ABSTRACT
The role played by opinion evidence in both criminal and civil trials has been the source of considerable consternation. Opinion evidence will include drawing inferences from facts and forming value judgments. Expert opinion evidence has predominantly fallen within well-established academic sciences, most commonly medicine and its allied forensic branches. In the opinion of the judge, the expert was an experienced academic who had completed a doctorate and published widely in the area. Facial mapping basically involves comparing two images of the accused. Generally, one of these images will have been retrieved from the crime scene, most commonly using CCTV or video stills. In criminal matters, the court may appoint a single expert where multiple defendants wish to rely on expert evidence, but it does not have a power to appoint a single joint expert to conduct investigations on behalf of both the prosecution and defence.
