The Metropolitan Police’s forensics team drew on scientific advancements to solve a 1994 murder and put the killer behind bars.
Sandip Patel, 51, (born 26.08.1972) of Queens Court, Finchley Road, NW8 was found guilty of murder at the Old Bailey on Thursday, 15 February. He appears for sentencing at the same court on Friday, 16 February.
The police’s forensics team conducted innovative work on a hair found on the ring worn by Marina Koppel who was stabbed at least 140 times by Patel at her Westminster flat in 1994.
Dan Chester, Operational Forensic Manager, said “unsolved historic murders can be among some of the most complex and challenging cases for police to solve.”
He continued, “today’s result is proof that forensic science, newer technologies and collaborative working practices have had a positive impact in bringing a brutal killer to justice.”
“Forensic techniques and technologies are constantly evolving, and the police will continue to review serious unsolved cases” .
In 1994, police had conducted an in-depth analysis of the crime scene and gathered crucial evidence, including the ring she was wearing.
During their search, they also found a plastic shopping bag which had Patel’s fingerprints on it.
However, Patel, who was 21 at the time, worked in the shop where the bag had come from and so the presence of his fingerprints was not considered significant evidence, and for many years the case went unsolved.
Fast forward to 2022, and the sensitive techniques available allowed for a DNA profile to be obtained from the hair on the ring. It was at this stage that the hair was linked to Patel, whose DNA was now on the database after he committed Actual Bodily Harm in 2012.
The case was taken on by Specialist Crime detectives who continued to gather evidence.
Patel was arrested on 19 January 2023 on suspicion of Marina’s murder. Fingerprint experts then also matched his footprints to some bloodstained bare footprints that were found at the crime scene.
This, alongside the DNA on the hair, the fingerprints on the plastic bag and the fact that a bank card belonging to Marina, stolen at the time from her flat, was used at a cash point just half a mile from his home shortly after the murder, was enough to convince the jury of his guilt.
Detective Superintendent Katherine Goodwin, Head of the Specialist Casework team for Central Specialist Crime said, “Our thoughts and sympathies are with Marina’s family and friends and we hope that today’s verdict will bring some closure for them.”
Submitted Article
Headline
Short Headline
Standfirst
Published Article
HeadlineMetropolitan Police use new forensics to solve 1994 murder
Short HeadlineNew DNA techniques condemn 'brutal murderer' to life sentence
StandfirstDNA techniques on a single hair on a ring worn by victim Marina Koppel helped proved the identity of the killer.
The Metropolitan Police’s forensics team drew on scientific advancements to solve a 1994 murder and put the killer behind bars.
Sandip Patel, 51, (born 26.08.1972) of Queens Court, Finchley Road, NW8 was found guilty of murder at the Old Bailey on Thursday, 15 February. He appears for sentencing at the same court on Friday, 16 February.
The police’s forensics team conducted innovative work on a hair found on the ring worn by Marina Koppel who was stabbed at least 140 times by Patel at her Westminster flat in 1994.
Dan Chester, Operational Forensic Manager, said “unsolved historic murders can be among some of the most complex and challenging cases for police to solve.”
He continued, “today’s result is proof that forensic science, newer technologies and collaborative working practices have had a positive impact in bringing a brutal killer to justice.”
“Forensic techniques and technologies are constantly evolving, and the police will continue to review serious unsolved cases” .
In 1994, police had conducted an in-depth analysis of the crime scene and gathered crucial evidence, including the ring she was wearing.
During their search, they also found a plastic shopping bag which had Patel’s fingerprints on it.
However, Patel, who was 21 at the time, worked in the shop where the bag had come from and so the presence of his fingerprints was not considered significant evidence, and for many years the case went unsolved.
Fast forward to 2022, and the sensitive techniques available allowed for a DNA profile to be obtained from the hair on the ring. It was at this stage that the hair was linked to Patel, whose DNA was now on the database after he committed Actual Bodily Harm in 2012.
The case was taken on by Specialist Crime detectives who continued to gather evidence.
Patel was arrested on 19 January 2023 on suspicion of Marina’s murder. Fingerprint experts then also matched his footprints to some bloodstained bare footprints that were found at the crime scene.
This, alongside the DNA on the hair, the fingerprints on the plastic bag and the fact that a bank card belonging to Marina, stolen at the time from her flat, was used at a cash point just half a mile from his home shortly after the murder, was enough to convince the jury of his guilt.
Detective Superintendent Katherine Goodwin, Head of the Specialist Casework team for Central Specialist Crime said, “Our thoughts and sympathies are with Marina’s family and friends and we hope that today’s verdict will bring some closure for them.”
The Confessions of a Female Founder is already facing backlash with some critics slamming it as “unrelatable”, “self-indulgent”, and even accused it of promoting “pseudo-feminism”
