Leech leads police to armed robber

A blood-swollen leech found at a crime scene eight years ago has led Australian police to an armed robber in an unusual twist of DNA technology. The case could be a first in which investigators have used DNA extracted from a bloodsucker like a leech or a mosquito to solve a crime. The leech dropped off Peter Cannon as he and an accomplice tied a 71-year-old woman to a chair in her remote home in the Tasmanian woods in 2001, and stole several hundred Australian dollars in cash. Detectives found the engorged leech at the crime scene and extracted blood that they believed was likely from one of the two suspects. On Monday, Cannon, now 54-years-old, pleaded guilty to aggravated armed robbery. He will be sentenced on Friday and faces a maximum of 21 years in prison. Detective Inspector Mick Johnston said: "For the leech to latch onto the offender as he was probably travelling through the bush to get there to drop off at the scene, to be found during examination and to be able to extract the DNA sample from the blood in the leech, it's, you know, a fairly unique set of circumstances."

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ITN | October 20, 2009

Tags:. .engorged. .travelling. .scene. .bloodsucker. .inspector