Professor warns over new DNA boost test

Mar 23 2008 by Nigel Green, Sunday Sun

A SCIENTIST has warned that new DNA technology pioneered by detectives in the North could lead to miscarriages of justice.

The warning has been made by Professor Allan Jamieson, a former head of forensic science for a police force in Scotland.

DNAboost is a computer software programme supposedly capable of unravelling samples of blood and other fluids that have been mixed together from a number of people at a crime scene.

It was developed by the Government- owned Forensic Science Service, FSS, and trialled by detectives in Northumbria.

A Northumbria Police spokesman confirmed DNAboost has been used against a suspect charged with a crime, although nobody has yet been convicted.

The manufacturers claim DNAboost could help detect hundreds of murders, rapes and other unsolved crimes.

But Professor Jamieson claims the system has not undergone enough independent testing and could lead to innocent people being convicted.

He said: “The introduction of DNAboost could lead to miscarriages of justice if the information is not used properly.”

Professor Jamieson, the former head of forensic science at Lothian and Borders Constabulary, hit the headlines last year after giving evidence at the trial of the Omagh bombing suspect.

Sean Hoey had been accused of the murder of 29 people in the explosion, which happened in 1998.

Among the evidence against him was so-called “low copy DNA”, a method used to identify tiny amounts of DNA left at crime scenes.

The trial collapsed after Professor Jamieson argued that low copy DNA was not a reliable method, and its use was suspended by the Association of Chief Police Officers, ACPO, after the case.

But ACPO and the Crown Prosecution Service are due to meet on Thursday to discuss bringing in DNAboost after the FSS claimed it could lead to an extra 6000 suspects being tracked down, and many cold case murders and rapes being solved.

Professor Jamieson commented: “ACPO have already been stung once. They need to realise that the FSS may say this is a great method of catching criminals but it is the FSS who are selling it to them.

“In principle, DNAboost is simple, but unless it can be examined by the rest of the scientific community we must retain some scepticism.

“Unless and until scientists worldwide support a technique or someone mounts a serious challenge — as we did in the Omagh case — then none of these techniques should be taken at face value, especially if it is the salesman that is telling you.”

An ACPO spokesman said: “The science around use of DNA evidence in criminal investigations is developing fast and, used appropriately, promises to continue making a huge contribution in bringing criminals to justice.

“As with any developing technology, however, it’s important that new procedures are fully tested and evaluated in order that their application does not put wider public confidence in DNA science at risk. Validation of DNAboost has not yet been resolved and ACPO will be awaiting the conclusion of that process before making any recommendations on next steps.”

A Northumbria Police spokesman added: “The national position is clear in that the process is being independently assessed and validated.”