Dr Martin Vaughan

Dr Martin Vaughan is a retired UK Police Officer and a recognised expert in Interview Management in High Stake Crime (HSC) investigations. As a Detective Sergeant attached to the Major Incident Team, he performed the role of Interview Adviser on numerous high-profile investigations, including cases of child abuse, high-stake fraud, sexual abuse, internal investigations, and over 80 murder investigations, including 11 child homicide investigations. He received 16 Commendations for the high quality of his work throughout his career, including excellence in managing homicide investigative interviews with highly vulnerable suspects. He was the Force Interview Adviser and held the position of a National ACPO Accredited Interview Adviser. Dr Vaughan is a regular contributor to law-based and investigative interviewing-based conferences worldwide. Since his retirement in 2013, he has provided training and consultancy to law enforcement agencies throughout the UK and worldwide. Martin is regularly commissioned by Police Forces in the UK and by the Civil Court in childcare cases to review investigative interviewing processes and provide practical case solutions where required.

As an academic, Dr Vaughan is a member of the Centre of Forensic Interviewing (CoFI), University of Portsmouth, UK, which is a world-renowned centre of excellence in investigative interviewing research. He completed his PhD research into the Interview Management of vulnerable suspects in High Stake Crime (HSC) in 2022. He has completed an M.A. in Investigation Management at Charles Sturt University, Australia; a B.A. (Hons) in PCET at the University of Wales, Newport; a Cert. Ed. in PCET at the University of Wales, Newport, and a Pg Dip in Child Forensic Psychology and Law at the University of Leeds.

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  • Dr Vaughan’s research interests are centred on vulnerability of witnesses and suspects and their impact on investigative interviews.

  • Vaughan, M., Milne, R., Dalton, G. & Vernham, Z. (2024). What effect does an Interview Manager (IM) have on the quality of an interview conducted with vulnerable suspects during High-Stake Crime investigations? A UK perspective [Manuscript submitted for publication].

    Vaughan, M., & Hutcherson, J. (In press). Managing complainant interviews in adult rape investigation: A pragmatic approach to interview strategy development. In W. O’Donohue & R. Bull (Eds.), Forensic interviews regarding adult sexual assault complainants: A guide to evidence-based practice.

    Mattison, M., O’Mahoney, B., Risen, P., & Vaughan, M. (In press). Complex Vulnerability and Facilitative Communication Roles. In R. Milne & R. Bull (Eds.), Investigative Interviewing: Psychology and practice (2nd ed.).

    Vaughan, M., Milne, R., & Bull, R. (In press). Applying the ‘PEACE model’ to youth suspect interviews: Enabling a ‘Child First’ approach. In Malloy, Helm, & Zottoli (Eds.), Confessions and guilty pleas of youth: Developmental science and practical implications.

    Vaughan, M., Milne, R., Cherryman, J., & Dalton, G. (2024). Managing investigative interviews with vulnerable suspects in the UK: Do specialist Interview Managers (IM’s) understand vulnerability? Psychology, Crime & Law, 1-20 https://doi.org/10.1080/1068316X.2024.2341078

    Vaughan, M., Milne, R., Cherryman, J., & Dalton, G. (2024). The Role of the Interview Manager (IM) in UK policing: Perceptions and experiences of the IM when deployed in high stake crime investigations. Policing and Society, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2024.2403698

    Vaughan, M., Milne, R., Dalton, G. & Vernham, Z. (2024). Supporting a vulnerable suspect with Appropriate Adults in high-stakes crime investigations managed by an Interview Manager: Do they really provide a safeguard in an investigative interview? Investigative Interviewing: Research & Practice, 14(1), 1-20.

    Vaughan, M., Milne, R., & Dalton, G. (2023). An analysis of interview strategies in high-stakes crime investigations in the UK: Are they fit for purpose? The Police Journal, 97(2), 354-369. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032258X231181330

    Vaughan, M., Milne, R., Dalton, G., & Retford, S. (2022). Managing interviews in high-stake crime cases: practice guidance for developing suspect interview strategies using a LOST WEBSITES framework. The Journal of Forensic Practice, 24(4), 420-435. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFP-05-2022-0022.

    Vrij, A., Mann, S., Leal, S., Vernham, Z., & Vaughan, M. (2016). Train the trainers: A first step towards a science‐based cognitive lie detection training workshop delivered by a practitioner. Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling, 13(2), 110-130. https://doi.org/10.1002/jip.1443

    Fowler, Y., Vaughan, M., & Wheatcroft, J. (2016). The interpreter-mediated police interview. In G. Oxburgh, T. Mykleburst, T. Grant, & R. Milne (Eds.), Communication in investigative and legal context (315-333). Wiley.