3D-printed skull helps jury reach murder verdict

This 3D-printed skull supported the pathologist’s testimony and allowed the jury to visualise trauma to the victim, 31-year-old Frazer Brabant. 

The skull was 3D printed by a team at Portsmouth University, who worked in partnership with Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Imaging Unit. The Imaging Unit created a digital model using data from a CT scan to show injuries sustained by the victim.

Dr Morgan Lowther, senior scientific officer from University’s School of Mechanical and Design Engineering, then worked on 3D printing the skull.

He said in a statement: “This was an unusual case because the victim had survived some very traumatic injuries and spent three months in hospital, before he sadly passed away. This meant that there were hospital quality X-ray scans of his injuries, which we could use to reconstruct the anatomy. 

“Using the digital model provided by the hospital scans, we could 3D print a physical copy. The exhibit was made from… PLA [polylactic acid], and by adding an internal scaffold, we made the anatomy stable enough to be handled and presented in court.”