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Study can increase conviction rate of sex offenders

16 October 2020 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Supplied

Kyla_read more — Kyla Dooley, runner-up in this year’s Three-minute thesis competition, wants to pursue a career working alongside police enforcement, using her knowledge of forensics to solve criminal cases and convict perpetrators.

When rapes and sexual assaults are committed, DNA evidence can play a large role in convicting the offenders. DNA evidence collected from sexual crimes can, according to Kyla Dooley, often be tricky to analyse.

Kyla has just completed her master’s degree, specialising in Forensic Genetics, at the University of the Free State (UFS). She not only thrives in this field – graduating at the top of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences in 2018 when she was awarded the Dean’s Medal – but her work also brought her the runner-up position in this year’s Three-minute thesis competition.

She talked about her research on the use of male-specific DNA in the analysis of DNA evidence collected after crimes of a sexual nature have been committed.

Explaining her research, Kyla elaborates: “In most cases, the victim is female, while the offender is male. Therefore, the evidence is often a mixture of male and female DNA and this can make it difficult to analyse the male DNA and match it to a male suspect.”

She believes the solution to this is to target male-specific DNA in analysis. “This eliminates all female DNA and simplifies the process,” says Kyla.

“Unfortunately, male-specific DNA technology is not currently used in South Africa, because the DNA regions tested to date haven’t shown much success in distinguishing between males in our population,” Kyla points out.

“The goal is now to use DNA evidence, to match it to a suspect, and have the confidence that it came from him and only him. Or else defence lawyers could argue that it came from someone else in the population,” she says.

Improving DNA evidence

Therefore, Kyla’s research focused on evaluating a new group of male-specific DNA regions, which are to be tested yet, to see if it would be a viable option for use in South Africa.

“I achieved this by collecting DNA samples from men on campus, processing them to obtain DNA profiles, and then determining how well these regions can distinguish between the men. The results of my research demonstrate the potential of these DNA regions to improve the use of DNA evidence when investigating sexual assaults in South Africa,” says Kyla.

She believes her study can play a role in increasing the conviction rate of sexual offenders, which could lead to a reduction in South Africa’s alarmingly high rape statistic.

“Everyone in South Africa is affected by this horrific crime in some way or another, so the benefits of this would be widespread,” she says.

Solving crimes

Although Kyla will one day pursue further studies, she is ready for the next stage in her life. “I am in the process of applying for jobs and getting ready to dive into the real world. I’ll definitely be pursuing a career working alongside police enforcement to solve criminal cases and convict perpetrators of such crimes. Working for the NYPD in the USA or Scotland Yard in the UK is the ultimate dream job,” she says.

“I chose my field not only because the forensics world absolutely fascinates me, but also because I want to make a difference. I want to play a role in getting justice for those affected by violent crimes. One simple process in a forensic scientist’s everyday routine could be a life changer for a victim of crime,” believes Kyla.

News Archive

UFS serious about safe campuses

2011-02-09

Mr Willie Frankim, Head of Protection Services at the UFS, in the new control room on the Main Campus.
- Photo: Dries Myburgh

The University of the Free State (UFS) officially launched its security control room recently. This new addition to the university's infrastructure, which was implemented in December 2010, has already made a contribution to the combating of crime at the UFS.

The decrease in crime statistics for January this year (5 cases), in comparison to the statistics of January 2010 (51 cases) is proof that the UFS’s new approach to combating crime on campus has an impact.

According to Prof. Niel Viljoen, Vice-Rector: Operations, the safety of students, lecturers and staff of the UFS is of the utmost importancet. For this reason, it is continuously reflected on about what can be done to improve the levels of safety for the respective campuses.

Apart from the upgraded security control room, from where, amongst others, residences, pedestrian routes, campus buildings, parking areas, entrances at gates and computer rooms at residences are observed, a number of measures have been set in place to improve the task of combating crime.

These measures include:

- Security cameras in front of all the women’s residences. The UFS is in the process of also installing
security cameras in front of the men’s residences.

- Shrubs and trees that caused obstruction in front of cameras have been pruned.

- Security officers patrol the pedestrian routes as well as the Red Square on foot from 06:00-22:00.

- A security officer has been appointed at each residence to be on duty from 18:00 to 06:00
at the residence.

- Two vehicles patrol the Main Campus on a 24-hour basis.

- The UFS is in die process to install alarms, which will be linked to the central security control room,
in all buildings.

- In certain buildings panic buttons have been installed in strategic places.

- Where possible, better entrance control to building, especially office blocks, has been implemented.

-       Better management and integration of the security workers who are contracted from outside.
        More security workers have also been appointed to do duty at each residence as well as on the
        pedestrian routes (during the hours indicated).

- A survey has once again been done of all “dark spots” on the campus and better lighting is
currently being installed.

The reduced reaction times are a direct result of the operational process between security staff in the control room with met security staff that patrols the campus on foot and by vehicle

Media Release
09 February 2011
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Director: Strategic Communication (actg)
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: news@ufs.ac.za

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