AG: 2 per cent sexual offences solved since 2000

Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi has reported that from the year 2000 to the present there were 13,630 sexual offences case and the number convicted was a "whopping" 321 or 2.35 per cent.

"Number of sexual offences cases solved using DNA evidence? Zero."

He was piloting a motion to approve the Administration of Justice (DNA) Regulations in the Senate on Tuesday.

He said after 19 years of law, four sittings of Parliament times two, 10 sittings of a Joint Select Committee and billions of dollars between National Security and other ministries "and we have zero convictions on DNA evidence" for sexual offences.

"We saw in the papers the memory of Akiel Chambers who would have been 31 years-old but DNA evidence is available from that site. And that unknown perpetrator could have been brought forward as they found evidence of sexual abuse of - God rest his soul - that beautiful young boy found at the bottom of a pool. But 19 years later no operationalised DNA laws."

He said the Parliament must be intolerant to any more delays and, while the regulations were not perfect, the law needed to get started. He also said that a DNA custodian has been chosen, they have 11 personnel and will be placing samples in a DNA bank. Al-Rawi said that as he spoke 15,000 DNA buccal swabs were coming into this country.

"Trinidad and Tobago is crying out for this."