinations expert can promise 100% reliability even if he or she is sure of the opinion. Experts cannot offer 100% reliability in an opinion as, by virtue of the description “opinion”, the conclusion includes a subjective process.

The important feature of handwriting and signature comparisons is that the general forensic handwriting analysis process can be measured to enable identification of the likelihood of the chance of error. Many important studies have been conducted to help establish the parameters of such errors in handwriting and signature comparisons. Many of these have been conducted in Australia and have involved testing using 5 levels of opinion, hence the preference of many Government experts for opinion terminology that involves 5 levels of opinion.

The types of opinions vary depending on whether a handwriting or signature comparison is conducted. Where a positive conclusion in a signature comparison is made, i.e. “the questioned signature is genuine”, the determination indicates that not only does the questioned signature possess all of the qualities of the specimen signatures but, additionally, it is sufficiently complex so as not to have been written, by accident or forgery, by any person other than the specimen writer. It is a positive conclusion of authorship. Where, however, a conclusion is made to the effect that “the questioned signature is not genuine”, the definite statement indicates that the questioned signature is lacking in the qualities found in the specimen signatures. Such an opinion is almost always qualified by the possibility that the specimen writer could have written the questioned signature but because of the possibility, for example, of deliberate self-disguise, the influence of ill health or drugs, or the effect of an unusual writing instrument or surface, this authorship is impossible to detect by forensic handwriting analysis.

6. Why an opinion might be inconclusive.

Inconclusive forensic handwriting analysis opinions are usually given where the following circumstances arise:

• an insufficient number of specimen samples to assess natural variation,
• insufficient number of questioned samples to allow enough features to be compared.
• insufficient complexity of either specimen or questioned writings meaning that it is impossible to eliminate the possibility of an undetectable forgery.
• low-quality copies that do not allow observation of important comparable features.

7. Why a determination as to forgery cannot be made from handwriting evidence alone.

The use of the term “forgery” is problematic. Forgery is normally understood in law as the act of dishonest copying, not honest copying. Copying another person’s signature handwriting on a legal document is, circumstantially, normally a dishonest act. However, a forensic expert opinion as to whether any questioned signature is a “forgery” at law requires an assessment of the writer’s intention, i.e. the proof of an intention to defraud/deceive as opposed to another intention. No expert can determine a fraudulent state of mind from a forensic examination. Hence while the term “forgery” may be heard in a report or court case it is important that a forensic handwriting analysis expert never gives the impression he or she can identify a forgery and instead uses terminology that states whether or not a person wrote handwriting or whether or not a signature is genuine.

8. The difference between a preliminary report and an expert report.

A preliminary examination report is often provided first, before a full examination and an expert certificate for court, as it allows a useful cost-benefit assessment for a client. The client can decide whether to incur further costs for a full examination after having reviewed the forensic handwriting analysis expert’s preliminary opinion.

A preliminary examination is not as thorough as a full examination. Therefore, any opinions expressed in a preliminary report are qualified by a higher chance of error compared to a full examination. In a preliminary report, there is a focus on the likely opinion conclusion and not on the fine detail of an expert certificate for court. Any conclusion in a preliminary report cannot by itself be considered sufficiently reliable to support a formal/informal allegation or charge or proceedings or action of any kind that is to the detriment of an individual.

9. Contextual Bias

A growing number of scientific researchers are critical of forensic handwriting analysis experts being given background information that may bias them towards a certain result. The courts hearing expert evidence may well be critical of experts who do not address the need to reduce or remove context bias. Bias may arise when an investigator receives background information regarding the circumstances surrounding the analysis. It could be argued for example that an expert may be susceptible to an opinion that will favour the party proving the payment.

In submitting documents to a forensic handwriting analysis expert it is optimal therefore to use a third party or process to filter or remove context bias so that the expert only receives the document/s to be compared without any information as to which opinion will benefit the party proving payment for the opinion.

10. How someone comes to be deemed an expert in handwriting analysis.

In Australia, there is no independent educational or legal authority that decides who is deemed to be a handwriting or signature comparison expert. The individual court that is hearing the evidence shall make its own decision based on the expert’s education and experience. Often it may be influenced in terms of how deeply it looks at this issue by the acceptance or rejection of that evidence by the competing parties that are appearing in the matter before the court.

