Welsh police use DNA test to prove man stole £3k cow

The stolen cow was reunited with its owner after police used DNA evidence
Dyfed-Powys Police
Ted Hennessey5 February 2020

A police force in Wales has become the first in the UK to solve a crime using DNA from a cow.

Dyfed-Powys police say they employed DNA profiling to reunite a £3,000 heifer with its owner.

Blood samples were taken from the cow and compared against the the victim's heard, proving a familial link.

Swansea crown court heard the animal went missing from a farm in St Clears, near Carmarthen in December 2017, but was later discovered in a neighbouring field belonging to David Owens, 51.

The complainant, who has not been named, told officers the cow was his, but PC Gareth Jones was handed what Owens claimed was the cow’s identification document.

DNA tests proved the cow in question was related to the victim's heard, and it was returned to its original farm.

Owens pleaded guilty to theft and was sentenced to pay a £4,000 fine and pay £400 costs.

PC Jones said: “This has been a long and protracted inquiry, and it has taken a lot of work and patience to get to this point. Without the use of the heifer’s DNA we would not have been able to prove that it had been stolen by Mr Owens.

“We are proud to be the first force in the UK to use a cow’s DNA in a criminal case, and will continue to use innovative methods to get justice for victims.”

Owens launched proceedings against Dyfed-Powys police over the way the DNA profiling was conducted, but a judicial review found the force acted within the law.

Jones added: “I must thank the victim in this case for the determination shown in wanting to see justice being done. It has been a long investigation, but we hope he is satisfied with the outcome.

“What this case shows us is that where the farming community works with the police, reporting crimes and providing us with vital information, we can be successful in taking out prosecutions.”

He added: “I echo comments made by the judge, who said Mr Owens, as a farmer, would be well aware of the need for a level of trust in the rural community. In committing these offences, he has played a part in breaking down that trust, which will be difficult to build back up.”

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