New South Wales police have used emerging DNA technology to arrest a 77-year-old man for a series of alleged sexual assaults dating back more than 30 years, in a first for the state. Robert Wayne Kwan was arrested after a search warrant was issued in South Kempsey on Wednesday.
Kwan faced court on Thursday on nine sexual assault and several kidnapping charges. Police allege he was responsible for three attacks over 11 years, involving an 11-year-old girl in Sydney's west in 1991, a 16-year-old girl in the Illawarra in 1996, and a 26-year-old woman in Dubbo in 2002.
NSW police used forensic investigative genetic genealogy (Figg) to compare DNA profiles from multiple crimes to match genetic profiles, the same technique used in 2018 to identify the Golden State Killer in the United States. Unlike traditional forensic profiling, which looks at 21 genetic markers, Figg examines hundreds of thousands of genetic markers to identify familial connections as distant as fourth cousins.
DNA markers were compared against two publicly available genealogy databases, GEDmatch PRO and FamilyTreeDNA, which allow law enforcement access to consenting profiles for use in solving serious crimes. NSW detectives started using the technology in 2022 to review unsolved sex crimes and were allegedly able to link three cases to a single male profile.
After DNA analysis confirmed the assaults were linked by the same male DNA profile, police uploaded it to the public genealogy databases, identifying a close relative of the attacker and eventually narrowing their search to Kwan. The sex crimes squad commander, Det Supt Jayne Doherty, said such access is used only for the most serious victim-based offences.
Kwan did not apply for bail and will return to Kempsey local court on 22 April.
