Dr Sheilah Hamilton
BSc, MSocSc, PhD, CSci, CChem, CFI, FRSC, FiFireE, FFSSoc, MAE
Sheilah Elizabeth Hamilton holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) degree in Chemistry from the University of Glasgow, Scotland. Both her Masters and Doctoral degrees were obtained from the University of Hong Kong, and she is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the Forensic Science Society (UK), and the Institution of Fire Engineers. She is also a member of the Academy of Experts, and in 2004 became the first female in the UK to obtain the qualification (by examination) of Certified Fire Investigator (CFI-IAAI).
Her long career in forensic science began in late 1968 when she joined the Forensic Science Division of the Hong Kong Government Laboratory and set up the section dealing with the analysis of narcotic substances. Later, in keeping with the prevailing philosophy in large forensic laboratories, she worked in a variety of different areas including counterfeit goods, contact trace materials, marks, blood grouping, examination of questioned documents (but not handwriting comparison) and fire investigation. She also attended hundreds of crime scenes in an advisory capacity and acted as an expert witness for the Prosecution on many occasions before leaving the Hong Kong Government Laboratory in 1988 to spend seven months as Senior Scientist in the State Forensic Science Laboratory in Adelaide, South Australia, specializing in quality assurance issues and the examination of items from sexual assaults.
On her return to Hong Kong in March 1989, Dr Hamilton established Forensic Focus, the only independent forensic consultancy in the territory, which operated successfully until 2001 when she returned to the UK to take up a senior position at the University of Glamorgan, Wales teaching forensic science and fire science.
In 2005 she returned to Hong Kong to re-establish Forensic Focus and also teach forensic science and fire investigation part-time at the City University of Hong Kong. During the last two decades, Forensic Focus has dealt with some 350 cases, mostly for Defence Counsel but also for private individuals and insurance companies. Some of these cases were high-profile murder trials and major fire scenes involving large loss of life (see Our Clients and Cases).
Dr Hamilton has conducted training courses for a variety of audiences including police and other law enforcement officers, lawyers, insurance personnel, security professionals and university students.
She is a prolific writer and, to popularise forensic science in Hong Kong, produced more than 50 articles dealing with different aspects of forensic science and fire investigation for the magazines "Culture" and "Lawyer" (see Articles). Her book, "Watching over Hong Kong: Private Policing 1841-1941", was published in 2008.
Sheilah Hamilton continues to work as an independent forensic science consultant, based in Hong Kong but available throughout the region to assist lawyers, loss adjusters, insurance personnel, and security professionals in the discovery and interpretation of forensic evidence.