Research two court cases from the last five years that have relied heavily on digital forensic evidence. One from UK, one from Ireland.

CT4022-1

Research two court cases from the last five years that have relied heavily on digital forensic evidence. One from UK, one from Ireland. Provide a detailed report of how the digital evidence was relevant to the case.

Your submission must cover the following.

How the evidence was obtained.

Methods used, software, physical processes. If not known, then provide a referenced speculation for this.

Legal Powers used.

What powers were used to gain access to the data, were any online/cloud systems used. Again, if not stated in the source material provide an informed opinion.

Expert witness.

The level of expertise of the witnesses should be investigated along with any challenges that were made to the evidence presented.

Word count.

The report should be 2000 words (+-10%) in Word format only and will be checked for content created by AI and other sources. Your attention is drawn to the University’s Academic regulations and the consequences of plagiarism and related offences. This is an individual assignment and not a group project. All work submitted must be your own output.

Marks will be awarded based on the following criteria. Recovery Methodology. 30%

You should provide a clear, well referenced (Harvard format) overview of the technical methods used for the recovery and analysis of the data. Describe the software available and how it was/could be utilised for the investigation.

Legal requirements. 25%

Cover the legal requirements in the country where the case took place. What laws were broken? What powers were used to obtain the evidence (search warrants , Sect 49 RIPA, etc.). Again, if these are not clear then provide an informed speculation as to what was available.

Expert Witness. 25%

Define an expert witness for the country involved in the case. Who was the expert in each case. What skills / qualifications do they have/need. How do they check this? Writing Style. 10%

Your document must be professional in appearance. Proof-read as grammatical and makes sense, errors will cost you marks. Use a narrative approach to your report and ensure that it makes sense to the reader. A contents page adds to the overall impression of the work.

References. 10%

A minimum of eight academic references must be included and only Harvard format is acceptable.

A guide can be found here https://connectglosac.sharepoint.com/sites/library- resources/Guides/Harvard%20Referencing.pdf#search=harvard%20format

Sample Answer - Plagiarised

Report on Two Court Cases Using Digital Forensic Evidence (UK and Ireland)

United Kingdom: The EncroChat Investigation

Case Background:

In 2020, UK authorities made breakthroughs in tackling organized crime by targeting EncroChat, a secure communication platform widely used by criminals. The platform provided encrypted messaging services, believed to be untraceable, for coordinating illegal activities like drug trafficking and money laundering.

How Evidence Was Obtained:

Evidence was gathered through a European-wide operation spearheaded by French law enforcement. They infiltrated EncroChat servers, deploying a tool to access live messages and stored data on the devices. UK agencies, such as the National Crime Agency (NCA), received the decrypted communications to investigate UK-based users.

Methods Used:

Specific forensic tools used in the operation remain undisclosed, but they likely involved advanced hacking methods. Standard tools in digital forensics, such as Cellebrite or XRY, are often employed in such cases to analyze seized devices.

Legal Powers:

The operation relied on international cooperation through Europol and Eurojust. Domestically, the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 and Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 provided the legal framework for accessing and using intercepted evidence in UK courts.