10,000 forensic tests 'may have been manipulated'

joyce1938 wrote:I read that the aprtement was sold to this lady a few years ago ,seems we have just heard about it .   As an aside ,has anyone read mail last week that had an article about the RSA forensics  have been in trouble ,for the techies playing around with DN,,and the dna said one thing ,posative samples .  Problems is that they feel a lot of people could be in prison  because of this false readings .There were 3 places one Manchester,London and cant recall the 3rd name . Well what if and I don't know how long this had been going on ,but when mr amaral said at first they heard over phone I think That dna was positive for maddie ,then it changed when the notice came back ,and said not sure etc etc . or worse .Its just so hard to realize such people with responsible work ,would play about for sake of their Ego . joyce1938

Is this the one - Randox Testing Services

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4238578/Courts-face-crisis-500-fixed-forensic-tests.html

This company has got in on the act quickly!

It is horrifying though if there is any truth in this.

http://www.drinkdrivingsolicitor.co.uk/appeal-randox-drug-driving-conviction/?gclid=Cj0KEQiA88TFBRDYrOPKuvfY2pIBEiQA97Z8Ma5pB0CivQtPcDi9o0MOwpsV15AucmIUgY0jTsLdIhsaAhx38P8HAQ

Horrifying and strange timing also.....considering who is in the news! It is of course nothing to do with the technique....it is two criminals who have doctored the results..  i take it they didnt work for FSS......it is no different to finding two policeman were planting evidence.

That might be right ,but I think the number was 700,so maybe another ,yes it was in Mail I read it too. joyce1938.

Just now on Sky News...


10,000 forensic tests 'may have been manipulated'

13:03, UK, Tuesday 21 November 2017




By Martin Brunt, Crime Correspondent

Rogue laboratory staff may have tampered with forensic evidence in more than 10,000 cases, including murder and sex crimes.


Retests of samples have already led to cases being dropped and others referred to the Appeal Court.

Two lab staff have been arrested and five others questioned as part of a criminal investigation that's been running since February.
The alleged tampering involved the manipulation of data from blood samples by staff at Randox Testing Services in Manchester.
Three-quarters of the cases potentially affected are traffic offences, such as drug-driving, though the rest include homicide and sex crimes.
Retests have already led to 50 traffic cases being stopped ahead of trials and two already completed have been referred to the Appeal Court, said the National Police Chiefs Council.


In some of those cases there was no sample available for retesting, or the quality or quantity of the sample was too small.
So far, retesting in the most serious cases has found no evidence of tampering, said the NPCC's James Vaughan.
He said 70% of the planned retesting - involving all but one of Britain's police forces - had been completed and the rest would be done by summer next year.
Randox Testing Services said it had alerted police to the alleged tampering and was supporting the investigation by Greater Manchester Police.

The company said it was funding the costs of retesting.

A spokesperson said: "We will do all that we can to ensure this situation is resolved and deeply regret the distress that has been caused.
"We are now well-advanced in developing a fool-proof testing system which would enhance the security of our operations in the future, to provide the necessary level of confidence."

Potential tampering is being investigated at a second company, Trimega Laboratories, where the two arrested suspects also worked.
Trimega deals with child protection and family court cases.

Gillian Tully, of the Forensic Services Regulator, said all major forensic toxicology suppliers had been asked to carry out a detailed audit of a sample of their cases to ensure the issue was not more widespread.
The audits uncovered no such data manipulation.

She said: "If there was large-scale manipulation going on across the board I do expect it would have been found during that audit".


https://news.sky.com/story/10000-forensic-tests-may-have-been-manipulated-11137005

Just goes to show that you shouldn't be blinded by official scientific reports.

I've merged a few posts from another topic when this was first in the news.