How forensic lip reading helped convict a murderer

In a landmark case in in 2003, Nat Fraser was convicted of murdering his wife, Arlene.

The conviction is notable because there was no body, no forensic evidence and no witnesses. Fraser even had a cast-iron alibi for the day she disappeared.

So how did a jury find him guilty?

Through the testimony of a forensic lip reading expert.

The murder of Arlene Fraser

Initially treated as a missing persons case, the disappearance of Arlene Fraser in 1998 soon became a murder enquiry.

The main suspect was her husband, Nat, who was already on bail for the attempted murder of his wife when she disappeared.

Fraser claimed he was working that day, carrying out deliveries for his fruit and veg business, a claim supported by one of his employees.

With no crime scene, no physical evidence, and not even a body, the prosecution’s case was circumstantial at best.

How forensic lip reading helped

The previous attempted murder charge Fraser was on bail for was dropped to assault, and he was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

During his stay at her Majesty’s pleasure, he was recorded on CCTV chatting with a visitor.

The footage had no sound, so a forensic lip reading expert was brought in to analyse the tape.

According to the forensic lip reader, Fraser said to his visitor: “I don’t think they’ll find her – it’s been a long time.”

He then used expressions like “pull teeth out” and “cut her up”.

He added: “They can’t find her – it’s impossible.”

This was the breakthrough the police needed in the case and on June 19^th 2001, Fraser was charged with the murder of his wife.

The trial took place 2 years later, and on January 29^th 2003, Frasier was found guilty of murdering Arlene and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

We have one of the best forensic lip reading experts in the country

121 Captions founder and owner, Tina Lannin, is the UK’s foremost expert in forensic lip reading.

Tina has been the official lip reader for several public events, including the Royal Weddings of Prince William and Kate Middleton for Sky and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for The BBC.

Tina can lipread people in cars behind her, and her speech therapists know to cover their mouths instead of turn their backs as she can still lipread them from behind!

If you need a forensic lip reader, then why settle for anything other than the best in Tina?

Not only is she the UK’s foremost expert, but she can also lip read in Spanish, German, Japanese, and Arabic!

Whether it’s scenes of a crime video, surveillance systems, closed circuit television systems, or industrial espionage prevention, we can help you discover exactly what’s going on.

Contact us today if you would like to know more about our forensic lip reading service, or any of our other specialised skills.

If you would like to know more about Arlene Fraser’s murder, check out this documentary on YouTube: