David Hill was sentenced to 15 years in prison at Sheffield Crown Court for the 1985 rape, according to multiple reports. David Sharp received a six-year sentence for rape and 18 months for indecent assault, to run concurrently, at Leeds Crown Court for the 1977 attack.
The convictions were secured through cold case reviews that used advanced DNA techniques. According to multiple reports, David Sharp's DNA was matched to the attacker's profile during a cold case review in 2023. David Hill's DNA was matched after he was arrested for a public order offence in 2021, which led to his DNA being taken and entered into the UK National DNA Database.
Officers were almost accidentally taking DNA.
According to BBC News - England, Dave Stopford, head of the major incident review team at South Yorkshire Police, described how officers had the foresight to store evidence from the 1985 case in an archive, allowing them to apply for remaining samples. Rachel Morton, an investigations officer, said the case was reviewed in 2018 and deemed to need a forensic review. Prof Jon Slate of the University of Sheffield explained that modern DNA profiling can work with poorer quality, deteriorated samples, unlike the less accurate techniques available in the 1980s and 1990s.
The victim of the 1977 rape said she was still affected by the trauma of the event. According to BBC News - England, she described how the attack dominated her life for nearly 49 years, with the memory replaying like a horror film. Her treatment by police at the time was described as 'universally appalling' by defence barrister Richard English KC, according to multiple reports.
They had the foresight to store everything in an archive and that's where we apply for whatever samples remain from the case.
Det Insp Stephen King of West Yorkshire Police's Major Investigation Review Team said that forensic science is continually developing and that the force will continue to use scientific advancements to solve cases and protect the public, according to BBC News - England.
The exact nature of the police treatment of the 1977 victim remains unclear, as does the specific public order offence that led to Hill's arrest. It is also unknown how many other cold cases are currently under review by these teams.
When we first tried to find the DNA barcode that we'd got from the crime scene it came back negative.
It was only when his DNA was taken that we were able to match the crime scene samples.
Forensic science is continually developing, and we will continue to utilise all available scientific advancements to solve cases, protect the public and get victims the outcomes they deserve.