73 Jurnal Sains Kesihatan Malaysia Isu Khas 2019: 73-83 DOI : http://dx.doi.org./10.17576/JSKM-2019-10 Fibre Discrimination by Various Tests and Analytical Techniques (Diskriminasi Serat menggunakan Pelbagai Ujian Saringan dan Teknik Analitikal) GINA FRANCESCA GABRIEL, NOR SALWANA MAHASSAN, PUA HIANG, NOOR HAZFALINDA HAMZAH * ABSTRACT Fibres are important trace evidence that can be found during the course of crime scene investigation. The identifcation and analysis of these fbres shed light as to the circumstances surrounding a particular crime. Identifying the factors that affect the transference of fbres under various environments are crucial in providing robust conclusions of a case per se, as highlighted in this work. Donor garments were made up of four different types of fbre; 100% cotton, 100% nylon, 100% polyester and 100% wool, that were used to observe the differences in the number of transferred fbres to the recipient garment (100% cotton) and vice versa with increasing contact times of 30, 60, 180, and 300 seconds respectively. To simulate contact between the donor garment worn by a suspect and the recipient garment worn by a victim in real-life situations, the donor garment was placed on top of the recipient garment which was laid on a piece of plywood. The numbers of transferred fbres, both from the donor to the recipient garment and from the recipient to the donor garment were observed and tested using microscopic examination, burning test, solubility test and dye extractability test. Results indicated that different types of garments transferred different number of fbres with increasing contact times, and the identifcation of the fbres are possible via the different tests applied in this work. Keywords: Fibre transfer; microscopic examination; burning test; solubility test; dye extraction test ABSTRAK Serat merupakan salah satu bahan bukti surih penting yang boleh dijumpai semasa penyiasatan kes jenayah. Identifkasi dan analisis serat boleh membantu dalam siasatan jenayah. Identifkasi faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi perpindahan serat dalam pelbagai keadaan adalah penting untuk konklusi sesuatu kes, seperti di dalam kajian ini. Pakaian penderma adalah diperbuat daripada empat jenis serat; 100% kapas, 100% nilon, 100% poliester dan 100% bulu biri-biri, yang digunakan untuk melihat perbezaan jumlah serat yang berjaya dipindahkan kepada pakaian penerima (100% kapas) dan sebaliknya dengan pertambahan masa sentuhan; 30, 60, 180, dan 300 saat. Untuk mereplikasikan hubungan antara pakaian penderma yang dipakai oleh suspek dan pakaian penerima yang dipakai oleh mangsa seperti dalam kes sebenar, pakaian penderma diletakkan ke atas pakaian penerima yang dibentangkan di atas sekeping papan lapis. Jumlah serat yang berjaya dipindahkan dari pakaian penderma kepada penerima dan sebaliknya dikira dan beberapa ujian serta teknik analisis: pemeriksaan mikroskopik, ujian pembakaran, ujian kelarutan dan ujian kebolehupayaan extrak pewarna telah dijalankan. Keputusan kajian menunjukkan bahawa jenis pakaian berbeza memindahkan jumlah serat berbeza dengan pertambahan masa sentuhan dan serat boleh didiskriminasikan dengan menggabungkan pemerhatian daripada semua ujian yang dijalankan. Kata kekunci: Perpindahan serat; pemeriksaan mikroskopik; ujian pembakaran; ujian kelarutan; ujian kebolehupayaan extrak pewarna INTRODUCTION The basis of any crime scene investigation falls on a principle developed by Dr. Edmond Locard (1877-1966) (Saferstein 2017), which states ‘every contact leaves a trace’. Most crimes involve physical contact of some kind, either directly or indirectly, between the three categories in a crime triangle; victim/s and suspect/s, victim/s and crime scene or suspect/s and crime scene (Mitchell & Holland 1979). The cross transfer between two or more of these categories leave traces that in turn aid in the investigative process by providing evidence for investigators to fnd and analyse. Observation of foreign material on a particular surface can be an indicator of potential transferred evidence between two or more categories in a crime triangle (Aitken & Stoney 1991). Soil, fngerprint, footprint, blood, fuids, hair, fbre and paint are common examples of these transferred evidence. Recently, many forensic scientists have appreciated the use of transferred fbre to provide additional evidence in criminal cases (Singh & Singh 2013). Criminals can unconsciously touch certain items at a crime scene, hence increasing the chances of fbre transfer between persons and their surroundings (Singh & Singh 2013). The most frequent fbre transfer in criminal cases is the cross transfer between different individuals; usually JK SI Bab 10.indd 73 2/25/2020 12:38:57 PM brought to you by CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk provided by UKM Journal Article Repository