Case Studies
Recent Cases Where DNA Evidence Was Used Minor Crimes that went on to solve Major Crimes These case studies are only a small sample of the cases that involve the use of the National DNA Database
Keith Davison was jailed for eight years in March 2010 for the rape of a woman on the Isle of Wight in 1990. The case remained unsolved for almost 20 years until Keith Davison's daughter was arrested for a minor assault and had her DNA sample taken and added to the National DNA Database. Her sample was linked to the 1990 attack and this led the police to Keith Davison. During the trial the court heard that Keith Davison's DNA was a one in a billion match to the sample from the crime scene. Terence McVicar, a convicted paedophile, was sentenced in March 2010 to 20 years' imprisonment for sexually abusing a four year old girl in 1990. Terence McVicar was serving a life sentence for other serious offenses involving young children committed in 2000 when he was linked to the 1990 attack as part of a cold case review by West Yorkshire Police's Operation Recall. A preserved hair was found on the victim which led police to Terence McVicar, he was arrested on the 12th January 2010 and made a full admission. Dennis Fitzgerald was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment in March 2010 for the rape of a woman in November 1987. At the time of the attack police were unable to identify the attacker however they were able to retrieve samples from the scene of crime. The case was reopened in 2004 and due to advances in technology a full DNA profile was created and added to the National DNA Database. The profile did not provide an immediate match and remained on the database until 2009 when Dennis Fitzgerald was arrested for a separate incident. Dennis Fitzgerald provided a DNA sample on arrest and this matched the sample on the National DNA Database. Chrisdian Johnson was convicted of the murder of Oluwaseyi Ogunyemi in March 2010. In April 2009 Oluwaseyi Ogunyemi was attacked by 15 - 20 youths in a South London park. He had tried to flee over a fence but was pursued by a dog and dragged to the ground before being stabbed six times by Chrisdian Johnson. During the attack the dog was stabbed twice and as Chrisdian Johnson fled the scene of the attack the dog left a 600 yard trail of blood. Chrisdian Johnson was arrested shortly after the attack and was found covered in both the blood of his victim and the dog. Police proved that Chrisdian Johnson's dog, Tyson, was the dog used in the attack by taking a DNA sample from the dog and matching it to blood found at the crime scene. It is the first time that dog DNA has been used as evidence in a UK court and is being hailed as a breakthrough in the fight against the problem of aggressive animals being used as weapons. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
Recent Cases Where DNA Evidence Was Used
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Ronald Cheshire kidnapped and raped a 15 year old girl in Maidenhead in 1980. The rape remained unsolved for almost 30 years. Seven years later in 1987 Ronald Cheshire murdered hitch hiker, Rachael Partridge in Bledlow Ridge. In the aftermath of the 1987 killing all males in the Bledlow area were requested to provide a voluntary DNA sample at either the local police station or village hall. Ronald Cheshire denied the killing, but was convicted in one of the first murder trials to utilise DNA evidence. After being convicted Ronald Cheshire's DNA was retained on the National DNA Database. The 1980 rape was re opened by the Thames Valley Police Major Crime Review Team, samples found on the victim at the time of the attack were matched to Ronald Cheshire. In July 2010 Ronald Cheshire pleaded guilty to the 1980 rape. He is to be sentenced in September 2010.
BBC
Dwayne Cupidon murdered George Smith and dismembered his body in a bath tub in August 2009. The body is still to be recovered. Dwayne Cupidon and George Smith were arguing over a mutual lover and a dispute over the parentage of her unborn child. It is also thought that George Smith had stolen an amount of cash and drugs from Dwayne Cupidon. On the day of his murder George Smith had spent the day drinking with his neighbour. The last thing he had said was "See you tomorrow." George Smith was never seen again. Police were called three days later after George Smith's ex wife visited the flat and discovered blood in the bathroom but no sign of George Smith. Dwayne Cupidon was linked to the crime after DNA samples found on the taps and a nail brush at the scene provided a match to samples on the National DNA Database that Dwayne Cupidon had provided after being arrested for drugs offences. There were also bloody footprints at the scene which matched Dwayne Cupidon's training shoes. Upon Dwayne Cupidon's arrest in September 2009 police found the freshly cleaned training shoes inside a backpack which had George Smith's blood on in. In July 2010 Dwayne Cupidon was found guilty of the murder. Sentencing was postponed to give Dwayne Cupidon time to inform police as to the whereabouts of George Smith's body.
