Low Copy Number DNA

Those of you who have read the new edition of Dead Centre will know that there are some moves afoot to look into the possibility that the Low Copy Number DNA results used to convict Bradley Murdoch of the murder of Peter Falconio should not have been relied upon to the extent they were.

Cases in Britain and New Zealand, the only other large countries to accept the technology invented by Dr Jonathon Whitaker to extrapolate a definitive DNA count from minute samples of DNA, (the FBI won’t touch it) are currently reviewing cases in which this technique has been presented as expert evidence. Some appeals and acquittals have resulted from the contradictory medical opinions on the safety of convictions based upon this test.

Professor Allan Jamieson (Director, The Forensic Institute www.theforensicinstitute.com) has contested Dr Whittaker’s findings in several courts in the UK and is about to travel to NZ to give evidence in a trial there. Mr Justice Weir in the High Court UK said during the trial of Sean Hoey, accused of the Omagh bombing, that the LCN DNA was evidence that ‘did not belong in a British court.’
Following the trial, Metro Co. USA reported, ‘The Crown Prosecution Service in England and Wales said it was reviewing a number of cases where the Low Copy Number (LCN) DNA testing was involved A similar review was being made in Northern Ireland at the request of Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde.The relatively new testing system - which enables the analysis of a small number of cells - was used on the timers for bombs used in Real IRA attacks and allegedly linked them to Omagh accused Sean Hoey. However, the judge in the Hoey case decided it was not as yet at a sufficiently scientific level to be considered evidence.’
See also: 
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=81201&in_page_id=34&in_a_source

High profile QC in WA, Tom Percy is preparing a submission with te help of Dr Allan Jamieson to seek a review of the use of LCN DNA at Murdoch’s trial.