by Dr Sheilah Hamilton

BSc, MSocSc, PhD, CSci, CChem, CFI, FRSC,

FIFireE, FFSSoc, MAE

ost languages have idioms. English is awash with them,

simply littered with them. However, although they
may be the bane of foreign students trying to get to
grips with the language, their inclusion can enhance
a presentation and they also keep crossword compilers in
business.
We often use the phrase Caught red handed but have you
ever considered its derivation? Apparently, the first recorded
use of a closely related phrase (taken red handed) was in Sir
Walter Scotts classic novel Ivanhoe. Here the meaning was to
apprehend someone in the act of committing a messy crime
such as a murder where the deceased had been shot or stabbed.
According to another source, it comes from mediaeval England
at a time when the monarch owned all the forests together with
their resident game birds and animals. Of course, trespassing
was rife and, if the Kings Game Wardens caught poachers, it
was often when they were dressing and cleaning the kill. Thus
they were, quite literally, caught red handed because their
hands were covered with blood.
Nowadays, thanks to advances in forensic DNA techniques, it is
possible to show that blood came from a particular individual.
However and how often do they dwell on this in CSI? a
DNA match does not necessarily mean that a guilty person
has been found. On their own, matching DNA results just
indicate1 the identity of the person (or animal), not the guilt
of the donor. Consider this scenario: a completely innocent
bystander rushes to help a victim who is bleeding profusely. As
this helpful individual tries to administer CPR, her hands and
clothing become covered with the injured persons blood. But
she was not the attacker!
Of course, it is quite possible to kill someone without shedding
blood. Books abound with victims meeting their end by
suocation, strangulation or the administration of poison and,
if the killers were detected in the act, they could also be said
to be caught red handed even though their hands were lilywhite.
However, wouldnt it be great if there was a technique which
proved that a villain had handled a gun, knife, grenade or even
a metal bar BEFORE they got around to firing the pistol,
inflicting the fatal blow or prising open a window?
It may come as a bit of a surprise, but such a test HAS been
1

Identical Twins share the same DNA but not the same fingerprints

Caught Red
Handed

around for more than 20 years and, whats more, our Hong
Kong courts have accepted these results. Since this method
works by turning the skin of the person handling the item a
bright magenta colour, they might be described as being caught
red handed (Somehow caught magenta handed doesnt have
quite the same ring to it!).
This article will introduce you to this fascinating test and show
how it can be used to prove that a suspect has held a weapon
or even carried a gun pressed against their skin at the waist.
And the Hong Kong connection?
Well, although most of the developmental work was carried
out by Israeli forensic scientists, some important research was
also performed by chemists in the Forensic Division of the
Hong Kong Government Laboratory during the 1980s.2 An
additional Hong Kong connection is much more recent last
year, to be precise. At the 17th Meeting of the International
Association of Forensic Sciences held in Hong Kong in August
2005, Professor Joseph Almog of The Hebrew University in
Jerusalem, Israel, was awarded the prestigious Lucas Medal for
his contribution to forensic science, a large part of which related
to this simple but incredibly useful technique.

Professor Joseph Almog of The

Hebrew University, Jerusalem:
Lucas Medal winner 2005

No doubt some people reading this column will be thinking

Im sure theres another test to show that a person fired a
gun. Why use this method? This is quite true. After firing
a gun, minute particles from the smoke that is emitted land
on the skin of the shooters hand as well as on clothing, such
as the cu of a shirt. These are called gun shot residues or
simply GSRs. Once these residues have been collected from
a suspects hands, clothing, head hair or even nostrils, they can
be analyzed using sophisticated instrumentation to see whether
these tiny recovered particles contain the chemicals normally
present in the ammunition. Obviously, if these chemicals are
2
3

