Case Study On DNA Genetic Profiling: Robert Paul Hytch

Criminal Evidence I.W. week 12 | DNA Genetic Profiling | The Robert Paul Hytch Case |

Deborah Simones
12/10/2012
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Disputed DNA evidence in another Queensland murder case resulted with Robert Paul Hytch, 29, being freed from prison after he was acquitted of killing missing 16 year old Bowen schoolgirl Rachael Antonio. A previous 1999 Townsville Supreme Court jury had found him guilty for the manslaughter of the missing Bowen teenager and he was jailed for nine years.

DNA evidence used to convict Hytch during his 1999 trial involved a spot of blood found on his sandal which forensic experts claimed was 900,000-1 chance of being from Antonio. It was argued at his appeal that the DNA evidence was so powerful, from an emotional…show more content…
The blood found on Hytch’s sandal could not be aged. The blood could have gotten there anytime and there was no evidence to support the theory that she bled before she died because the body has not been found.

At his second trial Hytch’s defense lawyer, Harvey Walters, argued that the whole case against his client hinged on dodgy scientific evidence. The defense called its own forensic expert who disputed the DNA evidence linking Ms Antonio to a sandal worn by Hytch on the night of her disappearance and the jury subsequently acquitted him.

REFERENCES
Jackson, Andrew R.W., and Julie Jackson. Forensic Science. Harlow, England: Pearson, 2004
Lyle, Douglas. Forensics for Dummies. Hoboken, N.J., Wiley, 2004 WEB SITES
The Innocence Project. http://www.innocenceproject.org (Accessed February 26, 2006
USA Today. “Increasing DNA Exonerations Contradict Predictions.” http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2002-01-18-dna.htm (Accessed February 26, 2006

Source Citation (MLA 7th Edition)
“DNA Evidence and Miscarriages of Justice.” Crime and Punishment: Essential primary Sources. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner Detroit: Gale, 2006. 270-274 Gale Virtual Reference library Web. 10 Dec.