Blog 30_Meet the new Sherlock Holmes

Peter Alec Cannon would never have thought eight years after he robbed the 71-year-old Fay Olson in her home, a leech is all it takes to send him to jail.

In 2001, the then 46-year-old and his accomplice entered Mrs Olson's home and took AUS$ 550 (US$510).

Police in Tasmania found a leech at the crime scene after the robbery and took a sample of the blood from it for DNA profiling. In 2008, Cannon was charged over an unrelated drug offence and his DNA was found to match the sample from the leech.

Detective Inspector Mick Johnston said that it was quite a unique set of circumstance for the culprit to be found; it would not have been possible if the leech was not discovered or blood was not able to be extracted from it or Cannon hadn't committed another crime. He also praised the use of DNA technology in crime investigation.

"It's a testament to DNA evidence and the legislation that allows us to keep such evidence in relation to unsolved crimes - this is a fantastic result." he was quoted on the BBC website.

Mr Johnson also told ABC radio that Mrs Olson "waited a long time for closure to this matter and it's nice to be able to deliver that."

Credit is given to Getty Images