Margaret Pereira CBE (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. Most notably, her work helped convict John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan in the Lord Lucan nanny's murder case in 1974.

Career

Pereira began working as a scientific assistant at the Metropolitan Police Forensic Science Laboratory at

Hendon Hendon is an urban area in the Borough of Barnet, North-West London northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient manor and parish in the county of Middlesex and a former borough, the Municipal Borough of Hendon; it has been part of Great ...

in 1947 and was the first woman on the scientific staff. She enrolled as a part-time student in biology at Chelsea Polytechnic and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of London in 1953. Her degree qualification would have entitled her to have become an expert witness but it was believed, at the time, that women would not be able to withstand cross-examination in court. Instead, Pereira worked as an assistant to the laboratory director Lewis Charles Nickolls. In 1960, having impressed Nickolls with her ability to handle a hostile lawyer, Pereira was given her first case to work on; this meant she was able to give evidence in court but she faced prejudice as a female expert witness. Pereira's research on serology led to the development of a new method in 1962 for investigating tiny bloodstains to determine the blood type of the subject; this is named the Nickolls and Pereira (N&P) method. In 1969, Pereira was promoted to principal scientific officer and, eight years later, she became director of the Home Counties Forensic Science Laboratory in Aldermaston,

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

. In 1982, Pereira was the first woman to be appointed controller of the Home Office Forensic Science Service, a role in which she reported directly to the Home Secretary. After retirement in 1988, she was president of the Forensic Science Society from 1991 to 1993.

Cases

The murder of Mary Singh

Assa George Singh murdered his wife, Mary Singh, in 1964 and dumped her body in woodland near Shoreham in Kent. Pereira’s work for the prosecution included the examination of clothing and paper fragments.

The murder of Claire Josephs

In 1968, Pereira worked on the murder case of Claire Josephs who was found dead at her home in Bromley, Kent. There was no sign of forced entry to the property and 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. Her examination in this case included studying saliva, clothing fibres, blood stains, and dog hairs.

Beenham murders

In 1966, Yolande Waddington, a 17-year-old female of the

village of

Beenham Beenham is a village and civil parish centred east of Newbury in the West Berkshire district of Berkshire, England. Geography Beenham is north of Aldermaston. The Old Copse is a woodland within the village that is a Site of Special Scientifi ...

, was murdered. Pereira was involved in this case as she tested and examined more than 200 blood samples from men ages 16–50 in Beenham, but none of them matched the killer. The following year, schoolgirls Jeanette Wigmore and Jacqueline Williams were murdered in the village. Blood smears on the boot of local resident David Burgess were matched by Pereira to Jeanette Wigmore and Burgess was found guilty of the two murders in 1967. Years later in 2012, David Burgess was convicted of the murder of Yolande Waddington.

Lord Lucan nanny's murder case

In 1975,

Sandra Rivett Richard John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan (born 18 December 1934 – disappeared 8 November 1974, declared dead 3 February 2016), commonly known as Lord Lucan, was a British peer who disappeared after being suspected of murder. He was an Anglo ...

, 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.

Awards and honours

Pereira was appointed commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1985.

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. Pereira attended La Sainte Union Convent in

Bexleyheath Bexleyheath is a town in south-east London, England. It had a population of 31,929 as at 2011. Bexleyheath is located south-east of Charing Cross, and forms part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is identified in the London Plan as one of ...

and Dartford County Grammar School for Girls and had originally aspired to become a doctor. However, due to the priority given to returning service personnel, she was not able to acquire a seat in medical school. In 1980, she married Arthur Wells.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pereira, Margaret Wikipedia Student Program 1928 births 2016 deaths People from Bexley British forensic scientists Members of the Order of the British Empire Women forensic scientists British women scientists 20th-century British scientists 20th-century British women scientists Commanders of the Order of the British Empire