Margaret Pereira

Margaret Pereira (22 April 1928 – 22 December 2016) was a British forensic scientist. Pereira, nicknamed "Miss Murder" and "Maggie of the Yard," worked on several forensic cases throughout her career.[1][2] Most notably, her work helped convict John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan in the Lord Lucan nanny's murder case in 1974.[1]

Margaret Pereira

CBE
Born22 April 1928
Bexley, Kent
Died22 December 2016(2016-12-22) (aged 88)
Known forForensic science
Spouse(s)
Arthur Wells
​
(m. 1980)​

Early career

Pereira began working as a scientific assistant at the Metropolitan Police Forensic Science Laboratory in 1947.[1][3] During the evening, she took classes and eventually earned a Bachelor of Science degree from London University in 1953.[1][3] Pereira worked with Lewis Nicholls, who served as her laboratory director in 1960. Together, they developed a method to investigate even extremely small amounts of bloodstains to determine the blood type of the subject; this is named the Nicholls and Pereira (N&P) method.[1] Pereira retired in 1988.[1]

Cases

The murder of Claire Josephs

In 1968, Pereira worked on the murder case of Claire Josephs. Much suspicion was placed on the victim's husband; however Pereira's analysis of the case led to the identification of Roger Payne as the murderer.[1] Her examination in this case included studying saliva, clothing fibers, blood stains, and dog hairs.[1]

Beenham murders
Main article: Beenham murders

In 1966, Yolande Waddington, a 17-year-old female of the Berkshire village of Beenham, was murdered. Pereira was involved in this case as she tested and examined more than 200 blood samples from men ages 16–50 in Beeham, but none of them matched the killer.[4] Years later in 2012, David Burgess was convicted of the murder of Yolande Waddington.[5]

Lord Lucan nanny's murder case

In 1975, Sandra Rivett, Lord Lucan's (John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan) nanny, was murdered. Pereira prepared for an inquest into Rivett's death, as well as the violent attack on Lady Lucan. Pereira examined blood smears and spatter on the walls and flooring and found a connection between the blood on the murder weapon and blood found in Lord Lucan's car, thus naming him responsible for the murder.[1]

Awards and honours

Pereira was appointed commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1985,[1][3] and she was first woman in the forensic science to serve as an expert witness and present evidence in court.[1]

In 1976, Margaret Pereira became the first woman director of the Forensic Science Service (FSS) (1976) [1] She also held presidency of the British Academy of Forensic Sciences and the Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences.[3]

Personal life

Pereira was born in Bexley, Kent to parents Harold and Margaret. Her father was a telecommunications engineer, and her mother worked as a secretary.[3] Pereira attended Dartford County Grammar School for girls and had originally aspired to become a doctor.[1][3] However, due to the priority given to returning service personnel, she was not able to acquire a seat in medical school.[3]

In 1980, she married Arthur Wells.[3]

References
  1. "Margaret Pereira, forensic scientist". The Telegraph. 24 March 2017. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. "Margaret Pereira". The Times (obituary). 20 January 2017. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  3. "Margaret Pereira obituary". The Guardian. 26 January 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  4. "Yolande – search for Land Rover". Reading Evening Post. 29 December 1966.
  5. "David Burgess jailed for 27 years for 1966 murder of Yolande Waddington". The Telegraph. 23 July 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
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