Culturally Enriched DNA

The perp in this case could act as a poster boy for cultural enrichment in Europe: a successful asylum-seeker from Africa, who entered the UK on a fake passport; a previous offender; and now the rapist of an 89-year old woman. Let’s celebrate diversity with Mauro Lopes!

The case is unusual in that the British police did their job properly and promptly, and caught the rapist using his own DNA. The elderly victim deserves a lot of credit for staying clear-headed enough under the most terrifying of circumstances to make sure that she obtained a usable DNA sample.

According to The Daily Mail:

Rapist Caught After Victim, 89, Traps Him With Trick From CSI

A rapist who posed as a policeman to get into his 89-year-old victim’s home was snared because she copied a scene from CSI and scratched his face for DNA.

Bouncer Mauro Lopes, 31, who weighs 20 stone, raped the frail seven-stone widow twice after tricking his way into her home in Leeds, West Yorkshire.

In the midst of her horrific ordeal she had the presence of mind to remember an episode of the cult U.S. forensics drama — and clawed his face knowing police would be able to retrieve his DNA from under her fingernails.

It allowed detectives to catch Lopes just two days after the attack on March 14 because he was already on the national database after a drink-driving offence in 2005.

Lopes, who won asylum after coming to the UK from Angola on a false passport seven years ago, was jailed for nine years at Leeds Crown Court yesterday.

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Prosecuting, Felicity Davis said the attack — after Lopes put a large pillow over the woman’s face — was so violent that she had to be taken to hospital with heavy bleeding.

But the widow of 20 years managed to tell police: ‘I have been watching CSI so I scratched his face so you could get DNA from my fingernails.’

Unable now to live alone, she is in a care home but still has trouble sleeping. She cannot be identified for legal reasons.

Anne Dixon, defending, told the court that Lopes was remorseful and, in his own words, ‘had fallen out of his personality with drink’.

He carried out the attack following a visit to a lapdancing club after discovering his girlfriend was cheating on him.

Judge Peter Collier QC said his offences were ‘vile and extreme’ and added: ‘He is a 31-year-old man with all his faculties and his desires. He got drunk and did something unspeakable.’

Lopes had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. It is thought he will be deported at the end of his sentence.

Outside court Det Supt Steve Payne of West Yorkshire Police, who led the investigation, said: ‘I would like to pay my respect to the victim in this case who has acted with incredibly bravery despite the terrifying ordeal she suffered.

‘During the incident itself she even managed to scratch Lopes which helped us significantly with the investigation.

‘Lopes… had his DNA taken for a minor offence in 2005 and as such he was placed on the national DNA database which assisted my investigation greatly in bringing this man to justice.’

For a complete listing of previous enrichment news, see The Cultural Enrichment Archives.

Hat tip: Gaia.