DNA not enough to charge a burglar
Yes, it's possible. You can leave your DNA at the scene of a burglary in London, and as long as you say you didn't do it you'll be ok.
Just remember to say the magic words: "I had lawful right to be in the house at somepoint before the burglary: that's how you found my DNA there - it doesn't mean I was the burglar"
So without going into the details, but feel free to read between the lines, I have the following recommendations:
1. If you employ any builder, contractor (plumber, furniture delivery etc), take down their name and address details and preferably a photo.
2. Give this list to the police as soon as you find any burglary and make it absolutely clear to the most senior officer you can find, that you have a list of suspects.
3. Do not trust the officers in charge to follow up with statements of witnesses or even you, the victim. You have to provide this yourself and you can help the police by typing it out and emailing it to them so they can cut and paste into their documentation.
4. The criminal will always be known as "the suspect" even though the police know that they committed a crime. You'll have to get used to this and there's no point ranting.
Just remember to say the magic words: "I had lawful right to be in the house at somepoint before the burglary: that's how you found my DNA there - it doesn't mean I was the burglar"
So without going into the details, but feel free to read between the lines, I have the following recommendations:
1. If you employ any builder, contractor (plumber, furniture delivery etc), take down their name and address details and preferably a photo.
2. Give this list to the police as soon as you find any burglary and make it absolutely clear to the most senior officer you can find, that you have a list of suspects.
3. Do not trust the officers in charge to follow up with statements of witnesses or even you, the victim. You have to provide this yourself and you can help the police by typing it out and emailing it to them so they can cut and paste into their documentation.
4. The criminal will always be known as "the suspect" even though the police know that they committed a crime. You'll have to get used to this and there's no point ranting.
"There are holes in the sky,
Where the rain gets in.
But they're ever so small
That's why rain is thin. " Spike Milligan
Where the rain gets in.
But they're ever so small
That's why rain is thin. " Spike Milligan
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Comments
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Just keep repeating that phrase 'innocent until proven guilty' is the keystone of the English Legal System and the underwriter of your own liberty.0
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You're absolutely right of course.
But my problem is that it has not even got that far and looks unlikely to because the police have not even charged this character.
I would be a lot happier with it going to court and a jury not being able to find him guilty because of a lack of supporting evidence.
I understand that there's a cost based risk assessment going on here. But what about the cost of criminals getting away with literally daylight robbery - we're not sending the right message if we don't even bother to apply the weight of investigation and judiciary."There are holes in the sky,
Where the rain gets in.
But they're ever so small
That's why rain is thin. " Spike Milligan0 -
Special K wrote:Yes, it's possible. You can leave your DNA at the scene of a burglary in London, and as long as you say you didn't do it you'll be ok.
Any links or further information?
What other evidence was there?
Your DNA will have found its way to many places you have never been. :idea:Wheelies ARE cool.
Zaskar X0 -
You have actually hit on a flaw with DNA samples as criminal evidence. The techniques for collecting and analysing minute samples that have been in place for years can actually muddy the waters of an investigation and increase the risk of an innocent person being unjustly convicted. At any crime scene the DNA scores of people could well be left from years beforehand. If one of those matches that of a known criminal who is on the police database that person would become a strong suspect, and with the willingness of the legal system to embrace DNA matching as proof on it's own a conviction would not be difficult to obtain.
That was an argument I heard put forward by a former Flying Squad detective in a recent interview where he claimed that the advancement in DNA techniques was leading to lazy policing.0 -
Special K
The decision to charge a 'suspect' is made by the Crown Prosecution Service lawyer looking at the case file and not the officer in the case :!:0
