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Biological AnalysisIn Cork in March 2022 CCTV showed a male trying to gain entry to numerous houses. He entered one house and a female occupant woke to find him in bed with her. She said he kissed her and was unsure whether further sexual contact occurred while she was asleep. The female went to a sexual assault treatment unit and intimate swabs were taken. Semen was found on the swabs and a DNA profile was generated which matched the DNA reference profile of the male. This case went to court and the FSI case scientist gave evidence. The defendant was found guilty and sentenced to 9 years in prison.
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In 2003 a burglary was committed in Co. Wexford. While it remained unknown on the National DNA Database System, upon sharing with other European countries through the Prüm Treaty, it matched to a person on the German DNA Database. Additionally it matched to a person on the Austrian Database, and it matched to other crimestains on the Dutch and French Databases. This is an example of the effective power of Database sharing across Europe, which can track international movement of repeat offenders.
On a separate occasion, the National DNA Database linked a cluster of crimestains from 5 burglaries which occurred at the end of 2022. These cases were subsequently solved by a match to a person on the UK Database.
The body of pensioner, Ann Butler was discovered in a mutilated state five days after she had been beaten, stabbed and had her throat slit, while a large piece of cardboard was also found in the back of her mouth. The body was identified by DNA profiling using a sample donated by the putative daughter of the deceased.
The suspect Trevor Rowe, identified himself to An Garda Síochána through trace back of three anonymous 999 calls. Although Trevor Rowe made some admissions that he had killed a woman at an address in Kilkenny, he refused to say why. By his own admission it was a brutal attack. A DNA profile matching Trevor Rowe’s was recovered from a drinking vessel at the home of the pensioner along with a wooden cross.
Following a technical examination of the home of Trevor Rowe, a pair of bloodstained gloves and a Jesus statue were recovered. The DNA profile from the bloodstaining matched that of Ann Butler’s.
The Jesus figure from Trevor Rowe’s residence and the wooden cross from Ann Butler’s residence were examined to determine if they were originally from the same Crucifix unit. Staining on the Jesus figure and wooden cross was examined and it matched with regard to colour, appearance, microscopic characteristics and chemical composition. Holes on the wooden cross aligned with holes in the Jesus figure, and this finding, in addition to the correlating locations of the matching staining on both, provided extremely strong support that the wooden cross and Jesus figure were originally from the same crucifix unit rather than not.
A jury took just one hour and 19 minutes to unanimously reject a defence of intoxication put forward by Trevor Rowe, who said that the amount of drink and drugs consumed by him that day had prevented him from forming an intent to kill or cause serious injury to Ms Butler. Trevor Rowe was found guilty of the murder of Ann Butler in her own home.
Hit 1:
In November 2011, a woman was walking home after a night out through a park and two men approached her. One of the men had sex with her without her consent. Semen was found following her medical examination. At the time of the investigation four men were nominated suspects but all were excluded by DNA. No matches were obtained on the National DNA Database. However in June 2022, when the Unknown profile was shared through the Prüm Council agreement, a match was obtained with UK and communicated to Garda Interpol.
Hit 2:
A cluster of crimes were solved using the investigative tools of the DNA Database. This involved five cases that occurred in Spring 2021 – one burglary and 4 criminal damage cases. Four of the incidents occurred on the one night, and the fifth had happened two weeks previously in the same area of Dublin. These cases had been linked through DNA as stain to stain matches but in the Summer of 2022 a DNA reference sample was submitted for a suspected offender for inclusion on the National DNA Database, and it matched all five cases.
As part of Garda Operation Thor which targets organised crime gangs involved in burglaries, exhibits were submitted to the laboratory following a burglary carried out at an industrial premises in Tralee.
A hole had been drilled through the wall of the premises causing thousands of euro worth of damage and a safe containing €30,000 euro was removed from the wall and stolen. Items including a torch, a chisel, a drill bit and a packet of cigarette papers were submitted to the laboratory for DNA analysis.
Matching DNA profiles were obtained from the torch and cigarette papers and this DNA profile matched the DNA reference sample from one of the suspects. DNA elements matching this suspect were also obtained from the chisel. In March 2022, a jury at the Circuit Court, Limerick, heard expert witness testimony from the FSI scientist in this case.
A seventeen year old female got into a car with five males unknown to her to get a lift home. She said that all of the males had non-consensual vaginal sex with her. She also said that non- consensual oral sex and digital penetration occurred. Five males were nominated as suspects in this case and each said they had engaged in various sexual acts with the female. Each male said that the sexual contact was consensual.
The purpose of FSI’s work was to examine the female’s sexual offences examination kit and clothing for the presence of semen, and carry out DNA profiling. Underwear from four of the males and jeans from the fifth male were examined for semen other than their own, that may have been transferred during the alleged incident. Car seat covers from the car in which the incident occurred were examined for semen.
Semen was found on the female’s genital swabs, panties and skirt. DNA profiling was carried out on the swabs and full male DNA profiles matching each other and matching the reference DNA profile of male 1 was obtained from the semen on the swabs, panties and skirt.
A trace of semen was found on the female’s top. DNA profiling was carried out and a mixed DNA profile (DNA from more than 1 person) was obtained. There was a major male contribution that matched male 3’s reference DNA profile.
Semen was found on the inside front of male 2’s underpants. DNA profiling was carried out on the semen. A mixed DNA profile (DNA from more than 1 person) was obtained from the semen stained area on the inside front. There was a major contribution and a minor contribution to this mixture. The major contribution matched male 2’s own reference DNA profile. The minor profile matched the reference DNA profile of male 1, which was also obtained from the semen on the female’s internal vaginal swabs.
