Neil Haigh admitted rape and attempted robbery and was jailed for six years on 17 January 2010 for raping a woman on her way to church in 1987. Neil Haigh's victim was walking when she was grabbed from behind and dragged into nearby bushes where she was raped. Two arrests were made at the time, but neither were Neil Haigh. Years after the attack Neil Haigh was arrested for a drink driving offence and his DNA sample taken but no match was found until a cold case review in 2009.

Nasser Mohammed was part of a gang of six men that raped a woman in a caravan on an industrial estate in 2002. Detectives found a DNA sample on the victim but there was no match on the National DNA Database. In 2008 Nasser Mohammed was picked up for a minor offence, his DNA sample was taken but he was not charged. The DNA sample revealed that Nasser Mohammed was involved in the 2002 rape. The other five attackers had been found guilty of offences involving false imprisonment, rape and indecent assault in 2003 and received prison terms ranging from four to 12 years. Nasser Mohammed was found guilty and sentenced to nine years' imprisonment.

Birmingham Mail 

Sanjay Vyas sexually assaulted a woman on board a train to St Albans on 21 November 2009. He subjected his victim to a 15 minute attack during which he massaged her feet before sexually assaulting her. Sanjay Vyas was identified and arrested after a public appeal which featured CCTV footage of him at St. Pancras station. DNA evidence obtained from his victim's socks was crucial in placing him at the scene of the crime. On 15 January 2010 Sanjay Vyas was found guilty at Southwark Crown Court and sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment.

Keith Davison raped a 24 year old waitress in 1990. He admitted once having extra marital sex near a lake where the attack happened but denied the rape. Keith Davison, was identified as the attacker when a relative was arrested for a public order matter in 2006 and their DNA sample taken. A familial search provided a link to Keith Davison. Keith Davison was convicted in January 2010, sentence was adjourned for six weeks and Keith Davison was warned to expect a "considerable sentence". Det Sgt David Pilbeam said "Rape is a terrible crime. Police will never give up on bringing those responsible to justice using the latest forensic advances." 

Peter Holder was sentenced to three years and four months' imprisonment on 8 January 2009 for attempting to rape a woman in her home in October 1987. In November 2009 Peter Holder admitted one count of attempted rape after DNA from semen on a petticoat worn by the victim at the time of the attack led to his arrest. Peter Holder was also told he would be on the Sex Offenders' Register for life.

Reading Post

John Morton will be sentenced in March 2010 after admitting to the rape of a teenage girl in July 2002. John Morton attacked the 17 year old as she sat outside her boyfriend's flat. The crime remained unsolved until 2009 when John Morton was arrested after a minor breach of the peace and had his DNA sample taken which matched to that from the sex attack. 

Leighton Morgan was convicted in January 2010 for the attempted rape of a woman at her home in 1999. Leighton Morgan was caught after a routine DNA sample taken following a recent arrest linked him to the woman's home. At Leighton Morgan's trial, the jury heard the victim had been out drinking and had gone to bed in the early hours in June 1999 at her home prior to being disturbed. Her initial reaction was to think her boyfriend, who was away on business, had come home. Footprints were found in the woman's garden and leading to her daughter's room but despite appeals, the culprit was not found. Officers working on a review of cold case murders and rapes arrested Morgan in March 2009, who admitted indecent assault and theft after being told his DNA had been found on the victim's underwear. Detective Inspector Huw Thomas of Barry CID said: "Our major crime unit has led the way nationally in reviewing undetected serious crime, utilising advances in scientific and DNA investigative techniques as part of Operation Moscow."

Dale Boocock was given an indeterminate prison sentence in February 2010 for the rape of an 86 year old woman.  The woman, who suffered from dementia and was bed bound, was attacked in the care home where she lived. In September 2009 Dale Boocock, high on drink and drugs, entered Springfield care home in the early hours and dragged his victim from her bed and into the garden where he raped her. Dale Boocock, who at the time was on bail for burglary, was arrested later the same day by police officers who had received a report of a burglary. A DNA sample was taken and a match made with the rape. 

Andrew Thompson pleaded guilty to two counts of rape on 5 November 2009. Andrew Thompson attacked his victims in two south London blocks of flats in 1989. He first attacked a 36 year old woman in Clapham in June 1989. He then attacked a 35 year old woman in Battersea in November 1989. Forensic samples from both of the victims provided a DNA profile which linked the attacks, however no suspect was identified and without witnesses or leads the investigation was brought to a close. Using upgraded DNA samples taken from the victims after the attacks, officers were able to identify Andrew Thompson when the case was reopened. A match with Andrew Thompson was obtained after he had been cautioned for a minor drugs offence in 2001. Andrew Thompson was sentenced to 11 years' imprisonment and placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for life.

