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17th April 2024 Issue no. 701

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Safe house proves not so safe thanks to SmartWater

Forensic evidence provided by SmartWater has seen a man jailed after he provided a "safe house" for violent robbers.

Police found several items marked with the tell-tale glow of SmartWater Technology Ltd's uniquely coded liquid at the home of Derek Smith following the armed robbery of two cash-in-transit couriers. The men were delivering cash to an ATM at a Spar supermarket in Kitt Green, Wigan at the time of the attack.

Mr Smith, 51, of Heygreen Road, Wavertree, Liverpool, denied taking part in the actual raid, but police who stormed his home two days after the robbery took place found traces of SmartWater on clothing, a hammer and a chisel when they examined them under ultra-violet light.

The court heard that Smith pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods, having allowed the robbers to use his home to break open the stolen cash box in privacy. He was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison by Judge Mark Brown, sitting at Liverpool Crown Court.

The cash box contained a unique SmartWater forensic taggant within the staining ink used to mark bank notes in the event of the box being forcibly opened. The SmartWater taggant allows the police to link any marked item marked back to a specific robbery.

Smith denied taking part in the robbery itself, during which one of the cash-in-transit couriers was threatened with a knife. A charge relating to this was ordered by the court to lie on file because Smith did not fit the description of either of the two robbers given by witnesses. To date no one has been arrested for the actual robbery.

This case is the latest in a string of high-profile cash-in-transit convictions that have been aided by SmartWater evidence. The technology, which has a 100% conviction rate in court, has provided invaluable forensic evidence which has resulted in prison sentences of up to 19 years being handed down by the Courts.

SmartWater Chief Executive, Phil Cleary, said: "As this case demonstrates, the forensic evidence provided by SmartWater can link a criminal with a particular crime long after it has taken place. More and more criminals are coming to understand that SmartWater is bad for their business and the resulting deterrent is very powerful."

Investigative TV journalist, Donal MacIntyre has recently fronted a new multi-channel television advertising campaign for SmartWater Technology Ltd, having stepped forward to offer his services at no cost because of his understanding of the power of the technology.

29th June 2011