Semen was found on the front passenger seat and the rear passenger seat of the car. DNA profiling was carried out and a full male DNA profile matching male 1’s reference DNA profile was obtained from both areas.
This case went to trial in March 2022 and 4 of the men pled not guilty to charges of rape and sexual assault. They maintained that any sexual contact was consensual. The fifth male pled guilty to rape. The forensic scientist in the case presented their evidence during the trial. In April 2022 all 5 of the men were found guilty of a range of sexual assaults and rape, and in June 2022 were sentenced to a total of 66 years in prison.
Santina Cawley, a two-year old child, was found in an apartment at Boreenmanna Road, Cork on the 5th of
July 2019, with multiple injuries to her body and head. She received medical assistance at the scene and was
transferred to hospital where she later died. Karen Harrington was accused of carrying out the fatal assault.
Scientists from the DNA and Biological Analysis section of FSI carried out Bloodstain Pattern Analysis at the
scene and laboratory based forensic examinations on items including clothing and clumps of hair recovered at the
scene. Bloodstaining was identified on a pair of adult leggings, from Ms Harrington’s bedroom, with DNA profiles
matching those of Santina Cawley and Karen Harrington. A DNA profile, matching that of Santina Cawley, was
obtained from clumps of hair found at the scene. These clumps had features characteristic of forceful removal.
In May 2022, a jury at the Central Criminal Court, sitting in Cork, heard expert witness testimony from two FSI
Scientists in this case. Karen Harrington was subsequently convicted of the murder of Santina Cawley
On the 15th of December 2018, a scientist attended the scene of the murder of John Lowe in a house in
Portlaw, Co. Waterford to assist with Bloodstain Pattern Analysis (BPA) and in the selection of samples for
subsequent examination and DNA analysis in the Laboratory.
Mr. Lowe had received multiple blows to the head and died from his injuries. During the scene examination,
significant bloodstain patterns were observed and their source subsequently identified by DNA profiling. This
allowed the scientist to provide an expert opinion as to the activities that occurred in the house to create these
bloodstain patterns.
Items of clothing taken from the Person of Interest, Stephen Keane, in the case were also examined and blood
found was identified by DNA profiling.
In May 2021, the forensic scientist gave evidence in the trial of Stephen Keane at the Central Criminal Court in
Waterford. Stephen Kean was found guilty of Murder.
Kevin Lunney was abducted from his home in Co. Fermanagh. He was falsely imprisoned, assaulted and then
released in Co. Cavan.
A Scientist attended a scene at Drumbrade in Co. Cavan to conduct a forensic examination. Following an
examination of a horse box at the scene, blood matching Kevin Lunney was found.
A Renault Kangoo van found at a different location, was also examined and blood was found in the interior of
the van which matched Mr. Lunney.
These significant findings allowed the investigators to link the van and horse box to the assault of Kevin Lunney.
Items were also seized from a number of properties in Cavan and Dublin 3 for examination and DNA profiling.
In June 2021, Darren Redmond, Alan O’Brien, Alan Harte and Luke O’Reilly went on trial at the Special Criminal
Court in relation to this case. Two Forensic Scientists gave evidence during the trial.
Darren Redmond, Alan O’Brien and Alan Harte were found guilty of falsely imprisoning and intentionally
causing serious harm to Mr. Lunney at Drumbrade, Co. Cavan.
Luke O’Reilly was found not guilty in connection with the kidnap and assault of Kevin Lunney.
Drug concealments are not a new phenomenon in the drug trafficking world. There are standard concealments that Forensic Science Ireland (FSI) encounter on a regular basis, the most common of these is called ‘body packing’, which is the internal concealment of illegal substances inside the alimentary tract. We have also previously seen concealments within common household items, tools, toiletries and even embedded into clothing. As law enforcement become better at gathering intelligence and detecting drug smuggling activities, so too do methods in which to conceal drugs. In 2021, FSI saw an array of methods of drug concealment that were more inventive and sophisticated in nature than previously seen.
For example, in October 2021, 2.6 kilograms of methamphetamine powder was detected which had been found embedded within ten plastic sheeting panels. Also in October, 5.2 kilograms of MDMA powder was detected, which had been hidden under an internal plastic layer of two tool boxes. In August 2021, Revenue Officers
at Rosslare Europort seized approximately 88 kilograms of a product which was discovered concealed in machinery being carried on a low-loader, using X-ray scanners and detector dogs. The product which was in 88 packages was submitted to FSI for analysis and later confirmed as being powder containing diamorphine with an estimated street value of €12.3 million.
The most sophisticated concealment by far in 2021 was the high profile shipment of coal that arrived in to Dublin port in July. This was a concealment that was more complex in nature than anything witnessed before. The shipment comprised of two containers which held over 1000 bags of coal in total. Within these bags the cocaine was not visible to the naked eye, or simply encased in a shell of charcoal, but incorporated into a chemical matrix of charcoal. This cocaine/charcoal mixture was previously prepared by drug traffickers by
a lengthy chemical process and moulded into shapes that would make it visually impossible to distinguish from the unaltered product. This masked cocaine cannot be detected using the standard field tests employed by customs officials. However, on this occasion X-Ray scanning was successfully used as an indicative result for the presence of cocaine, samples of which were then sent to FSI for confirmatory analysis. FSI did not have to deviate from the standard operating procedures that are in place for the qualitative analysis of this seizure. Remarkably, cocaine was easily detectable using standard sample prep methodologies and the routine accredited GCMS methods that are used in FSI for analysing drugs in seized materials.
It is clear from our own reports that concealments have become more complex in nature. According to Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reporting, at least three different masking methods are known to drug trafficking organisations throughout Columbia, including concealments in plastic, coffee grounds and ink cartridges. Therefore more seizures of this nature can be expected in the future for the drug section in FSI.