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On 24 September 2008 AAP reported “Second suspect DNA police case found”.

It said another possible case of contaminated evidence has been found in a review of thousands of Victorian criminal cases. The review followed a DNA bungle that led to charges against a double murder suspect being dropped. The Forensic Services Department reviewed 6000 cases involving DNA evidence during an audit of its database. The review was initiated in July after Victoria Police withdrew murder charges against Russell John Gesah over the deaths of Margaret Tapp and her daughter Seana 24 years ago.

The charges were dropped after it was discovered DNA evidence implicating Gesah was contaminated in a Victoria Police laboratory in 1999. Victoria Police today said that of the 6000 cases reviewed, there may have been one possible contamination of biological DNA between a theft from a car and a cannabis cultivation case. An offender had been identified however no charges had been laid, police said. "Whilst it cannot be proven that contamination did occur, it is not possible to conclusively exclude this as a possibility, as was able to be done for all other cases," Victoria Police said.

New measures have since been introduced to ensure such a bungle does not happen again, police said. Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon said although DNA was an incredibly powerful tool there was always potential for contamination. "DNA is incredibly sensitive and it has always been known that there is the potential for contamination to occur as part of the exhibit collection and testing processes," she said. "There are numerous procedures in place at the laboratory to minimise the potential for contamination and to detect it if it does occur. These checks are standard procedure." Ms Nixon said she had every confidence in the standard of the forensic services department.

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