Convicted Killer In Last-Ditch DNA Appeal

A convicted killer has launched a last-ditch attempt to compel a police force to hand over forensic samples he believes can be retested to prove his innocence.

Kevin Nunn says new techniques could be used on scientific evidence that was inconclusive or too small to be tested for DNA when he was arrested 10 years ago.

The evidence includes a tiny trace of sperm found on his girlfriend's thighs, which he insists can't be his because he had already had a vasectomy; he believes a new test could identify the real killer.

He is backed by actor Tom Conti, who has urged Home Secretary Theresa May to persuade police to let the samples be retested.

In a letter to Mrs May, Conti wrote: "The Chief Constable of Suffolk refuses to hand over the exhibits. What could possibly be his reason?

"Does he fear humiliation for his force if Nunn proves to be innocent? Is the Chief Constable himself actually the killer?"

The actor has offered £1,000 to help pay for new laboratory tests.

Nunn, 54, is serving life for the murder of Dawn Walker, 37, near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, in 2005.

Her half-naked body had been burned, shaved and immersed in water before it was found on a footpath beside the River Lark more than a mile from her home at Fornham St Martin.

At Nunn's trial, the prosecution said he had killed her in a jealous rage after she ended their two-year relationship, then lied and covered his tracks. Jurors unanimously convicted him.

He denied murder, claiming they had parted amicably and he had left her alive and well to return to his own home, where she later left him a voice message saying: "I love you".

Nunn has been trying to get access to the samples for more than five years, but Suffolk Police have refused to hand them over.

The force has been backed by the High Court and the Supreme Court in a legal battle over the obligation of police and prosecutors to disclose material to a defendant.

Suffolk Police said: "The decision to refuse the claimant's request for material in this case was not taken lightly. Suffolk Constabulary took appropriate steps to seek legal advice both from county solicitors and the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure that this decision was lawful and appropriate."

The defence is now asking the Criminal Cases Review Commission to intervene, hoping it will compel police to provide the samples for testing. It could lead to an appeal against conviction.

Nunn's solicitor, James Saunders, said policy in the US was for police and prosecutors to comply with any request to explore potential miscarriages of justice, even paying for the kind of forensic tests being sought.

He said: "We should all be on the same page. If new tests can find out who killed Dawn Walker then it can prevent the same thing happening again.

"Apart from the sperm, there were other exhibits such as the fleece and T-shirt she was wearing which could have the killer's touch DNA."

Nunn's sister, Brigitte Butcher, said his family were asking for a number of exhibits to be tested, not just the semen sample.

She said: "We believe that DNA profiles could be found on various things the killer touched and together could actually identify the person responsible. It certainly was not Kevin."

But for Dawn Walker's sister, Kirsty, the Nunn family's persistence in trying to prove his innocence has made it impossible for her and her relatives to grieve.

She said: "For God's sake, please just let sleeping dogs lie. Bear the truth, know the truth, get to know your brother from others who knew him. Get to understand your brother without his b******t and lies."