When it comes to document fraud or potentially fraudulent contracts or wills, attorneys and advocates often require the services of a handwriting expert.
Definition of ‘Handwriting Expert’: “One who is qualified to review handwriting or signatures for purposes of authentication and to verify authorship of documents and signatures.” Reed Hayes, CDE.
Certified by SAFE® – Scientific Association of Forensic Examiners (USA) – I am qualified to provide opinions on cases involving questioned signatures as well as matters that involve fraudulent, disguised or anonymous handwriting. Handwritten dates and numbers can also be investigated.
Working to international standards, I provide forensic reports that set out clear, logical proof of opinion on questioned signatures, initials, numbers and handwriting that may form part of a legal or disciplinary matter. Oral evidence can be given at trial, if required.
The original questioned document and the comparison material is scrutinised in microscopic detail in order to establish the writing habits of the writer. Following a thorough, meticulous investigation, a forensic report is compiled that meets South African High Court rules. Charts and PowerPoint presentations can be prepared to illustrate the findings.
Andrea le Sueur is a certified forensic document examiner CFDE® and handwriting expert based in Hout Bay, Cape Town. She is certified by the Scientific Association of Forensic Examiners (SAFE®) (USA).
