Man Sentenced for 1989 Rape After Cold Case DNA Review

A man has been imprisoned for the sexual assault of a woman that occurred in Coventry city centre 35 years ago, following a re-examination of DNA evidence from the crime scene by cold case investigators. Michael O’Meara assaulted a woman, who was visiting the city with companions, on Silver Street in July of 1989. According to West Midlands Police, he forcibly moved her to an isolated location and sexually assaulted her while threatening her with a knife. The 58-year-old individual received a 12-year prison sentence at Warwick Crown Court on Monday. The police force stated that although an investigation was conducted when the crime initially occurred, no suspect was identified until a cold case review was undertaken this year. Investigators re-analyzed DNA collected from the location, and significant progress in forensic science enabled the crime to be connected to O’Meara, who possessed prior convictions for sexual assault from the 1990s. Detective Constable Ryan Ahern, who headed the inquiry, commented: “This was a harrowing and horrific attack which O’Meara truly believed he had gotten away with.” He added: “But thanks to significant leaps forward in forensic science over the last four decades, we were able to re-examine the evidence and prove his guilt.”