DNA advances convict acquitted 1986 rapist
A man previously acquitted of rape more than 25 years ago has been found guilty following advances in forensic technology and change in legislation.
A man previously acquitted of rape more than 25 years ago has been found guilty following advances in forensic technology and change in legislation.
A 60-year-old man from Bedfordshire was sentenced at Reading Crown Court to eight years imprisonment for a 1986 rape, following a successful Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) application to quash his previous acquittal for the offence under double jeopardy legislation.
Alexander McGuire pleaded guilty after a re-investigation into the case by Thames Valley Polices Major Crime Review Team (MCRT).
As part of a cold case review, the MCRT re-opened the case in which a 29-year-old woman was attacked in Windsor. At the time, McGuire was found not guilty by a jury on the order of the trial judge.
The forensic evidence secured during the medical examination of the victim at the time of the incident was re-examined using new DNA techniques that were not available during the initial investigation. The review identified a DNA profile which matched McGuires DNA, with a one in a billion chance it was not his.
The new evidence was passed to the CPS and the director of public prosecutions gave his consent for an application to be made to the Court of Appeal for the acquittal to be quashed and a re-trial to be held. McGuire was subsequently arrested in July 2011.
Baljit Ubhey, chief crown prosecutor of Thames and Chiltern Crown Prosecution Service, said: The new and compelling evidence gathered by the police and presented by the CPS was so strong that McGuire recognised that justice had caught up with him and he had little option but to plead guilty. This saved the victim from having to give evidence at a re-trial.
Time has not diminished the effect this incident has had on her life. She has waited 26 long years for todays result.
Detective Constable Alison Brown, from the MCRT, added: This is an excellent example of the close working between Thames Valley Police and the CPS in bringing an offender to justice many years after the offence.