According to the Mail on Sunday, one history enthusiast has cracked the Jack the Ripper case, concluding through DNA testing that “Jack” was actually a Polish hairdresser called Aaron Kosminski.
The key piece of evidence? A shawl soaked in 126 year old blood. Businessman Russell Edwards bought the shawl that was found with the Ripper’s fourth victim, Catherine Eddowes in 2007. He enlisted the help of Dr Jari Louhelainen, a molecular biology lecturer based in Liverpool to extract and analyse DNA samples.
The pair are quite convinced that this proves Kosminski was Jack the Ripper and that the case is now closed.
But even in modern crime cases DNA testing is not necessarily the gold standard we think it is. Here’s why:
1) DNA tests are subject to human interpretation and error
Three years ago a man living in the North of England had a DNA test that told him he was not the father of his child. He walked out on the child only to later discover that scientists had “misinterpreted” the results and he was indeed the father.
Prof Allan Jamieson, who works in forensics, told the Telegraph: “Wherever you have humans involved, you’ll have the potential for mistakes. There’s a growing realisation that the system is not foolproof.
“Does anyone realise how easy it is to leave a couple of cells of your DNA somewhere? You could shake my hand and I could put that hand down hundreds of miles away and leave your cells behind. In many cases, the question is not’‘Is it my DNA?’, but ‘How did it get there?’”
A small mistake in the lab can ruin lives.
2) DNA breaks down in less-than-perfect conditions
If it is subject to light, rain, heat or oxygen, DNA will not be useful or reliable for testing. Although we know that Russell Edwards bought the shawl we do not know how it was kept or what was done to prevent atmospheric damage to the shawl and any DNA on it for the 100 years since the crime.
3) DNA can become easily contaminated
Contaminated and unreliable DNA was a key issue in the trial over Meredith Kercher’s death. Forensic police entered the crime scene “while not wearing protective masks or hair caps”. The integrity of the DNA is vital.
In this particular case, we really don’t know how much the shawl has been handled over the years and how much contamination is likely to have taken place.
There is, however, a photo of Russell Edwards handling the shawl with his bare hands which would clearly contaminate any samples on the shawl.
4) DNA samples from FRESH tests are usually incomplete and mixed, let alone centuries-old samples
The Council for Responsible Genetics says that DNA evidence from crime scenes is usually subject to degradation over time and usually in limited quantities.
It also says: “It can be difficult to tell which alleles are associated with which contributor in a mixed sample, there often are many different profiles (not just one) that could be consistent with a mixed sample.”
Let’s wait for the independent review
There are more unanswered questions than those that were answered by the Mail’s exclusive piece. Why did the policeman take the shawl home? Why did the family keep it – and not wash it?
Is it possible that, given Kosminski was a notorious “self-abuser”, that he and Eddowes never met but the shawl was stained and then somehow passed between them?
Is it also possible, given that Eddowes was a prostitute, that Kosminski and her could have had intercourse on that night, leading to the traces of semen on the shawl?
One thing that’s mystified a lot of people is – why, when the story is of such historical interest, would you publish scientific results in a national newspaper and not a peer-reviewed scientific journal?
We’ll wait for the independent review, thanks.
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