Friday, February 07, 2014

Alleged jewel thief's kiss for victim leads to DNA fingerprint - and arrest


Alleged jewel thief's kiss for victim leads to DNA fingerprint - and arrest

French police hold man after taking swab from pecked cheek of gagged Paris store owner, then finding DNA database match...

An alleged jewel thief who sealed his crime with a kiss was caught after police analysed the DNA on his victim's cheek. Forensic scientists at the scene swabbed the woman's cheek to isolate the genetic profile.

The robber and an accomplice were said to have tied up, gagged and threatened the owner of a Paris jewellery store after following her home. They poured what they claimed was petrol over her head and told her they would set it alight if she did not give them the codes for the shop alarm.

When one of the robbers returned from clearing out the shop of jewels the pair released the woman, 56, who had been tied to a chair for four hours. It was then that the 20-year-old thief made his mistake. "The crook gave the victim a kiss on the cheek, in what was apparently a sign of compassion after the ordeal he had put her through," a police source told Le Parisien newspaper. "As soon as she was free the victim alerted the police.

"We hoped we could isolate the genetic fingerprint of her assailant. And indeed his DNA was identified and found to be on the national genetic print database."

A few months later detectives discovered the DNA matched a man who was being held by the authorities near Nîmes, southern France, on suspicion of other crimes.

During questioning the man admitted kissing his victim to "make up for the trauma". He has been remanded in custody while detectives trace his accomplice.

No comments:

Post a Comment