When shoplifter John Wood was arrested in England for stealing toothpaste, batteries and a jar of pasta sauce in 2001, detectives took a routine mouth swab and checked it against the U.K.'s National DNA Database.A match was made linking Wood to a brutal attack on two sisters, age 9 and 11, in 1988. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 15 years.Set up in 1995, the U.K. database has become the world’s largest, holding DNA profiles of 2.1 million people after police were given the green light to take a sample from anyone suspected, arrested or charged with a crime. Their profile remains on the database whether or not they are convicted in court.
