Police handling of DNA evidence to be scrutinised in Queensland inquiry into forensic lab
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Version 0 of 1. Commission will investigate concerns the state lab failed to test crucial evidence in sexual assault cases dating back to 2018 Queensland police will come under the scrutiny of a royal commission into concerns about the state forensic lab that have led to multiple sexual assault cases being reopened. The formal commission of inquiry will investigate concerns the lab failed to test crucial DNA evidence in cases stretching back to 2018. Police have already started reviewing evidence in about 50 sexual assault cases. Queensland’s premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, said the inquiry will look at police practices involving DNA evidence as well. “Serious issues have been raised,” Palaszczuk said in a statement on Friday. “The people of this state must have confidence in the reliability of results from the lab.” The inquiry will determine if DNA collection, testing and analysis has been reliable, in line with best practice and whether it resulted in accurate reporting of results. If and when it is found that hasn’t happened, the inquiry will report the reasons. Walter Sofronoff, a former court of appeal president, has been appointed to lead the inquiry. “He will leave no stone unturned,” Palaszczuk said. Potential issues with the lab first came to light as a result of the Australian’s podcast series about the investigation into the death of Shandee Blackburn. The 23-year-old was stabbed more than 20 times on her way home from work in Mackay in February 2013. The coronial inquiry was reopened in February to consider “recent issues raised regarding the forensic evidence and testing of evidence in this case”. A report in the Australian last week said almost 600 crime scene samples were not tested by the lab in 2021 due to being judged to have “insufficient DNA for further processing”. Police asked for 47 of these samples to be tested anyway, and 31 returned usable DNA profiles, the newspaper reported. Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Queensland’s opposition leader, David Crisafulli, welcomed the commission of inquiry on Monday. “This is a win for victims, it’s a win for the police, it’s a win for the whistleblowers,” Crisafulli said. “It’s a win for every Queenslander who deserves a justice system that can provide them a level of service. And that’s what we have today.” Sofronoff is due to hand down his final report on 13 December, and has been given the power to release an interim report at his discretion. |