DNA TEST 'FLAWED' OMAGH TRIAL TOLD
DNA test 'flawed' Omagh trial told
A SECOND forensic expert for the legal team defending Omagh bombing accused Sean Gerard Hoey has questioned DNA evidence used against him. Professor Allan Jamieson said the 'low copy number' DNA technique used by prosecution experts was flawed and the results were open to wide interpretation. DNA evidence forms an important plank of the prosecution case against the 37-year-old electrician, from Molly Road, Jonesborough, south Armagh, who denies a total of 58 charges including the Omagh killings in 1998. Prosecution expert Dr Jonathan Whitaker of the Forensic Science Service (FSS) in England had told the Belfast Crown Court trial that some of the DNA tests he carried out on bomb remains other than those from Omagh provided "very strong" evidence against Hoey. However, Prof Jamieson said the tests used samples one-millionth the size of a grain of salt, making it almost impossible to say whether a person had had contact with the items being tested.
He said while more experimental work was needed before the technique could be properly validated, he was not claiming the results produced were either right or wrong, just unreliable. Prof Jamieson said potential for cross-contamination of samples was surprisingly high. "The scientific evidence on this is very small indeed but we were very surprised how easy there is transfer," he said.
A member of the FSS specialist DNA unit, Samatha Underwood, told the court that between swabbing each exhibit she changed gloves and the table cleaned. However, she admitted that while she also wore a hairnet and a face mask, her lab coat was shared by other staff and changed only once a week. Ms Underwood said there were no written guidelines in the FSS laboratories but staffwere trained to change gloves. The case continues.
A SECOND forensic expert for the legal team defending Omagh bombing accused Sean Gerard Hoey has questioned DNA evidence used against him. Professor Allan Jamieson said the 'low copy number' DNA technique used by prosecution experts was flawed and the results were open to wide interpretation. DNA evidence forms an important plank of the prosecution case against the 37-year-old electrician, from Molly Road, Jonesborough, south Armagh, who denies a total of 58 charges including the Omagh killings in 1998. Prosecution expert Dr Jonathan Whitaker of the Forensic Science Service (FSS) in England had told the Belfast Crown Court trial that some of the DNA tests he carried out on bomb remains other than those from Omagh provided "very strong" evidence against Hoey. However, Prof Jamieson said the tests used samples one-millionth the size of a grain of salt, making it almost impossible to say whether a person had had contact with the items being tested.
He said while more experimental work was needed before the technique could be properly validated, he was not claiming the results produced were either right or wrong, just unreliable. Prof Jamieson said potential for cross-contamination of samples was surprisingly high. "The scientific evidence on this is very small indeed but we were very surprised how easy there is transfer," he said.
A member of the FSS specialist DNA unit, Samatha Underwood, told the court that between swabbing each exhibit she changed gloves and the table cleaned. However, she admitted that while she also wore a hairnet and a face mask, her lab coat was shared by other staff and changed only once a week. Ms Underwood said there were no written guidelines in the FSS laboratories but staffwere trained to change gloves. The case continues.
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0817
Published Date: 17-Nov-06
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