found, this is good evidence that the person has either fired the
gun or been near to someone who discharged the weapon.
So, GSR identification is a great method if the gun has
been fired. It is also a great method if suspects were detained
before having a chance to shower and change their clothes.
And it is a great method if the sophisticated (and very
expensive) instruments for analyzing GSRs are readily
available. Unfortunately, in the imperfect world of crime scene
investigation, this is not always the case.
Hopefully, by now you will want to know the identity of
this useful substance that can show whether someone held
a gun even though it was not fired. Additionally, what is it
in the gun that makes the skin turn this attractive shade of
deep pink? Does the method have any drawbacks? And can the
test be used with the expensive GSR technique?
Well, first things first. The chemical responsible for the
colour change has several names including a so-called trivial
name (Ferrozine) and two commercial names (Ferrotrace and
Ferroprint). It also has a proper chemical name but since this
is made up of 61 letters, 7 numerals, a set of brackets and sundry
other dashes and commas, you might not be really interested. 3
The trivial and commercial names of the product give you a
clue as to what the chemical actually detects. The Ferrozine
reagent reacts with minute amounts of IRON that have been
transferred from the surface of the weapon to the skin of the
handler by perspiration and the reaction between the iron
and the Ferrozine reagent produces a magenta stain showing the
shape of the item that had been handled or otherwise pressed
closely to the skin as in a gun which has been pressed against
someones waist.
Ferrozine shows where gun was carried.
Its as simple as that.
Actually, nothing in life is that simple! There are several things
that must be considered. The first is whether the Ferrozine
reagent only detects iron or if other substances deposited on the
skin can produce similar or even dierent colours. Many years
ago, forensic scientists were concerned about these issues but
chemical modifications to the modern commercially available
product have ensured that this is no longer a problem the

If interested, contact me for details of the various scientific publications

You were warned! 3-(2-pyridyl)-5, 6-diphenyl-1, 2, 4-triazine-p. p-disulphonic acid, disodium salt dihydrate

present Ferroprint or Ferrotrace reagents

react with iron in one of its forms. This
means that if you pick up your childs
plastic water pistol and grasp it firmly,
your hand could be sprayed with the
Ferrozine reagent till the cows come
home but it will not turn magenta!
The test only works with something
containing iron and little Jennys water
pistol wasnt it was made of plastic.
So, what actually happens when the
authorities use this technique on a
suspect? The following is a probable but
partially fictitious scenario.
Lets suppose that someone bursts into a goldsmiths shop
wielding a gun in his right hand. Our gangster blusters away,
uttering threats and finally helps himself to some gold ornaments
which he shoves into his left trouser pocket (he has a gun in his
right hand). Fortunately for everyone in the shop, no shots
are fired and our thief legs it out of the door and disappears
into the crowd. The police are called, surfaces are dusted for
fingerprints and all the other appropriate samples are collected
from the shop by scene-of-crime personnel. A witness outside
the goldsmith shop at the time of the robbery helpfully thinks
that she recognized the robber but cant be certain. However,
this does provide the police with a clue as this person has form
and his normal whereabouts are known. About an hour after
the robbery, police ocers find the suspect at his home wearing
clothing similar to that described by the owner of the shop.
However, there is no sign of the pistol or the gold ornaments.
A scene-of-crime ocer tells the suspect that he intends to
spray the latters hands with a spray containing Ferrozine and
that this will not harm him in any way. Each hand is sprayed
individually. Almost immediately, parts of the suspects right
palm turn magenta and the outline of what appears to be a
gun is clearly visible. No similar colouration is found on the
suspects left palm or on the backs of either hand.
Obviously this is extremely useful and incriminating information but it wont last forever. Over time this magenta stain
will wear o so it is ABSOLUTELY VITAL that appropriate
colour photographs, including close-ups, are taken as soon
as possible since, not only will these provide a permanent
record that can be produced in any future court case, but, of
equal importance, the photographs can later be examined by an
expert working on behalf of the Defence.
For the sake of argument, lets assume that a police ocer
searching the area outside the suspects home finds a pistol
hidden in some bushes. Naturally, fingerprint evidence
immediately springs to mind but the surface of the gun may
have been wiped clean of fingerprints. What about comparing
the shape of this gun with the outline of the magenta stain on
the suspects right palm? The good thing is that this test can be
done after the gun is examined for fingerprints so no evidence
would be lost.

