Pirkanmaa welfare region abandons use of UV light in injury examinations

The Pirkanmaa welfare region in Finland will no longer recommend the use of ultraviolet (UV) light in examining injuries such as bruises, following concerns over the method’s reliability raised in the high-profile Anneli Auer case, reports Yle.

Chief medical director Sirpa Rainesalo of the Pirkanmaa welfare region (Pirha) confirmed the decision, stating that UV light may detect subcutaneous bruises more easily than normal lighting but carries “significant uncertainty and a risk of false positives.” The method will no longer be recommended in future examinations.

The reliability of UV light was questioned in the retrial of Anneli Auer, whose conviction for aggravated sexual abuse was overturned by the District Court of Southwest Finland on Wednesday. The court ruled that UV light findings—used as key evidence in the original 2013 conviction—could not be verified from photographs and cast doubt on their interpretation.

The Pirkanmaa welfare region had been the only facility in Finland using UV light in forensic examinations of child abuse victims. The method’s use had already declined before the Auer case gained attention, Rainesalo noted, prompting a review of scientific evidence.

In the original trial, gynecologist Minna Joki-Erkkilä, then working at Tampere University Hospital’s child forensic psychiatry unit, documented 105 scars on one of Auer’s daughters using UV light. However, the district court found that some claimed scars were not visible under normal lighting, raising concerns about overinterpretation. The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) has also stated that UV light cannot reveal scars invisible in white light and may cause misleading reflections.

Joki-Erkkilä no longer works for the Pirkanmaa welfare region.