Detectives arrest a 77-year-old man for three alleged sexual assaults, including a Kanahooka case dating back 30 years. Photo: NSW Police.
NSW Police have used advanced DNA technology to charge a 77-year-old man over the alleged sexual assault of a Kanahooka teenager 30 years ago.
In a first for NSW, Sex Crimes Squad detectives have used Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy to arrest the man in connection with multiple alleged historic sexual assaults in the Illawarra, Sydney and Dubbo.
Sex Crimes Squad Commander Detective Superintendent Jayne Doherty hailed the arrest as a significant NSW-first milestone.
“No matter how much time has passed, our detectives continue to pursue every available avenue to identify those responsible for sexual assaults like this. Their commitment to victims does not diminish with the years,” she said.
According to a NSW Police spokesperson, a 16-year-old girl accepted a lift from an unknown man in Kanahooka about 1 am on Saturday, 17 February 1996.
After driving for some time, he stopped the vehicle and allegedly sexually assaulted her before dropping her in Warrawong, the spokesperson said.
The South Kempsey man has also been charged in connection with two other alleged assaults. In March 1991, an 11-year-old girl was approached by a man in the western Sydney suburb of Glendenning, who ushered her into his car after offering her a lift. He allegedly drove her around before stopping the vehicle and sexually assaulting her, later dropping her at Mt Druitt Railway Station.
In the early hours of Sunday 22 December 2002, a 26-year-old woman accepted a lift from an unknown man near the Commercial Hotel in Dubbo. He allegedly sexually assaulted her after a short drive.
All three incidents were reported to police and DNA samples were obtained. However, they remained unsolved.
In 2022, State Crime Command’s Sex Crimes Squad started a review of several historic sexual assault matters to assess their suitability for emerging forensic technologies.
The three alleged sexual assaults were included in the review and subsequent DNA analysis confirmed they were linked by the same male DNA profile.
Detectives established Strike Force Koolyn and engaged the Forensic Evidence & Technical Services Command to explore the use of Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG).
The police spokesperson said FIGG was an emerging investigative tool that combined advanced DNA analysis with traditional genealogy to help identify suspects through commercial DNA databases.
Unlike standard forensic DNA profiling, which examines 21 markers, FIGG analyses hundreds of thousands of genetic markers, enabling investigators to identify extended familial relationships, sometimes as distant as third or fourth cousins.
Under a strict governance framework, these genetic markers are compared against two public genealogy databases – GEDmatch PRO and FamilyTreeDNA – which permit law-enforcement access to consenting profiles for use in solving serious and violent crimes.
In this case, the unknown male DNA profile was uploaded to the databases, allowing detectives to identify a close relative and through further investigation, determine a suspect.
The technique gained widespread public recognition after it was used by international law enforcement agencies to apprehend the Golden State Killer in California.
On Wednesday (11 February), strike force detectives executed a search warrant in South Kempsey, where they arrested a 77-year-old man.
He was taken to Kempsey Police Station, where he was charged with five counts of sexual intercourse without consent, two counts of sexual intercourse with person 10 or over and under 16 years, two counts of sexual assault (Cat 3) – person under 16 years of age, two counts of detain for advantage without causing injury to victim, take/detain person with intent to obtain advantage, attempt choke/strangle etc with intent commit indict offence and commit act of indecency with person 16 years or over.
The man was refused bail to appear in Bail Division Local Court on Thursday (12 February).
Det Supt Doherty praised the work of detectives in using this technology to seek justice for victims.
“In this investigation, advanced DNA technology played a crucial role in leading us to this arrest and we want to remind the community of the important part they can play in similar cases,” she said.
“By opting ‘in’ on genealogy websites and permitting law enforcement to compare your DNA profile, members of the public can directly assist in solving serious crimes.
“Any DNA accessed through these databases is used solely to help solve the most serious victim-based offences being homicides and sexual assaults or to identify human remains.
“I am incredibly proud of the dedication and expertise shown by our detectives and by the Forensic Evidence and Technical Services Command in achieving this result.
“Their determination, innovation, and unwavering focus on victims have led to this significant NSW-first milestone and it reflects the very best of what our investigators strive to achieve.”
Original Article published by Jen White on Region Illawarra.