Lets further assume that the trigger of

the recovered gun has been damaged
that theres an irregularly shaped piece
missing.
Close examination of the
magenta stain on the suspects right palm
shows that it too has an irregular outline
where the trigger would have been held.
This feature would also be clearly visible
in the close-up colour photographs taken
earlier. There is a fundamental maxim in
forensic science that the more unusual a
feature, the greater its evidential value. In
this case we can be sure that few, if any,
other guns would have the same damage
to the trigger mechanism since it was not
a design fault. You can see this evidence is
so much more important than just finding the shape of the gun.
In this case our suspect must come up with a very convincing
explanation as to why his right hand has the imprint of a
damaged gun that was found in the vegetation just outside his
home. In the absence of a plausible explanation, most Courts
will consider this as being extremely persuasive evidence.
Of course, there are other issues that must be considered.
For instance, if someone is detained immediately after they
are suspected of having handled an item made of iron, they
must not be allowed to wash their hands. If they do, then the
evidence will go down the drain literally! This may present
the ocer in charge of the case with some logistical challenges
but, such is life. After a relatively short time, the iron residue
appears to become bonded to the skin but not immediately
after contact. For these reasons, a visit to the loo by the suspect
must be delayed

Books abound with victims meeting

their end by suffocation, strangulation
or the administration of poison and,
if the killers were detected in the act,
they could also be said to be caught
red handed even though their hands
were lily-white
If the gun had been fired during the commission of our
goldsmith robbery, it would have been possible to remove
possible GSRs by taping the skin before applying the Ferrozine
spray. Both methods can be used together but the taping of the
skin to remove GSRs should be done first.
By way of a corollary, we could also examine the pockets of the
suspects trousers under laboratory conditions to see whether
any gold particles could be detected in or near the left pocket.
I bet they could! In a local goldsmith robbery many years ago,
where no weapon was used and a citizens arrest was made, I
was able to find fragments of gold around the opening of a
suspects pocket and inside the pocket itself. For this reason

clothing must always be viewed as potential evidence, treated

properly and packaged correctly before being delivered to the
forensic laboratory. And, incidentally, gold doesnt interfere
with the Ferrozine reagent.
The previous hypothetical case illustrates how this simple test
known either by its trivial name Ferrozine or, more recently,
by the commercial names Ferroprint or Ferrotrace can be used
to show that someone firmly held an object made of iron. In
the scene described above, the person holding the gun was alive
when his hands were sprayed but the reagent also produces
useful results even when an individual has died. For this reason
the Ferrozine technique has been used extensively and very
eectively in the investigation of terrorist attacks, suicides and
murders.4
In the crime described above, the thief held a gun in his hand
but the Ferrozine test will also produce its characteristic magenta
stain on skin anywhere on the body as long as sucient pressure
has been exerted. The other places on the body will frequently
be the waist or the leg area above the ankle (if guns are involved)
but they could be well, anywhere! The identifying features of
an iron pendant worn by the victim of a sexual assault could
be visualized on the chest of the attacker by the application of
Ferrozine spray.
Over the years, the Ferrozine test has been used to great eect
in the investigation of some of Hong Kongs high profile
and controversial cases such as the 1995 case of the police
sergeant who was cleared of the murder (by shooting) of his
superior ocer. Occasionally these physical results have been
vital in piecing together what really happened during an
incident, especially when witness statements were confusing
or contradictory. However, like any forensic procedure, it is
only as reliable as the person performing the test and, for that
reason, due consideration must be given to conducting each
step correctly and in the proper sequence.
And, as mentioned before, the item being held need not be
as sophisticated as a gun. The hands of suspected criminals
thought to have grasped iron objects such as crowbars would
also be excellent candidates for the Ferrozine test. Recently,
whilst writing this article, I noticed a large colour photograph
in a local English language newspaper. The news item described
a fight in Temple Street, Kowloon and the photo showed,
amongst other things, a long iron bar bent in the middle and
at both ends.5 Now, I must make it clear that I have no more
information about this incident than the rest of the Hong
Kong population who read the newspaper but, if it had been
necessary to prove that one of the people detained had actually
handled the iron bar, then the Ferrozine technique would have
been just the thing. Of course, this extra information may not
have been necessary.
Of one thing we can be sure. The Police ocers investigating
this case would certainly have known that the Ferrozine test was
an excellent way of demonstrating that the suspect had been
caught red handed!
Special procedures are required in the investigation of such cases and
perhaps these are not appropriate for inclusion in this article.
5
SCMP, 21 June 2006,C1
4

Dr Sheilah Hamilton is a Forensic Scientist and Fire

Investigator. She can be contacted at sheilah@cityu.edu.hk

This article was rst published in Culture Hong Kong, Issue 20, August 2006, under
the original title of Forensic Super Sleuth
Text Sheilah Hamilton
Layout Culture Hong Kong