When innocent men go to jail: miscarriages of justice in Britain – Daily Telegraph

Posted September 5th, 2014 in appeals, criminal justice, DNA, evidence, expert witnesses, miscarriage of justice, news by tracey

‘“People think that miscarriages of justice are rare and exceptional,” says Dr Michael Naughton, founder of the UK Innocence Project. “But every single day, people are overturning convictions for criminal offences. Miscarriages of justice are routine, even mundane features of the criminal justice system. They are systemic.” ‘

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Daily Telegraph, 4th September 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Daniel Palmer found guilty of Portuguese man’s murder – BBC News

Posted August 12th, 2014 in alcohol abuse, closed circuit television, DNA, murder, news, sentencing by sally

‘A man has been found guilty of the murder of a Portuguese immigrant who was about to travel home after failing to find work in the UK.’

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BBC News, 11th August 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Children: Public Law Update (July 2014) – Family Law Week

Posted July 25th, 2014 in care orders, case management, children, DNA, families, jurisdiction, news by tracey

‘John Tughan, barrister, of 4 Paper Buildings reviews recent important judgments in public law children cases.’

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Family Law Week, 24th July 2014

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Can DNA profiles at a murder scene be used to establish paternity? – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted July 3rd, 2014 in care orders, DNA, murder, news, paternity by sally

‘Re Z (Children) concerned an application in ongoing care proceedings for the Metropolitan Police to provide copies of DNA profiles held by them. The application was made by the children’s guardian and brought so that the paternity of the children could be determined. This issue arose as although the man alleged to be the children’s father (referred to in the judgment as X) insisted he was so, he refused to consent to DNA testing. X was seeking a role in the children’s lives.’

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 3rd July 2014

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Violent sex assault cold case solved after a decade in one of the first ever cases of ‘covert DNA retrieval’ – The Independent

Posted March 4th, 2014 in assault, DNA, firearms, investigatory powers, news, sexual offences by sally

‘A violent sex attacker was caught when police used ground-breaking anti-terrorism powers to covertly recover DNA from a coffee cup he had used at the end of a four-day surveillance operation.’

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The Independent, 3rd March 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘Chilling’ Prestwich sex attacker is jailed – BBC News

Posted February 4th, 2014 in assault, DNA, guilty pleas, news, robbery, sentencing, sexual offences by sally

‘A man who tried to rape a woman in a “chilling” attack while she was on the phone to police has been jailed.’

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BBC News, 3rd February 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Man wrongly convicted of sexual assault is freed after 17 years in jail – The Guardian

‘A man who spent 17 years behind bars after being wrongly convicted of a sexual assault has been freed by the court of appeal after DNA evidence pointed to another man as the perpetrator.’

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The Guardian, 13th December 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Identical twins need never be tried for same crime after DNA breakthrough – Daily Telegraph

Posted December 12th, 2013 in DNA, families, forensic science, news by sally

‘Cases of identical twins being tried for the same crime may never happen again after a scientific breakthrough found there are subtle differences in their DNA.’

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Daily Telegraph, 11th December 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Michael Bennison trial stopped over ‘lost’ DNA evidence – BBC News

Posted October 11th, 2013 in attempted murder, attempts, DNA, evidence, murder, news, wounding by sally

“The trial of a man for the attempted murder of a woman in York has been abandoned after DNA evidence was lost.”

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BBC News, 9th October 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Can DNA Sample Requests Be a Breach of the ECHR? – Criminal Law and Justice Weekly

“Is requiring a convicted person to come in to give a DNA sample a breach of the ECHR? Michael Zander considers the first case to look at the question.”

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Criminal Law and Justice Weekly, 5th October 2013

Source: www.criminallawandjustice.co.uk

No breach of privacy to request DNA sample from ex con – UK Human Rights Blog

“The High Court has ruled that it is not a breach of the right to private life to request DNA samples from those who were convicted of serious offences before it became commonplace to take samples for the production of DNA profiles for the investigation of crime.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 24th September 2013

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Ex-prisoner fails to halt police DNA-collection programme – The Guardian

“A former prisoner has failed in a legal challenge that could have forced police to destroy thousands of DNA samples collected from those convicted of serious crimes before 1994.”

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The Guardian, 24th September 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Rachel Manning murder: Man jailed for killing 19-year-old woman 11 years after former boyfriend wrongly convicted of her killing – The Independent

Posted September 5th, 2013 in DNA, miscarriage of justice, murder, news, sentencing by sally

“A man has been given a life sentence for killing a 19-year-old woman, 11 years after her former boyfriend was wrongly jailed for the murder.”

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The Independent, 4th September 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

DNA tests cannot distinguish identical twins on rape charge – Daily Telegraph

Posted August 21st, 2013 in DNA, families, news, prosecutions, rape by sally

“A pair of identical twins who cannot be told apart by their DNA have both appeared in court charged over the rape of a woman.”

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Daily Telegraph, 20th August 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Pet cat’s DNA helps convict owner who killed his friend after an argument – The Independent

Posted August 15th, 2013 in animals, DNA, homicide, news, sentencing by sally

“First time genetic code of a cat has been used in a criminal trial in the UK.”

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The Independent, 14th August 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

David Guy dismemberment: David Hilder guilty of manslaughter – BBC News

Posted July 31st, 2013 in DNA, evidence, homicide, news, sentencing by sally

“A man who killed and dismembered his friend has received a life sentence for his manslaughter.”

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BBC News, 30th July 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Adrian Locke drug deal stabbing: Two guilty of murder – BBC News

Posted July 26th, 2013 in DNA, drug abuse, murder, news, sentencing by sally

“Two men have been found guilty of murdering a man they stabbed to death when he tried to buy heroin from them.”

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BBC News, 25th July 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Double jeopardy case: Wendell Baker jailed for pensioner rape – BBC News

Posted June 28th, 2013 in DNA, double jeopardy, news, rape, sentencing by tracey

“A man convicted under the amended double jeopardy law of raping a pensioner has been jailed for life.”

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BBC News, 28th June 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

At last: Rapist Wendell Baker finally found guilty of 1997 attack after police bungles – The Independent

Posted June 26th, 2013 in DNA, double jeopardy, evidence, news, police, rape by sally

“A rapist was finally convicted today after a series of police and prosecution blunders allowed him to evade justice for 15 years following his merciless attack on a pensioner inside her own home.”

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The Independent, 25th June 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Rape suspect on trial again under double jeopardy law – Daily Telegraph

Posted June 13th, 2013 in DNA, double jeopardy, news, rape by sally

“A builder cleared of raping a pensioner in her bedroom despite matching DNA evidence has gone on trial again under the double jeopardy law.”

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Daily Telegraph, 12th June 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk