The persistence of fibres following a choreographed assault: A quantitative assessment of the influence of physical activity.

Lau, V; Roux, C; Spindler, X

The persistence of fibres following a choreographed assault: A quantitative assessment of the influence of physical activity.

Lau, V

Roux, C

Spindler, X

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Publisher:: ELSEVIER SCI LTD
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Sci Justice, 2025, 65, (2), pp. 103-118
Issue Date:: 2025-03

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Lau, V https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4814-1764
dc.contributor.author	Roux, C https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3610-420X
dc.contributor.author	Spindler, X https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6379-351X
dc.date.accessioned	2025-08-11T03:43:29Z
dc.date.available	2025-01-23
dc.date.available	2025-08-11T03:43:29Z
dc.date.issued	2025-03
dc.identifier.citation	Sci Justice, 2025, 65, (2), pp. 103-118
dc.identifier.issn	1355-0306
dc.identifier.issn	1876-4452
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/189316
dc.description.abstract	The persistence of textile fibres is influenced by activities undertaken by the wearer; however, few studies have exclusively explored this relationship. This study extends the authors' work described in a previous publication on fibre transfer and aimed to address this gap by investigating the short- to medium-term persistence of textile fibres on a cotton T-shirt and polyester/cotton hoody worn by a 'victim' and 'assailant' transferred following a typical assault scenario. The number, length and spatial distribution of fibres recovered at intervals up to four hours was examined. Furthermore, the influence of performing physical activity of varying intensity on persistence behaviour was investigated. Results showed that retentive capacity of the recipient textile bears a strong impact on fibre recovery, highlighting two distinct trends. Persistence of cotton and man-made fibres from donor hoodies recovered from T-shirts generally decreased as intensity of activity increased. In contrast, retention of T-shirt cotton on recipient hoodies appeared greatest after high intensity activity (77.5%). The confounding increased recovery in the initial hour (161.8%) indicated the important contribution of fragmentation and attributes of the donor fibre, in addition to physical activity, on persistence. The proportion of shorter fibres generally increased with time and intensity of activity. Crucially, physical activity was more strongly associated with fibre length than quantity of fibres recovered, which has potential implications on evidential value in practice. The overall project aim was to strengthen the current understanding of fundamental mechanisms implicated in fibre transfer and persistence. This ultimately can be used to inform and support examiners to evaluate fibre findings at the activity level, thereby enhancing the contribution to the judicial system.
dc.format	Print-Electronic
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	ELSEVIER SCI LTD
dc.relation.ispartof	Sci Justice
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.scijus.2025.01.004
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject.classification	Legal & Forensic Medicine
dc.title	The persistence of fibres following a choreographed assault: A quantitative assessment of the influence of physical activity.
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	65
utslib.location.activity	England
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/Centre for Forensic Science (CFS)
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/Centre for Cyber Security and Privacy (CCSP)
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2025-08-11T03:43:23Z
pubs.issue	2
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	65
utslib.citation.issue	2

Abstract:

The persistence of textile fibres is influenced by activities undertaken by the wearer; however, few studies have exclusively explored this relationship. This study extends the authors' work described in a previous publication on fibre transfer and aimed to address this gap by investigating the short- to medium-term persistence of textile fibres on a cotton T-shirt and polyester/cotton hoody worn by a 'victim' and 'assailant' transferred following a typical assault scenario. The number, length and spatial distribution of fibres recovered at intervals up to four hours was examined. Furthermore, the influence of performing physical activity of varying intensity on persistence behaviour was investigated. Results showed that retentive capacity of the recipient textile bears a strong impact on fibre recovery, highlighting two distinct trends. Persistence of cotton and man-made fibres from donor hoodies recovered from T-shirts generally decreased as intensity of activity increased. In contrast, retention of T-shirt cotton on recipient hoodies appeared greatest after high intensity activity (77.5%). The confounding increased recovery in the initial hour (161.8%) indicated the important contribution of fragmentation and attributes of the donor fibre, in addition to physical activity, on persistence. The proportion of shorter fibres generally increased with time and intensity of activity. Crucially, physical activity was more strongly associated with fibre length than quantity of fibres recovered, which has potential implications on evidential value in practice. The overall project aim was to strengthen the current understanding of fundamental mechanisms implicated in fibre transfer and persistence. This ultimately can be used to inform and support examiners to evaluate fibre findings at the activity level, thereby enhancing the contribution to the judicial system.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/189316