We have discovered that numerous drug driving prosecutions have been dropped or postponed following a review of blood tests conducted by a discredited forensics laboratory. Some convictions may be subject to appeal.
The review affects cases in Greater Manchester, Cheshire and further afield.
A Police investigation into the alleged manipulation of drug test results data is now looking at thousands of blood samples. Ongoing cases may have to be postponed or even dropped, and existing convictions could be overturned in cases where no sample exists to be re-tested.
The investigation relates to Randox Testing Services, a Manchester laboratory used by police forces across the country to analyse blood samples used in drug driving and other prosecutions.
Thousands of samples are under investigation and may have to be re-tested. Police say that initial retesting has shown that most original results were accurate. However, 10% of samples are no longer held, cannot be retested and therefore cannot be relied upon. Where a sample cannot be re-tested, any prosecution based on it may have to be dropped, and any conviction overturned.
Initially Police were investigating 484 samples going back to November 2015. However, investigators are now looking at blood samples going back to 2014. The vast majority of samples are from drug-driving cases in the Magistrates’ Court, some of which are ongoing.
Richard Silver Solicitors are currently dealing with a number of such cases, one of which has already been adjourned for re-testing , despite initial prevarication by the prosecution when we first raised the issue.
Anyone facing prosecution (or already convicted) for drug driving, since 2014 who believes their blood sample may have been tested by Randox should take urgent legal advice. In fact this applies to any prosecution or conviction based on a blood sample test conducted by Randox.
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