An elderly man has been charged in connection with alleged sexual assaults spanning more than three decades, following a breakthrough by police who utilised advanced DNA technology to identify him. Robert Wayne Kwan, aged 77, was arrested in South Kempsey on the NSW Mid North Coast on Wednesday, after investigators allegedly linked him to three separate incidents occurring between 1991 and 2022.
Details of the Alleged Incidents
The first incident reportedly took place on March 16, 1991, involving an 11-year-old girl in Glendenning. Police allege that a man approached the girl on Rayben Street, offering her a lift before ushering her into his car. He is accused of driving her around, stopping the vehicle to sexually assault her, and then dropping her at Mount Druitt Railway Station. The girl informed police that she noticed a pedal in the passenger footwell, suggesting the car might have been used for learner driving.
Five years later, on February 17, 1996, a similar incident allegedly occurred with a 16-year-old girl near Wollongong. According to police, the girl accepted a lift from an unknown man, who drove her to a grassed area near Kanahooka. There, he allegedly threatened her life and sexually assaulted her multiple times before dropping her in Warrawong.
The third incident is said to have happened in the early hours of December 22, 2022, in Dubbo. A 26-year-old woman, who had left the Commercial Hotel and was attempting to get a taxi, was offered a lift by a man. Police allege that once she entered the car, he locked the doors and drove her to Devil’s Hole Reserve, where she was sexually assaulted. She was later dropped on Cobbora Road, where she was found in a hysterical state and immediately reported the matter.
DNA Technology Leads to Arrest
All three incidents, described as horrendous by Detective Superintendent Jayne Doherty, were reported to police, with DNA samples collected at the time. However, they remained unsolved for years. In 2022, detectives initiated a review of several historic sexual assault investigations as new forensic technologies became available, enabling them to compare DNA profiles across multiple crimes.
After DNA analysis confirmed that the assaults were linked by the same male DNA profile, police uploaded the unknown profile to two public genealogy databases. This allegedly identified a close relative of the attacker, leading to Kwan’s arrest. Police also discovered evidence that Kwan was a driving instructor at the time, which they say matched the description provided by the first victim.
Charges and Court Proceedings
Kwan has been charged with multiple offences, including:
- Sexual intercourse without consent
- Sexual assault of a person under 16
- Detaining a person for advantage
- Attempting to choke with intent to commit an indictable offence
He appeared in Bail Division Local Court 1 on Thursday and was refused bail. Kwan is scheduled to reappear at Kempsey Local Court on April 22.
Landmark Use of Genetic Genealogy
Police have stated that this is the first arrest in NSW to be triggered by investigative genetic genealogy technology. This technique gained fame in 2018 when it was used to identify the Golden State Killer, Joseph DeAngelo, who was responsible for a series of murders and rapes in California during the 1970s and 1980s.
Detective Superintendent Jayne Doherty emphasised that police remain committed to victims, regardless of the time elapsed. No matter how much time has passed, our detectives continue to pursue every available avenue to identify those responsible for sexual assaults like this, she said. She praised the advanced DNA technology, noting its crucial role in the investigation and its potential for future cases.
Doherty also encouraged members of the public to opt in to genealogy databases to assist law enforcement in solving serious crimes. By opting 'in' on genealogy websites and permitting law enforcement to compare your DNA profile, members of the public can directly assist in solving serious crimes, she explained. The more people that get on there, the closer we can get to tapping that offender on the shoulder. We want the public to help us get more predators off the streets.
