ABSTRACT
Bare footprint identification is an identification technique that uses a bare footprint; this bare footprint has usually been left at a scene of crime by the perpetrator of that crime. In the Western world where the shod foot predominates, bare footprint identification is a relatively unusual technique used in the identification process. Bare footprint identification is however more frequently used as a method in identification in countries where barefoot walking is commonplace (Qamra et al. 1980). There are however circumstances where bare footprints can be associated with crime scenes in the West. These circumstances can include crimes of a sexual nature (Barker and Scheuer 1998), where the perpetrator has removed his clothing before or during the crime and where the offender with forensic awareness has removed his or her footwear before the criminal act in the mistaken belief that if caught,
conviction is less likely when leaving only a bare footprint at the scene. There have also been examples of bare footprints being used as evidence in crimes of violence, where the criminal has removed and destroyed bloodstained clothing and footwear, inadvertently leaving bare footprints in blood at the scene (Newsquest 2006).
