Hannah Collisson speaks to forensic entomologist Dr Martin Hall about solving crimes with the help of insects

One of the world’s most watched television shows, American drama CSI, follows a team of crime scene investigators who work towards solving murders.

A little closer to home, a man who has worked on real-life crime scenes all over the UK is looking forward to publicly sharing some of his experiences.

Dr Martin Hall is a research scientist at the Natural History Museum, but is also a forensic entomologist, which entails using insect evidence in criminal investigations.

He will be giving a talk in Worthing entitled, Real Life CSI.

“Many of the scenes I work on are murders, or unexplained deaths,” says Martin, who has worked on more than 150 criminal cases over the past 25 years.

“Insects are attracted to the body, and my role is to try to work out how long the insects have been on the body.”

This is work that takes him from the scene of the crime, all the way through to the courtroom.

On US television crime drama CSI there is a resident entomologist, so those interested in crime solving may have an awareness of the science, however many people are unlikely to have considered the fact that insects can be such a vital part of the process of investigation.

“Some people, I mention what I do, and they are astonished,” says Martin.

“I would like to show people how fascinating insects are and how they can be used in ways you don’t really think of.

“The first case in which forensic entomology was used was back in 1935, but it has really taken off since 2000.”

Whereas in the past, scientists had used knowledge gained from other areas, research specifically into forensic entomology began to be carried out.

Martin’s interest in insects dates back to his early childhood spent in Zanzibar and Kenya, with the plethora of wildlife of the region.

“I came to Sussex aged 10, and by then I had a fascination with natural history - I used to collect insects as a child.

“After my PhD I went to Africa to study tsetse flies, it was there that I first came across the impact of insects on bodies.”

Martin, who now lives in Haywards Heath, recounts his experience of coming across a dead elephant, which within days had been all but decimated by insects.

In 1989, Martin joined the Natural History Museum in London, as a veterinary entomologist studying blowflies.

He is now research entomologist and head of parasites and vectors in the department of Life Sciences at the museum, and combines this research with consultancy work, assisting police forces across the UK, working on crime scenes, and acting as an expert witness.

Martin has been a Vice-President of the Royal Entomological Society, London and was the founding President of the European Association for Forensic Entomology. He is currently Associate Editor (Entomology) for Forensic Science International and on the Editorial Board of Medical and Veterinary Entomology.

While unable to give details of specific cases, Martin says that this science has been particularly useful in high profile cases where people have been missing for a long time, and in the last 20 years he has worked on 10 cases in Sussex.

“The first time I went to a crime scene, about 30 years ago, at that time there was not emotional training beforehand, and it was the first time I had ever seen a dead person, so was slightly unsettling.

“But once you get there the professionalism kicks in.

“If a little bit of the evidence you uncover helps to build up the jigsaw, it can be very rewarding - that’s one of the positive aspects about it.”

He says that this is in contrast to the work of research scientists, which does not necessarily lead to an immediate outcome.

One of the questions which Martin will attempt to answer for his Worthing audience, is just how true to life is the CSI depiction of his work.

“On television, it’s made much more glamorous than it actually is,” says Martin. “And it’s all done and dusted in one hour because of the length of the episode.”

He says that the job of a real-life forensic entomologist is challenging on many levels.

“Every case is unique, so it is quite challenging. You have to use your knowledge, but use it in a cautious way because you are dealing with a unique environment.

“It is also emotionally challenging; it’s never easy to go into a death scene, as you are walking into a situation which is very traumatic.”

Martin is pleased that his sons are following in his footsteps; they are both scientists, though going down the medical route. One is a junior doctor in his second year at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, while the other is studying science at Imperial College London.

“I never pushed them into it!” says Martin.

During the course of the evening in Worthing, Martin hopes to pass on some of his enthusiasm for insects, creatures which generally get a very bad press, while in fact they do much good both in the environment, for example as pollinators, and for humans; maggot therapy being an example of this.

“I’m waving the flag for insects, as people tend to see the negative aspects,” says Martin.

He will be donating the fee from his talk to two charities, The Yews, in Haywards Heath, and Action for Deafness.

  •  Dr Martin Hall, Real Life CSI, will be at Connaught Studio, Union Place, Worthing, on November 27, 7.30pm, £12.50. Call 01903 206206 or visit www.worthingtheatres.co.uk.