Cosslett and Barr Limited

Cosslett and Barr Limited are Steve Cosslett and Kate Barr two of the most experienced handwriting experts working in the UK, approaching 40 and 30 years’ continuous experience respectively.

They both undertook extensive training in Government Laboratories where they worked for several years prior to working together in a private company, Document Evidence Ltd, one of the first private forensic companies in the UK. In 2008 they sold Document Evidence to Key Forensic Services Ltd, one of the three main suppliers of forensic services in the UK.

In their ten years at KFS they undertook forensic handwriting analysis for most of the 43 Police Forces in England and Wales, the Department of Work and Pensions, HMRC, the IOPC, the CCRC, and the International Criminal Court.

Alongside this Prosecution work they have also undertaken defence work funded by the Legal Aid Authority and worked throughout the UK in the Civil and Family Courts for Claimants and Defendants and as Single Joint Experts. All their work follows established procedures and is peer reviewed by another scientist.

Cosslett and Barr provide the following expertise:
Forensic document examination services
Forensic handwriting analysis
Signature examinations
Handwriting examination
Examination of office equipment
Examination for indented impressions (latent images)
Ink examination
Questioned document examination

Steve Cosslett - Forensic Document Examiner
07419 191 119
Email: steve@cosslettandbarr.co.uk
With over thirty five years’ experience, Steve is one of the most experienced document examiners. During the course of his career, Steve has given expert evidence as a forensic handwriting expert/document examiner on approximately 400 occasions for both the prosecution and defence in criminal cases as well as in Civil cases. He has given evidence in most Crown Courts within England and Wales including the Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey), at the Royal Courts of Justice, the Four Courts and Special Criminal Court in Dublin as well as in Northern Cyprus.

In April 2011 Steve was the convenor of the Forensic Science Society Questioned Documents Conference, this was the first conference aimed specifically at questioned document examiners in the UK for a number of years.

Steve has also undertaken training in the responsibilities of the single joint expert, and attended conferences organised by ENFHEX (European Network of Forensic Handwriting Experts) and EDEWG (European Document Examiners Working Group) along with police and government handwriting and document examiners throughout Europe. He is also a member of the Chartered Society of Forensic Scientists.

Kathryn Barr - Forensic Document Examiner
Tel: 07977 542 485
Email: kate@cosslettandbarr.co.uk
Kate has been a forensic document examiner and handwriting expert since 1992. She was originally employed in the Questioned Documents Section of the Metropolitan Police Forensic Science Laboratory. After undertaking a two year training course in all aspects of forensic document examination, Kate was responsible for reporting cases and giving evidence in court on a regular basis.
Kate is an experienced witness and has given evidence at the Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey), Royal Courts of Justice, Crown Courts, Magistrates Courts, Industrial Tribunals and Police Disciplinary Hearings.

She has also given evidence three times at the International War Crimes Tribunal (ICTY) in The Hague in relation to the Srebrenica Massacre, leading to the convictions of a number of individuals, including the first two convictions for genocide. Her evidence has been used by the ICTY in the prosecution of Radovan Karadžić. She has also worked for the International Criminal Court in The Hague and for the Dubai International Finance Centre.

Please see attached C.V's