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DNA Fingerprinting - The Capture Of A Murderer

© Elizabeth Batt

In 1984, Professor Alec Jeffreys of Leicester University invented a technique that seemed to turn the tables against any person with a desire to commit murder. Criminal forensic procedures took a huge step forward with the introduction of DNA Fingerprinting - a unique weapon they could to use in their fight against crime. With the ability to record DNA segments (bar-codes unique to every individual) , DNA fingerprinting enabled the hunter to become the hunted.

But when was DNA first implemented and what initiated it's first introduction to the crime scene? Who was the first criminal to be betrayed by his own blood? The criminal and the case both herald from within Leicestershire's borders.

Narborough is a small quiet town situated not far from the city of Leicester. It has always been considered a moderately safe area to live and actually accommodates the headquarters of the Leicestershire Police Constabulary, a perfect deterrent to crime - until one day in 1983.

On the 22nd November, a local girl was found murdered just a few miles from her home. Lynda Mann, just fifteen years old, was discovered along a shady footpath, savagely raped and strangled. The murder rocked the town of Narborough and although a huge 150-man dragnet was launched, it remained unclear as to who had committed the crime. The police failed to unearth any leads except for the killer leaving behind a tiny piece of evidence - a minute sample of semen. The case was to go unsolved for four years.

On July 31 1987, a body of yet another girl was discovered. Like Lynda, Dawn Ashforth, also 15 years old, had been brutally raped and strangled. The similarity between the two cases was too evident to ignore and the police realised they were looking for the same man.

A massive manhunt began in an effort to locate the murderer, but it appeared that none of the people investigated could possibly be suspects. However, the police received a break when they were tipped off about a possible suspect. Richard John Buckland, a 17 year old dishwasher was apprehended and taken into police custody. He was subjected to a lengthy interview, where he initially denied any association with the crimes. After extensive questioning however, and with a testimony that was muddled and often contradictory, he admitted to the murder of Dawn, but refused to admit to Linda's murder.

The police knew that one person was responsible for both murders and it was at this point that they had an inspiration. One of the policemen had read an article about a new forensic technique called DNA Fingerprinting. It had never been used to solve a crime, but it just might prove Buckland's guilt.

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