Over the last decade, the University of Warwick's Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) has used cutting-edge 3D imaging technology to help solve over 300 murder cases. The technology, which can produce images with resolutions 1,000 times more detailed than a hospital CT scan, has been used by 30 police forces across the UK to view injuries in high detail. It has helped convict the guilty and prove innocence by showing the difference between wounds inflicted with force and those caused by natural causes. The technology has been used in cases involving strangulation, stabbing, blunt force trauma, and bone fractures. The partnership between WMG and West Midlands Police began in 2014 when the technology was used to examine a charred piece of evidence in the Birmingham canal murder case. The technology has also been used to rule out foul play and determine accidental causes of death. In one case, 3D model printing of a deceased person's skull matched the geometry of a door handle, suggesting a fall as the cause of death. The high-resolution scans were also used to help convict murderers Nathan Maynard-Ellis and David Leesley, who dismembered their victim. The scans showed the deliberate nature of their behavior and the direction and variation of their cuts. Both were convicted and sentenced to life in prison. [708f3f46]
Students at E-ACT Willenhall Academy in Walsall, UK, were given virtual reality headsets by West Midlands Police to experience the reality of carrying a knife. The interactive video, part of Operation Advance, showed the real-life dangers of knife crime and forced students to make snap decisions that could result in a peaceful resolution or the death of a classmate. Express & Star reporter Daniel Walton tried the virtual reality experience and found it difficult to choose options that led to a peaceful resolution while still supporting his friends. [12a742f4]