Children: Public Law Update (July 2014) – Family Law Week
‘John Tughan, barrister, of 4 Paper Buildings reviews recent important judgments in public law children cases.’
Family Law Week, 24th July 2014
Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk
Category: DNA
Can DNA profiles at a murder scene be used to establish paternity? – Halsbury’s Law Exchange
‘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.’
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
‘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.’
The Independent, 3rd March 2014
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘Chilling’ Prestwich sex attacker is jailed – BBC News
‘A man who tried to rape a woman in a “chilling” attack while she was on the phone to police has been jailed.’
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.’
The Guardian, 13th December 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Identical twins need never be tried for same crime after DNA breakthrough – Daily Telegraph
‘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.’
Daily Telegraph, 11th December 2013
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Michael Bennison trial stopped over ‘lost’ DNA evidence – BBC News
“The trial of a man for the attempted murder of a woman in York has been abandoned after DNA evidence was lost.”
BBC News, 9th October 2013
Source: www.bbc.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.”
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.”
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
“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.”
The Independent, 4th September 2013
Source: www.independent.co.uk
DNA tests cannot distinguish identical twins on rape charge – Daily Telegraph
“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.”
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
“First time genetic code of a cat has been used in a criminal trial in the UK.”
The Independent, 14th August 2013
Source: www.independent.co.uk
David Guy dismemberment: David Hilder guilty of manslaughter – BBC News
“A man who killed and dismembered his friend has received a life sentence for his manslaughter.”
BBC News, 30th July 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Adrian Locke drug deal stabbing: Two guilty of murder – BBC News
“Two men have been found guilty of murdering a man they stabbed to death when he tried to buy heroin from them.”
BBC News, 25th July 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Double jeopardy case: Wendell Baker jailed for pensioner rape – BBC News
“A man convicted under the amended double jeopardy law of raping a pensioner has been jailed for life.”
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
“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.”
The Independent, 25th June 2013
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Rape suspect on trial again under double jeopardy law – Daily Telegraph
“A builder cleared of raping a pensioner in her bedroom despite matching DNA evidence has gone on trial again under the double jeopardy law.”
Daily Telegraph, 12th June 2013
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Police swabbing of child DNA excessive, says charity – BBC News
“Police in England and Wales have taken DNA samples from children every 10 minutes, figures obtained using freedom of information requests suggest.”
BBC News, 20th May 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Huntsman Brian Fraser jailed over unlicensed gun after he was cleared of shooting ex-lover – The Independent
“A huntsman who was cleared of shooting his former lover outside her country home has been jailed for eight months for possessing a firearm without a licence.”
The Independent, 18th March 2013
Source: www.independent.co.uk