Delwyn Savigar was arrested in 2008 for possessing more than 100,000 images of child pornography on his computer. While in custody Delwyn Savigar's DNA was loaded on to the National DNA Database which produced a match to the rape of a 13 year old school girl in April 2002. The school girl had reported the matter to police and a full DNA profile was obtained but at the time there was no match on the DNA Database. Lancashire Constabulary's Cold Case Investigation Team began to investigate other cases and as a result Delwyn Savigar was charged with attempted rape and indecent assault on two further teenage females. Delwyn Savigar pleaded guilty to all charges in January 2010 and sentencing will take place on 30 April 2010. Joanne Cunliffe, Crown Advocate from the CPS Complex Casework Unit for Lancashire and Cumbria, said: "Delwyn Savigar is a very dangerous individual, a sexual predator who showed no regard at all for the feelings of his victims."

Steven Wright was sentenced to life imprisonment in February 2008 for the murders of five women in Ipswich in December 2006. In 2003, he had been arrested on suspicion of stealing a small sum of money whilst working as a hotel barman and a DNA sample was taken. He was subsequently convicted of theft. The police were able to recover samples from one of the victims which produced a match with Steven Wright's profile.

The Guardian

BBC

Antoni Imiela was sentenced to life in March 2004 after being convicted of a series of rapes over a 12-month period. Two of his victims were just ten. A full DNA profile was obtained at the scene, but this profile didn't match any of the profiles on the NDNAD. Kent Police carried out an intelligence-led screen with 2,000 men from a local estate volunteering their DNA samples, but still no match was found. An E-fit was circulated and Antoni Imiela was identified as a suspect. He was subsequently arrested and his DNA was taken which matched the DNA samples taken from the victims. The specialist adviser who coordinated the forensic work on the case said the DNA evidence was a major breakthrough because it linked the first two attacks and subsequent rapes.

The Guardian

The Independent

Robert Napper was convicted in 2008 for the murder of Rachel Nickell on Wimbledon Common in 1992. Robert Napper emerged as the main suspect when the case was reopened in 2002. The review team passed items of Rachel Nickell's clothing to forensic scientists for evaluation. Robert Napper denied any involvement in the Wimbledon murder until 2004 when extensive DNA tests established that the chance of the DNA profile belonging to someone other than him was 1 in 1.4 million.

The Times

The Telegraph

Ronald Castree. In October 1975, 11 year old Lesley Molseed was abducted on her way to the shops in Rochdale. Her body was discovered three days later on the moors. In a sexually motivated attack, Lesley was stabbed 12 times. A semen stain was recovered from Lesley's clothing. In 2005, Ronald Castree was arrested on suspicion of the rape of a female who had been found in a drink and drug induced state. Ronald Castree was brought into custody, his fingerprints and DNA were taken for the first time. Ronald Castree was released with no further action being taken. Ronald Castree's DNA was retained and loaded onto the NDNAD. His DNA matched the semen stain recovered from Lesley's clothing in 1976. He was found guilty of Lesley's murder at Bradford Crown Court in November 2007 and sentenced to life imprisonment.

BBC

The Independent

Lee & Stephen Ainsby. In 1995 a 17 year old girl was walking home from a night out in Banbury when she was forced into a car by two men, taken to an isolated rural area and repeatedly raped. In 2003 Lee Ainsby was arrested for being drunk and disorderly and a DNA sample taken. In 2005 the evidence from the case was reanalysed and DNA profiles loaded on the NDNAD. One matched Lee Ainsby; the other did not match anyone but must have come from a close relative of Lee Ainsby. A DNA sample was taken from Lee's brother Stephen which matched the second sample from the crime. Lee and Stephen Ainsby were jailed for 10 years each for rape and 5 years each for kidnapping with the sentences to run concurrently.

Banbury Guardian

The Oxford Times

Lee Wilson was convicted in 2005 for a rape he committed in 1998. Lee Wilson dragged his young female victim into an alleyway and attacked her. DNA samples were taken from the scene of the crime but at the time provided no match. Lee Wilson was convicted of taking a motor vehicle in 2003 and his DNA was loaded on to NDNAD. Detectives from Avon & Somerset's Cold Case Review team matched Lee Wilson's DNA with samples collected during the 1998 investigation. Lee Wilson was sentenced to 5 years' imprisonment.

