Damilola report condemned by his parents
AN official report into forensic failures in the Damilola Taylor investigation was yesterday condemned as “lame in the extreme” by the dead child’s parents.
Richard and Gloria Taylor demanded further action against three unnamed scientists from the Government’s Forensic Science Service (FSS), whom they accused of making “basic mistakes”.
The couple said they were enormously disappointed with the “dreadful errors” exposed in an official report commissioned by the Home Office. The Taylors’ solicitor, Neil O’May, said: “The report describes the catalogue of errors as ‘extremely regrettable’ - a conclusion that the family feel is lame in the extreme.
“The Government should instead now act decisively to overhaul the quality of forensic science used in court.”
Damilola bled to death in the stairwell of a block of flats in Peckham, south London, in 2000 after suffering a single stab wound to his leg, probably from a broken bottle.
Danny and Rickie Preddie, aged 18 and 19, were convicted of Damilola’s manslaughter at a second trial in August last year, the third to be staged over the shocking killing.
The inquiry into the FSS’s mistakes found they was down to “human error.”
Conducted by forensic expert Professor Brian Caddy and top barrister Alan Rawley QC, it said three FSS experts “failed to recover crucial evidence”. Oversights by two staff meant a drop of blood on the heel of a blue Reebok trainer - said to belong to Danny Preddie - was not tested for DNA after a negative initial test.
Experts also failed to find another blood spot on a black sweatshirt.
Home Office minister Joan Ryan said: “I would like to express my sincere apologies to Damilola’s family and acknowledge the further distress this has undoubtedly caused them.”
