This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 reasearch and innovation programme under grant agreement No 953945.

NEW TECHNOLOGY DETECTS SEMEN STAINS IN SEXUAL ASSAULT INVESTIGATIONS

Even though reports of rape have increased, the same cannot be said for conviction rates. In fact, the conviction rate is less than 5 %. This means that the alleged perpetrators of more than 95 % of rapes reported to the police are allowed to go free. One way to reverse this trend and to increase convictions is to improve the technology used to detect sperm, which is the most reliable marker for the investigation in cases of rape. Current methods can detect 10 % of sperm traces. The EU-funded Themis project will introduce the STK Spray, an on-scene sperm-revealing technology, which can identify the presence of sperm on any floor, object, skin and hair strand, even on grass. The new solution is described as a game changer for crime scene technicians.