Failing to verify an employee’s qualifications can prove very expensive for an employer as can the failure to verify the qualifications of “experts” used by employers. In particular employers should ascertain whether qualifications have been obtained through examination or are honorary awards.

News article

An unqualified forensic psychologist who supplied evidence in approximately 700 court cases over almost 30 years has been convicted on 20 offences including obtaining a money transfer by deception, obtaining property by deception, perverting the course of justice and perjury. The court heard that Gene Morrison, 48 was paid at least £250,000 in taxpayers' money for giving apparently expert advice when in fact he was not qualified to give such an opinion.

The BBC News reported, that Morrison’s firm, Criminal and Forensic Investigations Bureau (CFIB), was hired by legal firms, insurance companies, private businesses and individuals to give “expert” evidence in cases ranging from armed robbery, rape, death by dangerous driving, unexplained death and drugs offences.

It was revealed that Morrison left school with no qualifications and told police that he started an Open University (OU) degree, but in court it was revealed that he only actually phoned for a brochure and recorded OU programmes from BBC2 in the 1970s. He admitted that he began working as a forensic investigator in 1977 after buying certificates by post for a BSc in Forensic Science, a Masters with excellence in Forensic Investigation and a Doctorate in Criminology.

In the beginning, Morrison hired real forensic scientists to carry out handwriting and fingerprint analysis which he would pass off as his own and charge clients double. But later he simply cut and pasted old reports together and changed details, the court heard.

About 700 cases he worked on will now have to be re-assessed, Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court was told.

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Date : 22-02-2007