Forensic Examinations Under Fire

A report has described forensic examinations carried out by a private firm as "not adequate."

Adam Scott, from Devon, was held for a couple of months following accusations he had raped a woman in Manchester.

Mr Scott was charged in 23 October 2011 when a sample of his DNA was used in the analysis of a swab from a rape victim in Plant Hill Park, Blackley.

The result of the test linked Mr Scott to the crime, however police were then left in doubt after phone records suggested the accused had been in Plymouth only a few hours after the attack, according to the report.

The charges were dropped when it was revealed a DNA sample had been contaminated at LGC Forensics.

Forensic Science Regulator Andrew Rennison said Mr Scott was an "innocent victim of avoidable contamination".

LGC Forensics said that it "deeply regrets the incident of contamination".

Mr Scott released a statement a few days later saying he was "angry that I was falsely accused (and) am angry about the amount of pain it has put me and my family through".

The report carried out by Mr Rennison said that the contamination was the result of human error by a technician.

"These errors were compounded by the failure at LGC to consider the possibility of contamination despite concerns expressed by the investigating officer about the reliability of the DNA profile", it said.

The report found the technician had "failed to follow basic procedures for the disposal of plastic trays used as part of a validated DNA extraction process."

A Home Office spokesman said: "Andrew Rennison's independent report has found the incident was caused by human error and failures at LGC Forensics to respond to warning signals."

(IT)