Police match robber’s DNA with blood found in a leech

TASMANIA Police have used blood taken from a leech to match DNA eight years after an aggravated robbery.

In what is believed to have been a world first, police found the engorged leech about an hour after the crime.

Peter Alec Cannon, 54, of Lalla Rd, Karoola, north of Launceston, pleaded guilty in court yesterday to an aggravated armed robbery committed on September 28, 2001.

Detective Inspector Mick Johnston said he had never heard of a leech being involved in a crime scene before.

“It is the oddest way of convicting anyone I have ever been involved in,” the 25-year police veteran said.

“I have not been able to find any similar cases anywhere in the world — nothing like this at all.”

Det-Insp Johnston said the leech was the only thing found during a full forensic investigation.

“It was the only evidence we found, and as there was no evidence of any leech bites from the victim or the police present we thought it was a good chance to have come from one of the offenders,” he said.

“We took it from the scene because it didn’t belong there.

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