“A man who has spent 27 years behind bars for murder will have the safety of his conviction reviewed by top judges today in the light of new DNA evidence.”
The Independent, 18th March 2009
Source: www.independent.co.uk
“A prisoner who could be freed after DNA evidence cast doubt over his conviction has apologised for wrongly confessing to murder in 1979.”
BBC News, 16th March 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“For 27 years the mother of a young barmaid had believed her daughter’s rapist and killer was behind bars. In the last few days it has become clear to Mary Sedotti that the man who strangled her daughter in the early hours of a December morning 30 years ago has never been caught.”
The Guardian, 12th March 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“A baby had its details held on the controversial DNA police database, Jacqui Smith has confirmed.”
BBC News, 9th March 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“The government is planning to get around a European court ruling that condemned Britain’s retention of the DNA profiles of more than 800,000 innocent people by keeping the original samples used to create the database, the Guardian has learned.”
The Guardian, 27th February 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“A man who sued his ex-wife for fraud for letting him believe another man’s child was his daughter is to take his fight to the European courts.”
BBC News, 3rd February 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“A 55-year-old man whose DNA linked him to two sex attacks committed nine years apart has been jailed for life.”
BBC News, 17th December 2008
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“In a speech, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith called for new ‘common sense standards’ for the use of investigatory powers and the retention of DNA profiles.”
Home Office, 16th December 2008
Source: www.homeoffice.gov.uk
“DNA samples are to be taken from serious offenders who are in prison but were convicted before the national database was created, Jacqui Smith announced yesterday.”
The Times, 17th December 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“Innocent British citizens may be drawn into foreign criminal investigations after the Government agreed to EU-wide access to its ‘Big Brother’ databases, the Conservatives have warned.”
Daily Telegraph, 15th December 2008
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“Suspected rapists may have to be let free because of the landmark European ruling over the storing of ‘innocents’ DNA, a Home Office minister warned.”
Daily Telegraph, 9th December 2008
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
S and Marper v United Kingdom (Application Nos 30562/04 and 30566/04)
European Court of Human Rights
“The blanket and indiscriminate nature of the powers of retention of fingerprints, cellular samples and DNA profiles of persons suspected but not convicted of offences failed to strike a fair balance between the competing public and private interests.”
The Times, 8th December 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.
“The first person in the world to be convicted on the basis of DNA evidence has been given permission to challenge his sentence.”
BBC News, 4th December 2008
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“More than 1.6 million DNA and fingerprint samples of innocent people on police databases must be destroyed after a court ruled yesterday that keeping them breaches human rights.”
The Times, 5th December 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“Two men from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, who were previously cleared of criminal charges, have won a major victory after the European Court of Human Rights ruled keeping their DNA on the British police database breached their human rights.”
Daily Telegrap, 4th December 2008
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“The police could be forced to wipe the profiles of nearly one million innocent people from the national DNA database if the Government loses a key test case today.”
Daily Telegraph, 4th December 2008
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“Files on up to 300 unsolved murders from the 1980s and 1990s could be reopened as part of a nationwide cold case review, it has been disclosed.”
Daily Telegraph, 11th November 2008
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“The House of Lords has voted to amend the law to help innocent people have their DNA samples removed from the Government’s DNA database. The Lords have passed an amendment to the Counter Terrorism Bill.”
OUT-LAW.com, 6th November 2008
Source: www.out-law.com
“The government has been defeated in the House of Lords over the issue of keeping peoples’ DNA and fingerprints on the police national database.”
BBC News, 5th November 2008
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“The government was yesterday accused of building a national DNA database by stealth after the Home Office admitted that it had kept DNA profiles of almost 40,000 children tested by police.”
The Guardian, 16th August 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
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