Russell St bomber Craig Minogue to provide a sample of his DNA following abduction, rape charges
Russell St bomber Craig Minogue looked visibly annoyed when in court today, but despite previously refusing to provide DNA samples, the man now accused of two abduction and rape has agreed to police’s request.
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Russell St bomber Craig Minogue has agreed to provide a sample of his DNA to police after being charged with two abductions and rapes from the 1980s — including one the day before the bombing.
Minogue appeared at a brief hearing at the Melbourne Magistrates Court today via videolink from Barwon Prison where he is serving a life sentence over the infamous bombing.
Dressed in a red prison tracksuit Minogue looked visibly annoyed when he was escorted into a small conference room, nine minutes after his scheduled appearance.
He sat with his arms crossed and answered “yep” when asked if he could hear the magistrate and if he had followed proceedings.
Prosecutors have been given until August to finish preparing a brief of evidence before Minogue returns to court in September.
Minogue has previously refused to provide police with a sample of his DNA, with authorities today prepared to apply to magistrate Donna Bakos for an order forcing him to do so.
Such an order, if granted, would also have allowed police to use reasonable force to take a sample of his DNA.
But the court hears Minogue was no longer refusing and would comply with the request.
Me Bakos said under those circumstances she had no power to make an order.
The DNA is understood to be critical to the police case with swabs taken from each of the alleged crime scenes at the time.
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said at the time of his arrest the DNA testing of samples taken at the time of the sexual assault, before DNA testing was commonplace, were key.
“Our forensic scientists were pretty forward thinking then,” Mr Ashton said.
“It was starting to emerge as a science and our officers stored DNA in the hope that one day we would have not only the capacity to do DNA but we would have new and emerging techniques to be able to identity offenders from that DNA.
“They (detectives) have taken a cold case from more than three decades ago, they’ve worked tirelessly on it, and they’ve been able to bring hopefully a process forward where they’ll be able to bring justice for our victims.”
Minogue was charged last month with 38 offences, including abduction by force and aggravated rape.
Peter Reed, who also goes by the name Peter Komiazyk, was charged with the same offences.
Reed was arrested and charged alongside Minogue following the bombing of the Russell St police headquarters but ultimately had his convictions quashed.
The 1986 blast killed Constable Angela Taylor.
Police allege one of the alleged rapes happened the night before the Russell St bombing with the 19-year-old victim inside the headquarters making a statement when the bomb was detonated outside. She was not hurt.
Sources close to the bombing case said it was a coincidence that the alleged rape victim was at police HQ at the time.