A good job hangings abolished otherwise Colin Stagg would have been swinging long ago if the Met had of got their way!

John , Chester, U.K

Darren in Maidstone:
Mt Cooke was referring to "The Prosecutor's Fallacy" - worth reading about http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosecutor%27s_fallacy

My understanding of the point is that people can be swayed by a statistical argument and the supposed "infalliblity" of DNA testing and not actually consider whether there is any evidence - To illustrate this, most people reading what I have just written will be shaking their head and saying "But the DNA proves it" - but what is the DNA actually saying? All of us leave DNA samples everywhere we go, what does that prove in isolation? If you think about it, this doesn't even prove we were in a given location as the material may have been carried on someone or something else.
I have no opinion on the guilt or innocence in this case, that is up to a jury to decide - this seems to have been forgotten these days.

Dominic Shields, Cardiff,

Marco - Labour weren't in power in 1992. You've ruined your own point; aside from which people tend not to be sent to Broadmoor for 'nicking a car radio'.

Rachel, Machynlleth, Wales

Those of you who can remember think back to the time and ask yourself what really went through your mind when Stagg's trial was halted because of illegal police entrapment. The tone of the television & especially red top newspaper media was "this guy's guilty as hell but has got off due to a technicality". Or, "he must be guilty really - the police wouldn't have arrested him in the first place - they know he did it". And I bet many of you thought the same.Police incompetence and duplicity was bad enough then.If it had happened today Stagg would have been lucky not to have been awakened at 3.00 a.m. and had seven bullets pumped into his head.
The media in the Stagg, McCann and many other cases assume guilt simply by reason of a police arrest. Such is their and our faith in the boys in blue.

Steve, Cambridge,

Mr Cooke,

I freely admit that I might be missing something but isn't saying a "one in five million chance" the exactly thae same as saying "the particular DNA profile is found in appproximately 1 of 5 million in the population"?

Darren Stevens, Maidstone,

He was ruled out because he didn't frequent South-West London, even though he was a patient at a nearby clinic! Another piece of quality work by the Met!! Perhaps the officer in charge should be investigated for failure to do his job competently?

imj, Abu Dhabi, UAE

so, this guy destroys 2-42 womens lives (such a wide possible range shows how the police are either unable or unwilling to treat rape as a serious crime) and he gets to sit in a cushy prison along with people who are just there for nicking a car radio? This shows the government's fundamental belief that such sickos are blameless for their own actions. By the way, how is it he massacred one woman and then 16months later was still free to massacre another? Labour should take personal responsibility for such crimes.

Marco, Birmingham, uk - until Dec 1st

Within this article, it is said that the DNA evidence will show "a one in 5 million chance that the DNA did not belong to Napper".
This is a fundamentally fallacious conclusion to draw from what is likely to be the actual DNA evidence. The fallacy is well-known and goes by the name of the "Prosecutor's Fallacy".
The DNA evidence from which I think the wrong conclusion has been drawn will be saying, in effect, that the particular DNA profile is found in appproximately 1 in 5 million in the population.
Thus, if there are some 20 million people, you would expect a small number, perhaps four or five to have that profile.
Therefore, any suspect whose DNA profile matches the profile taken from the crime scene will be one of a handful of people who are likely to have that same profile.
That is all that the DNA evidence on its own proves.

Graham Cooke, Marnhull, Dorset,

"Colin Stagg, a loner that lived nearby..." Doesn't that say it all? Us loners have got to stick together.
Britain's Criminal Justice System: A contradiction in terms if ever heard one.

Andrew Milner, Karuizawa, Japan Alps