Girl's fingerprint records wiped

Police in Londonderry fingerprinted an 11-year-old girl

Detectives have agreed to destroy DNA swabs and fingerprints taken from an 11-year-old in Londonderry last month.

Police arrived at Sarah-Leigh Millar's home after she was allegedly seen writing graffiti on the city walls.

They agreed to destroy the records after meeting her parents and SDLP leader Mark Durkan, the local MP.

Her father, Patrick, said the police's initial action was a disgrace. He said detectives agreed to destroy the dna swabs, fingerprints and photographs.

Mr Durkan said it was a "common sense and very welcome decision".

"I know that this decision and the actual destruction will relieve them of a lot of anxiety and stress," he said.

"Patrick and Eileen Millar are responsible parents whose child was subjected to an awful ordeal."

Mr Durkan added that they were "right to demand higher standards and a better service from the police, so that other children or young people are not subjected to similar bad treatment and poor practice in the future".

"Sarah-Leigh's case has highlighted an issue of wider concern around the policy of retention of DNA and fingerprint records of children who have committed no crime."

He praised District Commander Richard Russell's "straightforward and sensible response" to destroy the records.

However, he said the Millar family's wider complaint to the Police Ombudsman about Sarah-Leigh's treatment was still in progress.

At the time, her mother said Sarah-Leigh had been left traumatised by the incident.