A speck of blood has led police to eventually charge a Warrnambool offender with causing thousands of dollars damage at the Warrnambool Racing Club eight years ago.
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Detective Senior Constable Richard Hughes, of the Warrnambool police crime investigation unit, said there was a break-in at the racing club off Grafton Road on June 14, 2011.
He said during a rampage 23 windows and ceramic plates were smashed at the club causing thousands of dollars damage.
"During the forensic examination by crime scene officers a speck of blood was located on one of the ceramic plates," he said.
"It was absolutely minute, tiny. The blood speck was found by crime scene officer Senior Constable Brendan Rowbottom and the swab was sent to the lab for analysis."
Detective Senior Constable Hughes said the blood sample was kept in the police database.
"Eight years later it was matched to an offender who had recently had his DNA included in the national database," he said.
"That 23-year-old accused was arrested eight years to the day after the offending at the Warrnambool Racing Club.
"He was interviewed, making full admissions to the burglary and to causing criminal damage."
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The investigator said that because the accused was a child at the time he would soon appear in a children's court.
"He's been charged and bailed to appear in the children's court on June 27," Detective Senior Constable Hughes said.
"It's a unique set of circumstances," he said.
"It just goes to show the value of forensic science. The law is always a chance to catch up with offenders.
"Forensic science is a wonderful investigative tool. It does not matter how long after the offending happened, given the forensic evidence we will prosecute to the full extent of the law when we catch up with offenders," he said.
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