A useful tool in Ident i f icat ion Gait recogni T
he way we walk - our gait - is unique to us all and has proved to be a useful device in the forensic toolbox.
We are all individuals in the way we walk and each person moves in a unique way, making it possible to recognise a person by their gait: the style or manner in which a person walks or runs. Law enforcement around the world is finding this a helpful addition in identifying perpetrators. Forensic Gait Analysis - the identification of a person by their gait or by features of their gait - was first admitted as evidence in 2000 in the matter of R v Saunders at the Old Bailey, Central Criminal Court, London. Even though the perpetrator wore two pairs of trousers, mask and gloves, he could not disguise the way he walked.
Gait analysis in Identification
Gait analysis evidence has value for evidential and investigative uses. In the notorious case
dubbed by the media as ‘The Night Stalker’, gait analysis was used in the investigation by helping to find the perpetrator. This was one of the UK’s most high profile and longstanding, unsolved cases of serial gerontophile rape, burglary and indecent assault. Here, the gait analysis information was of considerable benefit in helping to find and to arrest the offender. One recurring feature in the CCTV clips of the perpetrator was his heavily disguised face.
But the UK is only one of a number of countries waking up to the benefits that gait recognition can provide in the fight against crime. The first case in Canada where gait analysis evidence was used was in R v Aitken. A man was shot multiple times outside his apartment building. The incident was captured on security CCTV, which showed a male with a concealed face arriving at the building carrying something, which appeared to be covered by a
towel. Forensic gait analysis evidence showed the defendant demonstrated gait characteristics bearing a very strong similarity to the images of the perpetrator and the same person had earlier been surveying the premises. The jury accepted the evidence and the defendant was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. The BC Court of Appeal dismissed the defence appeal in 2012 and the Supreme Court of Canada denied leave to appeal in 2013.
Body movements
The process of walking is a complicated activity, which generally begins with the movement of the pelvis. Our arms move to help counterbalance the distribution of weight from side to side and maintain the head pointing in the direction of travel. When an individual’s foot makes contact with the ground, force travels into the foot up through
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