“It was one phone call, one day, that changed my life.” Professor Mark Williams never saw himself as a crime fighter. At WMG, his speciality has always been image processing and 3D technologies. And like many of us, his only experience of detective work had come via page-turning thrillers or TV shows.

But when West Midlands Police called in 2014, he didn’t hesitate. Tragically, the police had recovered a body from a canal in the region. The victim had been dismembered and placed in a suitcase. Professor Williams and his team were tasked with using state-of-the-art 3D technologies to support the forensic investigation.

“By applying high-resolution 3D scans of burnt human bone,” he says, “we were able to help provide a crucial link between the site where the body had been disposed of and the home of the murder suspect – leading in part to a murder conviction.”

This case was just the beginning. Since then, the Professor says, “our novel image processing methods and 3D visualisation techniques have provided police investigators with a powerful new tool for uncovering and evidencing crime.”
His research is improving the quality of evidence in homicide investigations across the country. Furthering the field of forensic science, inspiring other academics, and forging crucial bonds with organisations such as the Forensic Centre for Digital Scanning and 3D Printing. Most importantly, this work has led to many convictions, bringing victims and their families the justice they so desperately deserve.

The team have supported 25+ police forces and their work has improved evidence for 250+ murder investigations.