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05/09/2007
Judge Calls For Complete DNA Database
A senior British judge has called for everyone in the UK and every visitor to be added to the national DNA database.
Lord Justice Sedley, one of England's most experienced Appeal Court judges, told the BBC that the current database in England and Wales, which contains DNA from suspects and crime scenes, was "indefensible".
He said: "We have a situation where if you happen to have been in the hands of the police then your DNA is on permanent record. If you haven't, it isn't."
Sir Stephen Sedley said that "everybody, guilty or innocent" should have their DNA on file for the "absolutely rigorously restricted purpose of crime detection and prevention".
He said that expanding the current database had "very serious but manageable implications".
However, Shami Chakrabarti, Director of human rights organisation Liberty, described Sir Stephen's comments as a "chilling proposal", which was "ripe for indignity, error and abuse".
(KMcA/SP)
Lord Justice Sedley, one of England's most experienced Appeal Court judges, told the BBC that the current database in England and Wales, which contains DNA from suspects and crime scenes, was "indefensible".
He said: "We have a situation where if you happen to have been in the hands of the police then your DNA is on permanent record. If you haven't, it isn't."
Sir Stephen Sedley said that "everybody, guilty or innocent" should have their DNA on file for the "absolutely rigorously restricted purpose of crime detection and prevention".
He said that expanding the current database had "very serious but manageable implications".
However, Shami Chakrabarti, Director of human rights organisation Liberty, described Sir Stephen's comments as a "chilling proposal", which was "ripe for indignity, error and abuse".
(KMcA/SP)
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