New DNA testing at centre of Omagh suspect’s trial
A new form of DNA testing is under scrutiny during the Belfast trial of a man accused of the Omagh bombing.
Sean Hoey (aged 37), an electrician from South Armagh, faces 58 explosives and murder charges.
At issue is what's called Low Copy Number DNA.
It's used when there are no body fluids or cells to examine but only invisible smears or residues of human contact.
The prosecution seeks to use low copy number DNA to link Sean Hoey with explosives and devices in a series of bombings leading up to the 1998 Omagh bombing that killed 28 people and two unborn twin girls.
This afternoon the defence argued that the new test is unreliable and that the results change each time the samples are tested.
One of the new tests originators Jonathan Whitaker insists it is as reliable as old-style DNA testing.
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