A Halifax police supervisor says he was shocked when an alleged sexual assault victim told him her clothing hadn’t been collected as evidence 10 days after her physical exam.
Sgt. Stephen McCormack testified today before the Nova Scotia Police Review Board in response to a complaint from Carrie Low, who alleges police mishandled her 2018 sexual assault case.
Low reported being abducted and raped in the suburb of East Preston on the night of May 18, 2018.
She has testified that the following day, Halifax police Const. Bojan Novakovic interviewed her at a local hospital, sent her home, and told her the clothing would be collected that evening.
McCormack told the hearing he was “a little shocked” when Low called him 10 days later to say the evidence had still not been picked up.
The review board hearing has heard that DNA evidence can degrade if it’s not refrigerated and is open to tampering if left unsecured for days.
The evidence was eventually tested, and the DNA found on it was linked to Alexander Thomas, who was charged with sexual assault in 2020. However, Thomas died before his trial, in what police described as a homicide unrelated to the Low case.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 19, 2023.