DNA Captures Rapist 24 Years On

DNA has proven to be the most effective weapon ever devised in the fight against crime.  Many think that after years of no arrest, they are home and free, but what can bring the past back to convict an offender, is the DNA of an immediate family member.  Vicious rapist Barry Howell attacked a woman in  November 1989, and for years thought he was in the clear.  It was in 2004 that a DNA profile was generated from samples taken by Police, but there was no match on the building database.  Fast forward to 2012, and the son of Howell was arrested, giving a routine swab.  The database yielded a famile profile, meaning that the swab from the son was a close match to the profile of the rapist.  The rapist was an immediate family member.  A sample from Barry Howell was a positive match for the DNA of the rapist.  He was convicted and sentenced to nine years prison.  Another rapist was recently convicted through famile DNA.  Escape is getting less and less through science.