Mother satisfied DNA destroyed

The Auckland mother who this week protested that police had collected her 17-year-old son's DNA profile by stealth says she is now satisfied that police have destroyed the sample.

Richard Barnes was recently pulled over by a police constable who threatened him with a $400 fine.

He was told the fine would be waived if a mouth swab for DNA purposes was volunteered.

Richard gave the swab, but said he was not given a four-page document that needed his signature. The paperwork had not been offered by the policeman, he said.

Despite Police Minister Annette King yesterday calling for the destruction of Richard's DNA profile, his mother Brenda Barnes said the sample was destroyed long before the resulting profile was entered on the ESR database.

That was because the paperwork that was meant to accompany the swab did not exist, she said.

"I received a letter of apology from the police this morning."

She was satisfied with the police response and considered it the end of the matter.

However, the highlighting of her son's case resulted in a series of other allegations of police inducements, including one from Auckland criminal lawyer Graeme Newell.

Mr Newell claimed some of his clients had been offered cigarettes by police in exchange for their DNA profiles.