Victoria Police chief Simon Overland orders DNA evidence halt

VICTORIAN police commissioner Simon Overland has ordered his officers to stop giving DNA evidence in court proceedings.

VICTORIAN police commissioner Simon Overland has ordered his officers to stop giving DNA evidence in court proceedings over concerns about discrepancies between the science and interpretation of samples.

At a press conference this afternoon, Mr Overland said he expected the order would affect about six court cases in the magistrates' and county court between now and the end of the year.

He said problems had emerged with the statistical interpretation of the data after new equipment was brought online in September and he hoped the problem would be resolved by the time the courts reopened in mid January.

“The reason I have taken this action has nothing to do whatsoever with the integrity of the DNA. Let me make it clear, I am absolutely confident in the science,” he said. “The issue relates to the actual statistical model used in the interpretation of the evidence.”

Mr Overland said he had brought together a working party, which included international experts, to address the problem between the statistics and the new technology.

He said they were reviewing cases with the Director of Public Prosecutions to see if any would be affected, both those slated in the next few weeks and those that had already been heard.

In a separate development this week, Melbourne man Farah Jama, 22, was freed after 15 months' in jail when his rape conviction was quashed when it was found his DNA sample was contaminated.