87 lines
3.6 KiB
Plaintext
87 lines
3.6 KiB
Plaintext
|
D.N.A. - Do Not Accept
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
by Graham Henderson
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
The new Criminal (In)Justice Act gives the police powers to take
|
||
|
|
DNA samples. The outcome of this will be a U.K. wide DNA
|
||
|
|
database.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
The police will have powers to trawl through this database in a
|
||
|
|
random search for suspects of crime. Michael Howard, at the Tory
|
||
|
|
Party Conference last year, hailed the introduction of this DNA
|
||
|
|
database saying that it would reduce crime and that anyone that
|
||
|
|
had a DNA sample taken would "from that point on know that they
|
||
|
|
were a marked man".
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Don't be fooled by Tory lies or science, DNA will not be a solve
|
||
|
|
all for crime.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Is Your DNA Sample Unique?
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
The biggest database of DNA to date is that of the F.B.I. in the
|
||
|
|
USA. In this database there were three identical matches of DNA
|
||
|
|
that could not be accounted for as errors or multiple entries
|
||
|
|
from the same person. They were simply removed from the list.
|
||
|
|
Research based on this new database was then published in
|
||
|
|
influential science journals worldwide, stating that no multiple
|
||
|
|
matches of DNA sample existed in the F.B.I. database and so DNA
|
||
|
|
was unique to the individual. However as the F.B.I. files were
|
||
|
|
fiddled with, it is clear that two people can have identical DNA.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Further proof of this came when samples were taken from small
|
||
|
|
numbers of people from two isolated groups of tribal peoples
|
||
|
|
thousands of miles apart. In this small scale study, identical
|
||
|
|
DNA samples were taken from people in these two separate groups.
|
||
|
|
Random matches between individuals do happen. Your DNA is
|
||
|
|
therefore not necessarily unique to you.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Testing of DNA
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
The inventor of the DNA test, Sir Alec Jeffrey, says that the
|
||
|
|
result of DNA testing is "guaranteed foolproof from a good
|
||
|
|
quality sample". DNA is therefore not guaranteed foolproof if
|
||
|
|
the people conducting the tests are not working from a good
|
||
|
|
quality sample.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
The tests are being conducted and copyrighted by private firms
|
||
|
|
such as Cellmark Diagnostics, a subsidiary of I.C.I. In their
|
||
|
|
promotional material they perpetuate the lie that their tests
|
||
|
|
will "identify one human being with absolute certainty from all
|
||
|
|
others". The reality was different when put into practice by the
|
||
|
|
company.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
In a blind testing to see how proficient Cellmark were, they made
|
||
|
|
7 errors from 50 samples. This gave false positives, i.e. a match
|
||
|
|
between two samples where none actually existed. The people
|
||
|
|
running the test them met with Cellmark who were asked to look
|
||
|
|
again at these samples basically giving them an opportunity to
|
||
|
|
rewrite their answers.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Can we trust the firms, nevermind the technology, when conducting
|
||
|
|
real tests which could lead to real criminal convictions?
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
A Real Case
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
After a rape in Largs in 1987, Cellmark were employed to do DNA
|
||
|
|
tests on a suspect. On the strength of the information from the
|
||
|
|
DNA test conducted by them, Brian Kelly was convicted and
|
||
|
|
sentenced to six years in Barlinnie. This was inspite of the mass
|
||
|
|
of other evidence, such as a reliable alibi, to show he was
|
||
|
|
actually innocent. The "foolproof", "scientific" evidence was
|
||
|
|
accepted at face value. Brian Kelly was released in 1993 after
|
||
|
|
serving all of his sentence on the basis of DNA "evidence" alone.
|
||
|
|
There are serious doubts as to whether the tests were conducted
|
||
|
|
properly.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Whether due to laboratory error leading to cross-contamination of
|
||
|
|
samples or human error of judgement, a person has served a six
|
||
|
|
year sentence for a crime he did not commit. In Brian Kelly's
|
||
|
|
words "DNA has wrecked my life totally".
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Do Not Accept
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
We must campaign against DNA sampling. We must fight the lie that
|
||
|
|
DNA is foolproof. Don't be blinded by science. Science does not
|
||
|
|
equal truth.
|
||
|
|
|