Media frenzy
Myra Alon (26) from the Netherlands, a graduate of the master’s degree in Forensics, Criminology and Law and one of this year’s Thesis Prize winners, investigated the use of this type of evidence in sexual offence cases. “Chain evidence means that, to prove a crime, it is taken into account that the suspect has committed similar crimes in the past. This can help make the case that they are guilty of the current crime.”
In 2022, Alon closely followed the media frenzy surrounding the TV programme The Voice of Holland. In an episode of the Dutch online investigative journalism show BOOS, a group of female contestants and crew members of The Voice accused coaches Ali B and Marco Borsato, band leader Jeroen Rietbergen and a director of sexual misconduct. “The victims gave separate accounts of what had happened to them. At the time, I was learning about chain evidence in my studies, and I wondered if it could have played a role in this case. I’d never come across research like that before, so I broadened my focus to investigate the role of chain evidence in sexual offence cases with evidential difficulties.”
Wrongful convictions
Alon’s research, which involved around eighty sexual offence cases, revealed a fundamental issue: “In many sexual offence cases, there are no other witnesses. For victims, reporting the crime is emotionally difficult; they may experience feelings of shame, for example. Sometimes they don’t come forward until years later, by which point physical evidence is no longer available. Or maybe the victim knew the perpetrator personally – a family member, coach or teacher – and was a minor at the time. But the victim’s testimony alone isn’t enough for a conviction. There always needs to be a second type of evidence.”
However, Alon found that chain evidence is quite difficult to use, increasing the risk of wrongful convictions. “The perpetrator’s MO must be distinctive enough to make it highly likely that the same person committed the crimes.” In cases with sufficient other evidence, chain evidence can be used to strengthen the case. But most crucially, it can help fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle in cases where the evidence is nearly sufficient.
Alon now works at the Netherlands Public Prosecution Service in The Hague. While she hopes to become a public prosecutor, she is currently an intervention lawyer: “I assess cases involving suspects arrested for common crimes like assault and intimidation. I discuss my findings with the public prosecutor and suggest the best course of action, such as a summons or a fine. In the coming years, I would like to gain more experience in assessing serious criminal cases like murder, manslaughter and sexual offences. It would be amazing to one day apply my knowledge of chain evidence to real-life cases.”