Introduction

Forensic Document Examiners often receive photocopies (monochrome and color copy) for examinations because they can easily be obtained and transported or when the original documents no longer exist. Photocopied documents can be examined accurately and a conclusive opinion made. In the absence of the original document, a first generation copy (first copy of the original document) is preferred to a copy of a copy (copy of multiple iterations).

The estimations analyzed in the forensic examination of handwriting and document frequently turning point on features that are large in significance but found small in size small. The examiner commit to observe evaluate and record the evidence. The estimation of evidence appeals upon experience, knowledge and decision of the examiner, but also, to understand as well as record it for which the examiner desires tools. The utmost significant instrument an examiner of document has, apart from his or her own preliminary examination and thought procedure and that tool stated as the microscope which helps for the purpose of to understand and record moreover the obvious to the unassisted eye (Will, 2000).

Black, 1952 published an article on the microscope in document examination. He wrote that the microscope is no doubt the most widely used optical research instrument. In recent decades the microscope has added its important contribution to the administration of justice, specifically through its application to the examination and interpretation of physical evidence and the presentation of the findings in court.

The significance of the microscope has been well exploited in the field of questioned documents in the identification of handwriting, analysis of paper and inks, typewriting and other elements of documents.

Black, 1952 further described microscope as one of the instrument which found it possible to understand the physical evidence on documents which would or else endure imperceptible and impractical. The average unaided human eye can distinguish only 250 separate lines to the inch. This can be better understand that any less details which include separations as well as dimension of less than 1/250th of an inch are misplaced to the eye, which sees them as a connected, solid mass. These small details are often of utmost importance in the determination of questions respecting the authenticity or spuriousness of documents. The evidence of the microscope is conclusive and irrefutable. The microscope has therefore become indispensable to the examiner of questioned documents.

The stereo-microscope provides a 3-dimensional view of an area of interest. In document examination, the Stereo microscope is applied in sequencing of strokes, detection of additions and alterations in holographic wills, ink analysis and determining pen used, , paper fiber analysis, assessment of depth where an ink line crosses a fold in the paper, demonstrating evidence in court, assessment of tremor in simulated forgeries, the unnatural retouching or patching; pen lifts, irregular ink distribution -characteristic of forged signatures which to the unaided eye may appear to be naturally written, and ink line morphology.

Where a problem involving differences of color or depth of vision is concerned, the microscope may often be utilized to better effect than photographic demonstrations. In a probate trial the author was able to show the judge through the use of the microscope that three different shades of blue ink were involved in the fraudulent change of the date of a holographic will, the effect of which would have been to invalidate an actually later genuine will. The document was denied probate (Black, 1952).

In a criminal case of falsification of documents, after the death of a landlord, the tenant altered the terms of payment in the original agreement bearing a handwritten signature of the landlord; he then made a coloured copy and presented it to the wife of the late as an original document. The wife being suspicious of the document, she presented the disputed document to a document examiner together with black photocopy of the original genuine agreement, after thorough examination, the document examiner established that the disputed document a coloured copy with a genuine signature and had misalignment of words in a sentence.

There is lack of empirical evidence regarding document examiners’ ability to give opinion on photocopied documents compared to original documents (Koppenhaver, 2015).

In court, the judge, jury and lawyers and any other layman do not understand how document examiners come to conclusions in the examination of handwriting comparisons of photocopies (monochrome and coloured copies) and original documents; this study is aimed at verifying the evidence used by document examiners to give opinion in handwriting examination of original and photocopied documents.