Unreliable evidence: Mark George on Low Copy Number (LCN) DNA
24/02/2008
In an article for Independent Lawyer magazine (February 2008), Mark George considers the consequences of the Omagh bomb ruling which has cast doubt over thousands of convictions using a controversial form of DNA evidence
Junk science
In the Independent Lawyer article, Mark writes
"Until the Hoey case I suspect that many lawyers were unaware that there was apparently room for doubt as to whether the methodology of LCN DNA has been adequately verified.. In the case of LCN DNA it seems that there had been no peer review and the only articles which had been published were from the inventors of the technique. There is obviously very limited value in self verification..."
and goes on to say
"...Anyone who has been convicted in a case in which the prosecution relied on LCN DNA evidence should be entitled to further advice as to a possible appeal."
Caught in the DNA trap
Mark was also quoted in a recent article considering the merits of a full national DNA database in the Sunday Times.
"Mark George, a barrister who wrote a paper on DNA last month, said: "On ordinary DNA testing, as far as I am aware, people are happy. [But] low copy number DNA is a whole different ball game. It's controversial even within the scientific community".
Read the full article below:
