IACIS history
I attended the BCFE course in 1999 and gained my CFCE in 2001. I then became a peer review coach and did this for two decades. I became a row coach in 2004 and have instructed and developed disk structures, numbering and file systems. I have also instructed on the mobile course. I have worked on events in the USA, Croatia, Italy, Czech Republic and Australia. I am currently serving on the Board having been elected in 2024.
LE history
I joined the police in London in 1977 and spent my first two years in uniform. I then became a detective and worked South, West and Central London. I became a Financial Investigator at the Central London Crime Squad mainly investigating drug trafficking. There I worked with someone who was very interested in computer technology and taught me a lot. In 1997 I was asked to join a Scotland Yard Unit (CIB3) set up to investigate organised crime and its association with corrupt police. Whilst in this role we did not use our normal police support services and we were outsourcing digital forensics to a private contractor. It was decided to set up our own unit and I was asked to head it. We initially were using tools such as DIBS and Norton Disk Edit! I moved onto the Scotland Yard Anti-Terrorist Brach (SO13) and. headed up the Hi-Tech Unit. I was there during the busy mid-2000s working on the tube bombings and the airline threat. I retired in 2008 and joined Vodafone Group as a forensic investigator and investigations manager. Vodafone had 23 companies around the world, and I worked in India, New Zealand, Ghana, Kenya as well as most European countries. In 2014 I joined Cellebrite and worked in training for eight years before finally retiring completely
IACIS comments
I always say I attended IACIS training at just the right time for me. At that time, I knew just enough to be dangerous. IACIS has given me the skills to do my job. It also introduced me to a community of digital forensic practitioners who would support me through my career. I have made many friends as a result of membership and traveled to a number of countries to take part in events. Had it not been for IACIS, I am not sure I would have ended up at the Central Criminal Court (The Old Bailey) during a terrorist trial explaining to a very elderly judge that NTFS records date and time by notching up the number of 100 nanoseconds since the 1st of January 1601 – I am convinced he did not believe a word I was saying!
Where are you now?
I am now retired and live in London with my wife. I like to travel, and my daughter has been living in Barbados working for a rum company so I have spent some time there. She has just returned so I have lost my Caribbean base and free rum. My wife is a keen gardener, so I have now become one and love growing fruit and vegetables. I have a love of wine and am a member of the Wine Society in the UK. I still very much enjoy being associated with IACIS and am constantly in awe of what a group of dedicated volunteers can achieve.
