Diana Gauton MSc
After leaving full time education Diana worked in both the financial and legal industries before joining West Midlands Police where she spent fifteen months attached to the Hillsborough Football Inquiry as a researcher looking into the fundamental causes of the disaster, in which 96 people lost their lives. She also worked both as a uniformed officer and later in CID, with an attachment to Scenes of Crime Department.
She later worked in the security industry with a diversity of clients, including the steel and construction industries, education facilities and all Court services. This role included staff training, safety training, conducting site risk assessments for clients and accident investigation.
Diana completed an MSc in risk management and safety technology at Aston University in 2007. She undertook a study for an international construction company, at the request of the Highways Agency (HA), analysing their accident and near miss data, assessing the accident and fatality rate of high speed road workers. Specifically, her research looked at three different HA regions comparing the variation in near miss, accident and fatality statistics between workers from each region, in order to establish the reasons for the considerable variations in their data. Her study included; company background (focusing on the dynamics of each region, the affects of individual Joint Venture partnerships and of a Design, Build, Finance, Operate scheme), all relevant guidance and legislation for the industry, temporary traffic management (road works), training procedures both for the industry in general and specifically for the company concerned, an evaluation of TTM risk, the public perception of risks whilst driving through road works and campaigns to reduce those risks, behavioural based safety both by workers and the public, a comprehensive study of the company's specific BBS scheme and driver behaviour in general (this included learner driver behaviour with a comprehensive study of driving instructors and their standards). This work took almost three years to complete. In order to carry out the study effectively she also had to complete a course that qualifies her to work on high speed roads.
Diana has extensive knowledge in the areas of interviewing, investigation, Coroner's Court and providing witness testimony in Court. She is highly skilled in comparing witness statements and other sources of potential evidence. Her Court appearances have been many and varied and include, as examples, fraud, robbery, assault, sexual assault, infanticide, deception and theft.
She has assisted Professor Booth on a number of cases analysing evidence and correlating witness statements etc.