Judge slams cops' rape probe
Published Date:
07 October 2008
By Freelance
A judge has slammed the quality of a police investigation into the alleged rape of a woman in Derry last year.
The scathing criticism follows the unanimous acquittal of a 23 years-old local man at the city’s Crown Court.
For almost two weeks, Gary Paul Hamilton, of Rossnagalliagh Park, was on trial charged with raping a drunk woman in January of last year. Yesterday he was found not guilty by a unanimous verdict.
But Judge Desmond Marrinan criticised the police investigation of the case.
He said it was not good enough that the investigating officer was only half way through her training when she was handed the case and that through no fault of hers the forensic evidence was defective.
He said only senior experienced officers should oversee serious criminal allegations such as rape and he said he wanted this message to go out to senior police commanders.
The full article contains 155 words and appears in Journal Tuesday Derry Edit newspaper.
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Last Updated:
06 October 2008 4:17 PM
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Source:
Journal Tuesday Derry Edit
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Location:
Derry