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Untwining the strands

31 January 2008 / Charles Foster
Issue: 7306 / Categories: Features , Public , Legal services , Procedure & practice
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Low copy number DNA analysis should only be dangerous for the guilty, says Charles Foster

Until the Omagh bombing case (see R v Hoey [2007] NICC 49), low copy number (LCN) DNA analysis was seen as the magic bullet in the prosecutors’ armoury. But it ricocheted off Sean Hoey, causing damage and alarm in the prosecutorial camp. The internet anarchists are delighted. The failure of LCN is seen as a failure of the entire criminal process—an impression bolstered by Mr Justice Weir’s robust denunciation of some of the investigating officers in Hoey.

 

LEARNING LESSONS

The authorities moved fast after judgment was given in Hoey. On the same day, the Association of Chief Police Officers wrote to chief constables, recommending an immediate interim embargo on the use of LCN in criminal investigations in and . This was to give time to learn the lessons of Omagh. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) reviewed all current cases involving LCN. It completed that review on 21 January 2008, concluding that “the

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Kingsley Napley—Claire Green

Kingsley Napley—Claire Green

Firm announces appointment of chief legal officer

Weightmans—Emma Eccles & Mark Woodall

Weightmans—Emma Eccles & Mark Woodall

Firm bolsters Manchester insurance practice with double partner appointment

Gilson Gray—Linda Pope

Gilson Gray—Linda Pope

Partner joins family law team inLondon

NEWS
The threat of section 21 ‘no fault’ eviction was banished this week, after the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 passed into law
Limited liability partnerships (LLPs) are reportedly in the firing line in Chancellor Rachel Reeves upcoming Autumn budget
The landmark Supreme Court’s decision in Johnson v FirstRand Bank Ltd—along with Rukhadze v Recovery Partners—redefine fiduciary duties in commercial fraud. Writing in NLJ this week, Mary Young of Kingsley Napley analyses the implications of the rulings
Barristers Ben Keith of 5 St Andrew’s Hill and Rhys Davies of Temple Garden Chambers use the arrest of Simon Leviev—the so-called Tinder Swindler—to explore the realities of Interpol red notices, in this week's NLJ
Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys [2025] has upended assumptions about who may conduct litigation, warn Kevin Latham and Fraser Barnstaple of Kings Chambers in this week's NLJ. But is it as catastrophic as first feared?
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