
DNA expert says samples found on abducted girl are that of accused
Published Tuesday October 14th, 2008

EDMONTON - A DNA expert has testified that genetic material found on a little girl who was abducted and sexually assaulted 13 years ago belongs to the man accused of the crimes.
Neil Lester Johnson, 32, is on trial, charged with kidnapping and sexual assault of a seven-year-old girl in August 1995.
Court has heard that a teen grabbed the girl from her bed during a sleepover and sexually assaulted her several blocks away.
RCMP expert Peter McLaren testified Friday he conducted tests on a total of eleven DNA samples of males that did not match DNA found on the little girl.
A reopening of the case in 2003, along with modern DNA testing and a national DNA databank of offenders, led to Johnson's arrest in 2005.
McLaren said the chances of the DNA belonging to someone other than Johnson are one in 890 billion.
``It's well within a scientific certainty that the DNA was that of Neil Lester Johnson's,'' McLaren testified.
A woman who took in the little girl after she repeatedly rang her door bell also testified Friday.
``I knew something was very wrong,'' Kathleen Byrne told the court.
She says the half-clothed girl was cold, wet and dirty.
``She was remarkably calm, wasn't crying wasn't panicked.''
Byrne added she wrapped the seven-year-old in a quilt and comforted her until police arrived.
Earlier this week, the victim, who is now 20, watched herself on videotape as a seven-year-old giving police clinical details of being abducted and raped by a stranger.
She testified after watching the tapes on Wednesday that she does not remember the attack.
``I remember being scared in the van and going inside and falling asleep and the next thing is him telling me to go behind the shed and then him not being there,'' she said.
The woman also told jurors she recognized herself as the girl in the taped police interviews, but can't recall talking to police.




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