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Identity
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- Book Synopsis
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When a violent incident led young misfit Garda John Sweetman into the Garda Technical Bureau with incriminating evidence, he discovered his true calling.
He spent the next 25 years as a detective garda working on the frontline of crime scene investigations—first as a fingerprint expert and later as a forensic handwriting and document specialist. His tenacity and natural eye for detail led him to work on numerous criminal investigations and high-profile cases.
From the brutal murder of Marie Dillon in Finglas in 1998 to the gangland killing of Raymond Salinger in 2003, John played a key role in uncovering forensic evidence at these and other crime scenes. In later years, he used his handwriting expertise to examine cases involving fraud, threatening letters, and counterfeit documents. His skills were also instrumental in the investigations into the murders of Jasmine McMonagle, student Jastine Valdez, and the horrific Hawe familicide in Cavan in 2016.
Identity is both a gripping insight into specialist forensic fields—shedding light on how crimes are solved—and a brave, compelling account of a nonconformist detective and his remarkable career.
'Eye-opening' — Business Post
- About The Author
- For over twenty-five years, John Sweetman worked as a Detective Garda attached to the Garda Technical Bureau in Garda Headquarters, Phoenix Park. He qualified as a Fingerprint Expert and later as a Security Document and Handwriting Expert and has spent the bulk of his career examining crime scenes and scenes of crime exhibits for the purposes of presenting expert identification testimony in Irish Courts. As a dedicated member of the Technical Bureau, John was involved in numerous serious crime investigations over the years, up until his retirement from An Garda Siochána in 2023. A keen artist, with an excellent eye for detail, John put his talent to use in the meticulous and exacting field of forensic comparison and individualisation, using the skills he acquired during his service as a valued member of the Garda Technical Bureau. John lives with his family in North County Dublin. Identity: Murder, Fraud and the Making of a Garda Forensic Expert is his first book.
- Product Details
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- ISBN
- 9781399735896
- Format
- Paperback
- Publisher
- Hachette Books Ireland, (05 June 2025)
- Number of Pages
- 336
- Weight
- 235 grams
- Language
- English
- Dimensions
- 196 x 128 x 30 mm
- Categories: