Convicted by gum!

• Author: Mitchell, Teresa

An Ontario man was convicted of the murder of his distant cousin. The police evidence against him was substantial but circumstantial, so the police bolstered their case by offering him chewing gum and then retrieving it for DNA testing. The man appealed the trial judge's decision to admit the DNA evidence. The Ontario Court of Appeal rejected his appeal, ruling "The trick used by the police to obtain gum samples was acceptable, and did not amount to an...