Killers and rapists could go free after drug test tampering
SCORES of criminals including murderers and rapists could walk free after thousands of drug test results were allegedly manipulated by two rogue scientists.
In a dramatic escalation of the scandal which first emerged earlier this year, police said the alert covered more than 6,000 forensic samples analysed at a leading laboratory.
The blood, saliva and hair samples under suspicion were from between 2014 and 2017. But detectives are now looking at whether the lab workers manipulated toxicology tests for as long as a decade.
The pair are suspected of meddling with drug test results that were vital in criminal cases – meaning thousands of convictions across the country are potentially unsafe.
While most samples are now being retested, around 600 – one in ten – cannot be as they have already been destroyed.
The scandal means hundreds of dangerous criminals, locked up for offences such as murder, rape and assault – as well as motorists high on drugs – may be able to get their convictions overturned on the basis that tests used to help convict them were unreliable.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council previously announced that it was only looking into 484 cases handled by the forensics, firm, Randox Testing Services. The independent provider analyses blood, saliva and hair samples for every police force in Britain.
But the true scale of the problem emerged yesterday, as Deputy Chief Constable James Vaughan, of the NPCC, said more than 6,000 samples were now under investi- gation. He predicted that ‘scores’ of convictions would be referred to the Court of Appeal.
It also emerged some live prosecutions – including a recent mur- der case – have already been put on hold for toxicology retests.
The crisis first emerged in January, when the testing firm alerted police to concerns over ‘data integrity’ in a drug- driving case. Officers launched an investigation and arrested a supervisor and an analyst, aged 47 and 31, working in a Manchester RTS lab on suspicion of perverting the course of justice. The unnamed men were sacked and are currently on bail.
Detectives believe the workers had been falsifying quality control data since 2014. These samples are crucial to drug testing, as they allow technicians to evaluate the accuracy of the machines which analyse blood, hair and saliva. But the alleged tampering may really stretch back a decade, as the suspects had worked for other forensics providers at the same lab.
Police do not know why data was allegedly manipulated, but they believe the scandal could affect both criminal and civil cases.
Parents who have had children taken away or been turned down for adoption as a result of drug tests may now be able to appeal. The scandal could also spark a flood of compensation claims.
Deputy Chief Constable Vaughan said: ‘It’s likely that we will see convictions overturned ... It is deeply worrying because the integrity of forensic testing is sacrosanct in the criminal justice system.
‘The vast majority of these cases involve drug- driving, but there are likely to be more serious cases affected, including murder and rape. We are prioritising the most serious and pressing cases but all cases where there could have been an impact on prosecution will be assessed, retested and appropriate action taken.’
RTS has voluntarily suspended all drug toxicology tests. Dr Mark Piper, the firm’s head of toxicology, said: ‘We regret the concerns that these developments will inevitably cause. We are taking all possible responsible actions to allay them.’