BBC

Mark Dixie. 18 year old Sally Ann Bowman was murdered close to her home in South London in September 2005. A police investigation followed which included an intelligence-led screen, with some 1,700 men giving DNA samples voluntarily, but the investigation drew a blank. In June 2006 Mark Dixie, a pub chef, was arrested following a brawl in the pub where he worked. No further action was taken but his DNA was taken and subsequently loaded on to the NDNAD. It produced a match to the DNA evidence retrieved from the murder victim and within five hours he was under arrest. He was subsequently charged, convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. DNA evidence had been crucial in tracking down and convicting Mark Dixie. 

The Sun

BBC

Anthony de Boise was jailed on 18 September 2006 for 13 years on six counts of indecent assault committed in Surrey against girls aged between 13 and 16 between 1989 and 1996. He was a qualified architect who worked as a planning officer for Wandsworth Council who disguised himself as a tramp to commit the assaults. He escaped detection at the time, but was arrested years later because his sister accused him of stealing from their late father's estate. Although the theft charge was later dropped his DNA was taken on arrest which matched DNA taken from the victims.

The Times

The Guardian

James Marshall. A man who raped a pregnant woman in 1992 was jailed for 18 years on 10 November 2006 after police matched his DNA to a saliva sample provided by the victim at the time of the attack. James Marshall raped the woman at knifepoint in May 1992 as she walked to a Bury fair. The judge said: "This was a crime that remained undetected, though promptly reported, until earlier this year, when thanks to the Cold Case Review Unit and advances in forensic science, you were tracked down by Greater Manchester Police by virtue of the presence of your DNA".

Daily Mail

Oldham Advertiser

John Humble (Yorkshire Ripper hoaxer) had a DNA sample taken in 2001 when he was arrested and cautioned for being drunk and disorderly. In 2005 a cold case review was conducted of  hoaxer 'Wearside Jack', who disrupted the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper, and DNA retrieved from the seal on one of the envelopes used to send the hoax letters matched to John Humble's DNA. He was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment for perverting the course of justice in March 2006.

BBC

The Guardian

Gary James Mitchell. In 2000, Gary James Mitchell, originally from Felling, Gateshead, was arrested on suspicion of a burglary in Hexham and a DNA sample was taken. The DNA matched a DNA sample taken from a rape in County Durham in 1995, and Mitchell was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment. In 2003, Operation Phoenix reinvestigated unsolved rape cases and DNA evidence linked him to a 1979 rape in Felling, and a rape in Birtley in 1987. Gary James Mitchell was found guilty of both rapes and on 26 May 2004 he was given a life sentence.

BBC

The Sun

Paul Taylor. In 1987, Paul Taylor attacked and raped a 22 year old woman with the mental age of a three year old and who was cared for in a residential home. In 2004 Paul Taylor was arrested for shoplifting and had his DNA taken and his profile was added to the NDNAD. When West Yorkshire Police conducted a cold case review of the 1987 rape, they sent the original evidence for further tests and a DNA match was found. When Paul Taylor was arrested he initially tried to pretend that the woman had been a short term girlfriend but he pleaded guilty to rape when faced with evidence that she could not have given consent because of her mental age. Paul Taylor pleaded guilty in October 2008 and was sentenced to six years' imprisonment in January 2009. The Judge at Paul Taylor's trial branded his actions appalling and said that he might have got away with it had it not been for advances in science.

Halifax Courier

Stephen Johnstone. On 12 October 2009 Stephen Johnstone, was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment for crimes committed in 1989. He first stuck in Kent on 13 September when his victim was a 62-year-old widow. He broke into her home while she was asleep and proceeded to rape her before stealing jewellery. Then, on 23 October of the same year, Stephen Johnstone forced his way into the home of a 25-year-old in Hertfordshire and beat the woman unconscious before raping her. He also stole jewellery and cash from her. DNA samples taken from both scenes showed a link between both crimes. However, despite an appeal in the local press and e-fits provided by the victims, no suspect was identified. Then in 2008, the Metropolitan Police's Sapphire Cold Case Rape Investigation team reviewed the evidence and upgraded the DNA samples. DNA from the crime scenes matched to Stephen Johnstone on the National DNA Database, given by him when he was arrested for drink driving. 