The Times
Robert Carpenter. In June 2010 Robert Carpenter was found guilty of rape. Carpenter attacked his victim as she walked along a footpath in Scunthorpe, March 1979. During the rape he broke his victim's jaw and then threw the woman over a fence. Robert Carpenter was only caught when forensic evidence taken from the victim in 1979 was matched to his profile on the National DNA Database as part of a cold case review. Robert Carpenter's profile was on the National DNA Database after he was arrested for causing criminal damage in 1998.
Yorkshire Post
Geoffrey Davey. In May 2010 Geoffrey Davey admitted committing a rape in 1987 and was remanded in custody, he will be sentenced in June 2010. Geoffrey Davey was jailed for six and a half years in 1988 after pleading guilty to raping a doctor. In the weeks prior to the attack he had raped an office worker in east London. This rape had remained unsolved for 23 years. Geoffrey Davey was arrested after a cold case review by City of London police. Forensic scientists examined the first victim's clothes and found a DNA sample that matched a profile belonging to Geoffrey Davey. Detective Inspector Glyn Whittick said "It is always pleasing when scientific advances offer us a fresh perspective on a case. Once we get a fresh lead there is a tangible determination among the team to see such investigations through to a successful conclusion"
This is London
Raymond May was sentenced to five years' imprisonment in May 2010 for the rape of a woman in 1978. He had attacked his victim while she was walking home from a hotel in Durham. The case remained unsolved until 2009 when cold case detectives reviewed it. A DNA sample obtained at the scene of the 1978 attack matched a sample on the DNA database belonging to Raymond May, who had received a conviction in 2000 for being drunk and disorderly.
The Northern Echo
Gavin Gordon was jailed indefinitely in May 2010 after being convicted of unlawful imprisonment, robbery, actual bodily harm and theft. He was part of a gang that targeted a 26 year old woman and her partner in their Clapham home. Gavin Gordon was caught after his DNA was found on a juice carton at the scene of the attack.
BBC
Paul Dyne. May 2010 Paul Dyne pleaded guilty to the rape of an 18 year old girl on wasteland in 1986. He had attacked the woman at knifepoint as she was walking to a local shop to purchase milk. Police investigations went cold until 2009 when they were able to match DNA samples found at the crime scene to samples taken from Paul Dyne when he was arrested for an unrelated offence.
Kent News
John Lesbiral. On the 17 May 2010 John Lesbiral admitted murdering his vulnerable neighbour. During the attack the neighbour had been stabbed 24 times. Lesbiral had denied the attack. Police found his DNA on a kitchen knife, door handles and an empty food carton at the crime scene but he claimed that he had witnessed another neighbour commit the murder before changing his plea at the last opportunity before the start of trial. John Lesbiral was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.
Independent
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St Albans Review
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Wandsworth Guardian
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Serious Crimes
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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". |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
This Is London |
| Paul Stewart Hutchinson. The body of Colette Aram was found near her home a day after she disappeared in October 1983. Colette's disappearance was the first case to be featured on the BBC programme 'Crimewatch'. On 21 December 2009 Paul Stewart Hutchinson pleaded guilty to her murder. The court heard that Paul Stewart Hutchinson had hidden in a shed to watch girls horse riding. He then stole a vehicle and drove to Keyworth. He had a bread knife with him and had approached a 17 year old girl and another school girl before abducting Colette. Advances in DNA technology enabled police to re examine the evidence. He was arrested after a DNA profile from evidence at the crime scene was linked to a family member on the National DNA Database. In January 2010 Paul Stewart Hutchinson was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years imprisonment. | BBC |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
