Serial sex offender jailed thanks to advances in DNA

A prolific sex offender, who preyed on teenage girls during the late 1980s and 1990s, is now behind bars thanks to advances in DNA and original evidence retained by the Forensic Science Service (FSS).

Anthony DeBoise was, this week, sentenced to 13 years in prison for a string of sexual assaults on young girls between 1989 and 1996. He was identified by scientists at the FSS when a DNA profile, obtained from one of the crime scenes produced a hit on the National DNA Database with DeBoise’s profile.

DeBoise sexually assaulted six girls, aged between 13 and 16 years old in the Claygate, Esher, Purley and Old Coulsdon areas over a seven year period.

Each assault was investigated at the time and numerous further investigations were carried out, along with high profile public appeals for information, but the attacker was never identified.

One of the cases was reviewed as a possible linked offence to another case. It wasn’t a link, but it had given a match on the National DNA Database to DeBoise, who had been arrested but not charged for a minor offence for which he had his DNA profile loaded to the Database.

Carefully retained evidence from the original cases made it possible for scientists to look back through all the materials and upgrade existing profiles to SGM plus, the DNA profiling technique now used, which is compatible with the National DNA database.

This information was passed on to the police for further investigation and resulted in a guilty plea from DeBoise.

Sarah Mustoe, an intelligence officer who dealt with the case said: “The partnership between the FSS and the Metropolitan Police Cold Case Review Team is well established. It is encouraging that the FSS’s policy of retaining exhibits and files, coupled with the rapid advances of DNA profiling, have eventually identified and played a major part in convicting a sex offender, who no doubt believed he had got away with his crimes.”