22 criminal matches on DNA disc

A disc, holding details of serious crimes abroad, lay unchecked for a year

Twenty two people suspected of crimes abroad could have been identified earlier if prosecutors had checked a DNA data disc sent by Dutch police.

The disc containing 2,159 DNA profiles from crime scenes was sent to the Crown Prosecution Service to check against the UK's DNA database in January 2007.

But checks only started 13 months later - 22 suspects have since been matched to the UK database, MPs were told.

Of those ten have been convicted of UK crimes since the disc was sent.

Home Office minister Meg Hillier said ten people had been convicted of 13 offences including one case of aggravated burglary. Cases remain against another four suspects - including one charged with attempted robbery.

An inquiry into the delay in checking the disc found "significant shortcomings" in the CPS's handling of DNA data for serious crimes abroad.

It said individuals wanted for serious crimes in the Netherlands, including rape and murder, had gone on to commit crimes such as assault and non-payment of fines in the UK.

Police and the Serious Organised Crime Agency had to launch an operation to try to track down some of those individuals.

It said the data was unexpectedly sent to the CPS, not the police, by ordinary business post and was not addressed to a particular department or person.

The correct lawyer received it in April 2007 but then went on a long and unexpected period of absence, returning to work in October, but the disc was not collected until 11 January 2008.

The report blamed individual failings and said they were now facing disciplinary action.

News of the blunder came after it emerged that two discs containing 25 million people's child benefit details, sent to the National Audit Office by HM Revenue and Customs in October 2207, had gone missing.

A year later those discs have still not been found, but an HMRC spokesman said there was "no evidence whatsoever of any fraudulent activity as a result of the loss".