University Of Leicester Develops Test For Classifying Force Used İn Bottle Stabbings

Stabbing is the most common method of committing murder in the UK. Injuries and assaults related to alcohol consumption are also a growing concern in many countries. In such cases the impulsive use of weapons such as a glass bottle is not uncommon.

In approximately 10% of all assaults resulting in treatment in the United Kingdom (UK) emergency units, glasses and bottles are used as weapons. Official UK estimates suggest that a form of glass is used as a weapon in between 3,400 and 5,400 offences per year. There is little understanding of how much force is required to create the injuries as, until now, there have been no systematic studies of how much force is required to penetrate skin with such weapons.

The study has also revealed that carrying out reconstructions of glass bottle stabbing incidents can be unreliable and may lead to a misleading approximation of force involved as glasses and bottles fracture to leave a unique stabbing surface of sharp and blunt points. This could have major implications for not only those in the field of forensics but also for anyone involved in a stabbing incident.

The study carried out by Gary Nolan, a PhD student working with the East Midlands Forensic Pathology Unit and Department of Engineering, at the University of Leicester, is the first of its kind in measuring the force required for penetration with broken glass bottles. By examining the impressions of shattered glass on a skin simulant consisting of foam with a layer of silicon rubber, researchers have managed to provide a basic classification for the presenting end of a glass bottle.

Mr Nolan said: "It is common knowledge that broken glass bottles can be used as an effective stabbing weapon and the results of the study have reaffirmed this.