Forensic Focus – Details, episodes & analysis

David Shipley, Instructor at Anglia Ruskin University, joins the Forensic Focus Podcast to talk about the human cost of online safeguarding work and his fight to close a gap in UK law. Drawing on 16 years investigating abusive imagery and online child sexual offending, David reflects on what the work actually involves — from the scale of the problem and the relentless build-up of warrants and digital forensic backlogs, to the difficult triage decisions investigators must make when no team can examine every device. He's candid about what "safeguarding" really means in practice, and about the mental toll the role takes on the people who do it.

The conversation then turns to David's final year in policing, when his work on the David Fuller case led him to discover that much of the sexual abuse of corpses he was cataloguing was not actually illegal. David explains how he took that discovery from a Ministry of Justice rejection through a lost bill and a change of government to eventual Royal Assent — a four-year campaign that introduced a new offence and raised the maximum sentence for sexual penetration of a corpse from two to seven years. He closes with frank advice for the next generation of investigators on protecting their own well-being and holding onto an investigative mindset.

#OnlineSafeguarding #InvestigatorWellbeing #LawReform #Policing #MentalHealth #DigitalForensics #DFIR

00:00 Introducing David Shipley

01:20 An Unusual Route Into Safeguarding

03:23 The Scale Of The Problem

06:55 Warrants, Workload And Backlogs

08:40 Triage: You Can't Examine Everything

11:52 What Safeguarding Really Means

14:46 The Hidden Mental Toll

18:21 How Welfare Support Evolved

22:27 Questionnaires And Team Culture

24:58 The Session That Changed My Mind

26:15 The David Fuller Case

29:27 Retiring, Then Returning To Finish The Job

31:51 Continuity And Limiting Exposure

33:50 Discovering The Gap In The Law

36:38 Shock, Duty And Dignity In Death

38:24 Launching The Campaign

41:11 The Ministry Of Justice Says No

44:05 Setbacks, A Lost Bill And A Second Chance

47:00 Royal Assent And Mixed Emotions

50:31 What The New Law Actually Changes

55:32 Advice For The Next Generation

58:08 Closing Reflections

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🎧 Video/Transcript: https://www.forensicfocus.com/podcast/david-shipley-investigating-the-darkest-corners-of-digital-evidence/

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Marcus Rowe, Business Director – Public Safety & Forensics at Leica Geosystems, joins the Forensic Focus Podcast to talk about 3D laser scanning, forensic digital twins, and the role of LiDAR in modern crime and collision investigation. Marcus shares his path from military and civilian policing — including a career in forensic collision investigation with Devon & Cornwall Police — into industry, and explains how Leica Geosystems (part of Hexagon) is empowering investigators with tools that capture entire scenes for analysis, courtroom presentation, and cold case review.

Marcus and Si also discuss the upcoming Forensics Europe Expo at Olympia on 1–2 July, which is set to bring together senior leaders, practitioners and solution providers from across the forensic community. To learn more and secure a free visitor pass, visit: https://www.forensicseuropeexpo.com.

The conversation also turns to Marcus's involvement in the world's largest crash test, featured in the Channel 4 documentary Pile Up. Working blind to the staged scenario, Marcus reconstructed the multi-vehicle collision from post-event scene capture and 3D modelling — at times surfacing detail that the 90 cameras filming the event had missed.

#LiDAR #3DScanning #CrashInvestigation #ForensicDigitalTwins #LeicaGeosystems #DigitalForensics #DFIR

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 Welcome Marcus Rowe

02:44 From Policing to Leica Geosystems

05:35 Leica Conference Highlights

08:43 Forensic Digital Twins Talk

17:55 What to Expect at FEE

22:29 Students and Career Pathways

26:08 World's Largest Crash Test

31:07 LiDAR Explained Simply

34:36 Courtroom Storytelling in 3D

36:02 Real Cases and Proof Standards

38:40 TV Production

41:20 Micron Accuracy Use Cases

42:25 Footprints Without Contact

46:56 From Microns to Kilometers

50:35 VR for Juries and Trust

52:04 Holistic Capture Beats Bias

56:02 FEE Event Invitation

01:00:36 Wrap Up

👉 Visit Forensic Focus: https://www.forensicfocus.com

🎧 Video/Transcript: https://www.forensicfocus.com/podcast/leicas-marcus-rowe-on-investigating-the-worlds-largest-crash-test-plus-what-to-expect-at-fee-2026/

📝 Show Notes

Leica Geosystems – https://leica-geosystems.com

Hexagon – https://hexagon.com

Leica DISTO – https://shop.leica-geosystems.com/disto

Forensics Europe Expo (FEE) – https://www.forensicseuropeexpo.com

Channel 4 "Pile Up" documentary – https://www.channel4.com/programmes/pile-up-worlds-biggest-crash-test

👉 Follow Forensic Focus

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Phil Anderson from Northumbria University joins the Forensic Focus Podcast to discuss the launch of the Forensic Focus International Well-Being Study — a global research project examining the psychological and physical impact of digital forensic work across both law enforcement and the private sector.

Drawing on his 24-year academic career and long-standing collaboration with Northumbria Police, Phil explains how digital forensics units have evolved and why DFIs are facing unprecedented levels of stress, burnout, and workload pressure.

Together with host Paul, he outlines the four core research themes behind the study — early-life trauma and resilience, the mind-body impact of occupational stress, organisational protective factors, and the role of neurodiversity — and issues a clear call to action for DFIs worldwide to take part and help drive meaningful change.

#DigitalForensics #DFIR #ForensicWellbeing #DFIs #MentalHealth #Neurodiversity #Trauma #PoliceForensics

00:00 Phil Anderson's Journey into Digital Forensics

01:34 Collaboration with Northumbria Police

02:33 The Evolution of Digital Forensics Units

03:34 Planning the Forensic Focus Well-Being Study

11:40 Exploring the Impact of Early Life Trauma on DFIs

19:51 Coping Strategies and Physical Health in DFIs

24:37 Challenges and Stressors in Digital Forensics

27:51 Challenges in Digital Forensics

28:42 Recruitment and Retention Issues

30:18 Acknowledging the Crisis

33:34 Protective Factors Against Trauma

44:08 Neurodiversity in Digital Forensics

47:46 Call to Action: Participate in the Survey

👉 Visit Forensic Focus at https://www.forensicfocus.com

🎧 Video/Transcript: https://www.forensicfocus.com/podcast/forensic-focus-international-well-being-study-have-your-say/

📝 Show Notes

Forensic Focus International Well-Being Study - https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/northumbria/forensic-focus-wellbeing-survey

Forensic Focus and Northumbria University Launch International Well-Being Study for Digital Forensic Investigators - https://www.forensicfocus.com/news/forensic-focus-and-northumbria-university-launch-international-well-being-study-for-digital-forensic-investigators/

👉 Follow Forensic Focus

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Podcast | https://forensicfocus.com/podcast

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LinkedIn Group | https://linkedin.com/groups/693917

X (Twitter) | https://x.com/ForensicFocus

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