Surely 21st Century medical techniques render it fairly straightforward to determine someone's age to within say +/- 2 years,particularly for those in their formative years.
Surely 21st Century medical techniques render it fairly straightforward to determine someone's age to within say +/- 2 years,particularly for those in their formative years.
I don't think it's always possible. I took an eye test recently which is supposed to be able to predict your age within a certain range but it got me out by about 10 years because my eyes were in better condition than expected by the test.
Surely 21st Century medical techniques render it fairly straightforward to determine someone's age to within say +/- 2 years,particularly for those in their formative years.
Surprisingly it isn't. Mentioned on the previous thread, the Nigerian youth football team were busted for having 26 over age players using MRI scanning etc....one problem, one of the players flagged up was born and had spent his whole life in the US and had full documentation which backed this up. There was absolutely no doubt he was the age he said he was, but the medical tests showed up as him being significantly older.
There was another case in the UK a few years ago, where two Nigerians were convicted of murder. They claimed they were children when they committed the crime and thus should serve in a young offenders and not be deported. The judge ordered loads of tests and they came back inconclusive. In the end, the judge ruled they were adults due to evidence relating to backstory, their entry into the UK etc, not the medical evidence.
Surely 21st Century medical techniques render it fairly straightforward to determine someone's age to within say +/- 2 years,particularly for those in their formative years.
I don't think it's always possible. I took an eye test recently which is supposed to be able to predict your age within a certain range but it got me out by about 10 years because my eyes were in better condition than expected by the test.
This piece from The New Scientist in 2012 sets out some of the scientific areas and difficulties encountered in attempting to establish someone's age accurately:
The Home Office has no way of verifying the age of child refugees being brought to the UK, it has emerged amid concerns that adults are posing as minors to gain access to Britain.
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There was another case in the UK a few years ago, where two Nigerians were convicted of murder. They claimed they were children when they committed the crime and thus should serve in a young offenders and not be deported. The judge ordered loads of tests and they came back inconclusive. In the end, the judge ruled they were adults due to evidence relating to backstory, their entry into the UK etc, not the medical evidence.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21428644-300-with-no-paper-trail-can-science-determine-age/
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