To select a forensic handwriting analysis expert for court the optimal criteria includes:

• educational tertiary qualifications that are “discipline-specific” (that is, relevant to the expert skill, e.g. if the qualifications/curriculum do not include the words “forensic document” and “handwriting”/”signature” this may be grounds for caution). Also, it is optimal that the qualifications are obtained from an authoritative certified educational institution and, in order to verify this, it is usually more easily done if the institution is Australian.
• acceptance of the expert as a member of a forensic institution, preferably discipline-specific and Australian, that filters membership according to education and experience, e.g. the Australasian Society of Forensic Document Examiners Inc.
• the previous unopposed acceptance by Australian courts of an expert witness is always a good sign of reliable experience and authority.

Some of the Forensic Document areas we have been engaged in:

• Correspondence
• Threat notes
• Legal documents
• Diaries
• Employment documents
• Educational qualifications
• Passports
• Wills
• Questioned signatures
• Crime scene
• Graffiti

 

Lyonswood Investigations and Forensics – Our Other Services

At Lyonswood, we understand that not every investigative need can be met with forensic handwriting analysis. That’s why we offer a wide range of private investigation services to meet the needs of our clients.

 

Surveillance is one of the most popular services we offer. Our experienced surveillance team can conduct surveillance in a variety of settings, from public places to private homes. We use the latest surveillance equipment to get the information our clients need, and our team is highly trained in surveillance techniques. In addition to surveillance, we offer a variety of other investigative services, including background checks, asset searches, and more.

 

• • Private investigator Sydney
  • Private investigator Melbourne
  • Private investigators Brisbane
  • Computer Forensics Services: Dive deep into the digital footprints and retrieve crucial data.
  • Mobile Phone Forensics: Unearth essential information from mobile devices.
  • Finger Print Analysis: Match fingerprints to identities with precision.
  • Audio Forensic Enhancement: Ensure clarity of audio files for enhanced comprehension.

  No matter what your investigative need is, Lyonswood is here to help. Contact us today to learn more about our services.

  Discover Our Forensic Handwriting Analysis Services Today

  Signature and handwriting analyses are powerful tools in the world of forensic science. At Lyonswood, our expertise in forensic handwriting analysis, combined with a suite of complementary services, ensures that every inquiry receives an in-depth investigative approach. Whatever your requirements, trust Lyonswood to deliver evidence you can rely on.

  Why choose Lyonswood for your document or handwriting analysis forensics?

  Lyonswood’s lead forensic handwriting expert is the former Commander of the Document Examination Section of the NSW Police Forensic Services Group. He was Commander when this Laboratory successfully earned retention of accreditation as a forensic laboratory with the National Association of Testing Authorities Australia in 2007 and 2010.

  He has an impressive quarter-century of experience with the courts, firstly as a Police Prosecutor and then Forensic Document Examination expert.

  He was a teacher and author of the curriculum in Forensic Document Examination at the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) from 2009 to 2012.

  Qualifications include a post-graduate Diploma in Information Management (UNSW), Diploma in Forensic Investigation (CIT), Diploma in Forensic Document Examination (CIT); as well as a fellowship of the Australasian College of Biomedical Scientists and membership of the Australasian Society of Forensic Document Examiners, both of which require peer review for admission.

  He has presented at workshops, seminars and conferences including audiences from the Office of the Department of Public Prosecutions and the Sydney University Forensic Medicine and Science Network.

  Forensic Document Examination Testimonials

  Case 1: Your forensic document examiner was brilliant. We can now obtain what is rightfully ours – our inheritance. People can be so devious when it comes to matters of money. All along we believed that Dad’s signature was a forgery. The evidence that you were able to obtain with respect to Dad’s state of mind around the time he allegedly signed the will was also vital. (Names withheld)

  Case 2: The letters that this woman was sending almost destroyed our marriage. The efforts on the part of your investigators are to be commended. The matching up of documentation that you managed to obtain from her proved beyond doubt who it was. I know you won’t tell me, but I still can’t imagine how you obtained these records. I guess that’s a trade secret. I can’t thank you enough. (Name withheld)

  Case 3: I had no idea that DNA could be obtained from a document. Your advice that people up to no good generally sweat rang true. Although there were no fingerprints on the documents that were good enough to present to the court, the DNA removed from the paper proved that it was my brother who had falsified my father’s signature. (Name withheld)

  Case 4: Thank for from us both. We can now rest easy now that this woman’s accusations have been disproved. All these years my husband has paid out child support believing that the boy was his. The DNA you gathered from the tissue he used to blow his nose contains the truth. Who could have known it would be this easy, I feel sorry for the boy as I suspect she knows who the father is but I doubt she will ever tell him. (Name withheld)