Press Release
Technology catches up with rapist 20 years later
A rapist who had evaded police for two decades is finally facing the prospect of a lengthy prison sentence after a pioneering forensic technique enabled police to track down and prosecute the offender.
The crime, which occurred in 1986 when Russell Bradbury attacked and raped a 22-year-old woman in Newcastle, failed to identify an offender at the time despite an extensive investigation.
Jane’s Police Review reports that almost two decades on, Northumbria Police set up Operation Phoenix to look at undetected rape and serious sex assaults using ‘familial searching’ – a technique which attempts to match DNA from the crime scene to potential relatives already on the database.
Catriona Marchant, Editor of Jane’s Police Review, says as a result the enquiry produced a list of potential family members of the offender and after extensive enquires police were led to Bradbury who was living in Wythenshawe, Manchester at the time.
“The case is significant not only because it is one of the first times that 'familial searching' has been used to match crime scene evidence to a suspect via their relatives, but also because the police officers responsible for Bradbury’s conviction were probably still in school when this crime was committed,” says Marchant.
Kevin Mathieson, assistant chief constable of Northumbria Police, told Jane’s Police Review “Once again we’ve demonstrated the passing of time need not be a barrier to finding offenders. This was a horrific assault on a young woman who has spent the last 20 years with the knowledge that her attacker was still free.”
“It is extremely satisfying to know that a rapist has been taken off the streets because of our commitment to using pioneering technology in detecting unsolved crimes and the excellent work of our partners in the Forensic Science Service,” added Mathieson.
Jane’s Police Review reports that Operation Phoenix has so far resulted in 19 convictions of 13 offenders for crimes dating back to 1977 and is now part of the major crime review section of the force’s crime department where police carry out regular reviews of a range of serious crimes, including murder, rape and robbery.
On 18 September, Bradbury, 50, pleaded guilty to the offence at Newcastle Crown Court and is scheduled to be sentenced on Wednesday next week (22 November). (ENDS)
Editor’s notes: To speak to Catriona Marchant, Editor of Jane’s Police Review, or for a full copy of the article as it will appear in this week’s edition, please contact Leah Turner, Press and PR Officer, on 0208 700 3922 or 0772 582 3631 or leah.turner@janes.com
About Jane’s Police Review: Jane’s Police Review combines the best independent coverage of national and local issues with expert comment, analysis and interviews. Regular features include exclusive national and local police news, independent comment, regular updates on new legislation, review of case law, study-guides for promotion examinations, themed issues such as focussing on diversity or pre-retirement, and careers section with the latest vacancies.