How Kingston University’s toxicology laboratory is helping to solve the UK’s most complex cases

One of the UK’s leading independent toxicology service facilities is helping police forces across the country solve some of the most complex cases by utilising state-of-the-art facilities at Kingston University.

Internationally accredited Kingston Analytical Services Toxicology (KAST) uses cutting-edge technology to support the testing of blood and urine samples for traces of alcohol and drugs including cannabis, cocaine and ketamine in incidents such as road traffic collisions, as well as cases involving suspicious deaths and sexual assaults.

KAST, made up of a team of forensic toxicology experts and PHD students at Kingston University, is accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) and compliant with the Forensic Science Regulator’s Code of Practice – making it one of only seven in the country to be accredited to international standards.

The specialist laboratory has helped legal professionals, law enforcement officials and healthcare providers achieve outcomes in the some of the most complex and high-profile cases. 

As well as recently being granted full s5, s5A and Alcohol Technical Defence (ATD) accreditation against ISO/IEC 17025 to cement its status as a fully compliant and highly trusted provider, KAST’s rigorous courtroom-ready reporting also sets it apart in the forensic landscape. Every test result processed by the lab is accompanied by an expert forensic report – a Section 9 Witness Statement – giving legal professionals and courts absolute clarity.

With road safety regulations tightening and the legal sector demanding ever-higher standards of forensic accountability, the expert team uses critical bioanalytical testing for a range of substances and provides specialised ATD calculations, helping them untangle complex scenarios involving post-incident consumption or back-calculations which are often pivotal in road traffic defence cases.

Beyond their routine casework and giving evidence to court, the KAST team maintain an active footprint in developing cost-effective detection methods for synthetic cannabinoids, hair-based doping products and expansive drug-of-abuse screenings.

KAST Laboratory Director Professor Brian Rooney was behind the lab’s creation in a bid to offer a high-quality toxicology service built on precision and integrity. “There was a growing demand for an independent lab that could do work for law firms representing the defence and complex cases for police forces and other law enforcement agencies.

“Regardless of who instructs us, we’re introducing high-quality testing and forensic interpretation into the criminal justice system – that helps complex cases to be resolved and helps juries and magistrates understand the science that’s involved in any criminal investigation,” he said. “We gain huge satisfaction as a team when we have made a vital contribution to outcomes of cases that are so complex that they might not have been solved without our help.”

• Find out more about Kingston Analytical Services Toxicology.