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                            LexisNexisª Academic

                         Copyright 2002 MGN Ltd.
                                 The Mirror

                           July 2, 2002, Tuesday

SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 17

LENGTH: 371 words

HEADLINE: PERV 'RAPED GIRL' AFTER DNA ERROR;
 COP BLUNDER LEFT PAEDO FREE

BYLINE: Krissy Storrar

HIGHLIGHT:
GUILTY: Bermingham is in jail

BODY:

A SEX fiend was left free to roam the streets and attack a 14-year-old girl
because of a police blunder over a DNA test.

John Bermingham, who is behind bars for a sickening assault on an
11-year-old, is suspected of raping the innocent teenager.

But he should already have been in jail before the attack as a DNA sample
showing he assaulted the first child was lying forgotten on file. The
dad-of-five was tested after being named as a suspect by cops investigating
the attempted rape of the Edinburgh schoolgirl.

Forensic tests showed there was a one billion to one chance that Bermingham
was not the attacker.

But he was not arrested immediately because an administration error meant
the results stayed on file for five months before being handed to
detectives.

Cops ordered an urgent internal review of the handling of DNA samples to
make sure the blunder never happens again.

A police source said: "It is sickening to know we could have had Bermingham
in custody months before we did if it was not for some clown not processing
the DNA results properly.

"It was a shocking lapse and he was able to roam up and down the country
unchecked for months."

Glasgow-born Bermingham, 35, was last week convicted of the depraved assault
on the 11-year-old and with intent to rape an 18-year-old girl.

He attacked both girls within an hour of each other in November 2000 in
Edinburgh.

Detectives suspected he was the culprit and carried out a DNA test which
came back positive in April 2001.

But cops were not told about the result until November 2001 - when
Bermingham was finally arrested.

The police source added: "He was always on a list of suspects but the
inquiry had been scaled down as time went on.

"If we had known of the DNA results, every resource available to us would
have been brought in to find him."

Bermingham has been in custody since he was caught and has not been charged
with the attack on the Lancashire schoolgirl.

A spokeswoman for Lothian and Borders Police said: "We have since revisited
our procedures to stop this happening again."

Bermingham, who slashed his wrists after last week's guilty verdicts, is
currently waiting to be sentenced.

LOAD-DATE: July 2, 2002