Geoffrey Stoneham raped a 17 year old girl in 1980. The case remained unsolved until 2007 when scientific advances enabled samples collected at the crime scene to be reanalysed. A DNA profile was obtained, which matched to Geoffrey Stoneham. The chances of the DNA coming from someone else were "in the order of one in a billion". During the case the court heard that Geoffrey Stoneham had 65 previous offences, dating from 1959, including two of a sexual nature. In October 2009 Geoffrey Stoneham, 63, was jailed for eight years.

Robert Morley. On 11 July 1985 nine year old Imraan Vohra was reported missing when he failed to arrive at a local mosque after school. 38 hours later his body was found naked from the waist down in a nearby park; he had been sexually assaulted and strangled. A manhunt was launched, 100 investigators were drafted in and a huge number of interviews were conducted, without success. DNA evidence was recovered but at the time the technology wasn't available to identify a suspect. In 2001 the case was reopened as part of a cold case review. Advances in DNA technology ensured that DNA collected at the crime scene in 1985 could be re-examined. By 2006 a complete DNA profile of the attacker was compiled. In 2008 further advances in technology meant that the Database could be searched for offenders that had a familial link. This led police to a close relative of Robert Morley. Robert Morley had died from lung cancer in 1997; DNA obtained from a lung biopsy taken during Robert Morley's treatment confirmed that he was Imraan Vohra's attacker.  

Paul Dook. In 1991 Paul Dook raped a 22 year old woman after offering her a lift home from a nightclub in Hull. He took her to a remote lay-by at Risby where the attack took place in his car. She went straight to the police station but, despite her knowing details about her attacker such as his first name, that he lived near Orchard Park and he had a beige car, the inquiry drew a blank. In 2006 Paul Dook was arrested for an alleged assault on a relative. No further action was taken but his DNA was taken and added to the National DNA Database, where it remained. In 2008, a cold case review team looked at the 1991 rape again, and Paul Dook's DNA matched to evidence from the scene. Paul Dook had been jailed for nine months in 1995 for indecent assault of another woman, but his DNA was not added to the National DNA Database because the Database was only just being set up. Paul Dook, 45, of Burton Pidsea, was convicted of raping the 22 year old in 1991 after the jury took just one hour to find him guilty. In August 2009 he was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment.

Abdirahman Ali Gudaal. On 16 January 2006, Abdirahman Ali Gudaal was arrested on suspicion of robbery. This was investigated and his DNA taken prior to him being released without charge. On 19 October 2008 a woman was dragged into a bedsit as she walked home from a night out and repeatedly raped over a two hour period. A semen stain was submitted for comparison against the National DNA Database in December 2008, resulting in a full match to Abdirahman Ali Gudaal, who was subsequently arrested and charged with rape. In June 2009, Abdirahman Ali Gudaal, 28, was convicted of rape and kidnapping at Coventry Crown Court. He was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment for rape with five years added to run concurrently. He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders' register for life. The Officer in Charge of the case said that the DNA evidence was fundamental in helping to obtain a conviction.

Wayne Bowe. In February 2009, Wayne Bowe got into a fight with 25 year old Michael Hewitt. Wayne Bowe kicked and stamped on Michael Hewitt's head up to 20 times as he lay unconscious. Mr Hewitt suffered massive brain injuries and was in a coma for several months. Wayne Bowe was caught after his DNA was found at the scene. Although he had no previous convictions his details were on the National DNA Database because of a fixed penalty notice issued to him some years earlier. Wayne Bowe admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent and on 8 October 2009 he was jailed for five years and four months.

Sean Hodgson (aka Robert Hodgson) was found guilty of the murder of Teresa de Simone in 1982. He had long pleaded his innocence after retracting his original statement. Sean Hodgson's case was urgently referred to court by the Criminal Cases Review Commission after his lawyers had insisted on DNA tests. These tests found that Sean Hodgson's DNA profile did not match the profile found at the crime scene. In 2009 senior judges ruled that Sean Hodgson's 1982 conviction was unsafe and should be quashed.

The Times

Colin Pitchfork. In the very first case involving DNA, the initial prime suspect in the murder of two schoolgirls confessed to murdering one of them.  Pioneering work on DNA showed that semen samples taken from the girls did not match that suspect but indicated that the cases were linked as the semen in both cases came from the same person, who in due course was identified as Colin Pitchfork who was jailed for life for the two murders.

BBC