Postal worker convicted of 2015 rape after DNA breakthrough

A 50-year-old former postal worker has been sentenced to four years in prison for the rape of an 89-year-old woman in 2015, following a decade-long investigation that relied on advanced DNA analysis, Danish broadcaster DR reports.

John Dokkedal was convicted Monday by the Randers District Court for the violent assault, which occurred at the victim’s home in Over Fussing near Randers. The court rejected his claims of innocence, deeming his explanation “implausible.” Dokkedal immediately appealed the verdict, meaning the case will now proceed to the Western High Court.

The victim’s daughter, Rita Møller, described the conviction as a “great relief” after years of uncertainty. “September 18 [the date of the crime] is a day we will never forget,” she told DR. “I’ve had nightmares about it. I see the scene with my mother in my mind, and I’ve wondered who the perpetrator was. It has weighed heavily on me at times.”

The 2015 attack saw the elderly woman dragged outside her home and sexually assaulted. Though police recovered DNA evidence at the scene, no match was found in national databases at the time. The breakthrough came last year when Østjyllands Police employed a new kinship DNA search method, linking the crime scene sample to Dokkedal through a relative’s genetic profile.

Dokkedal, who delivered mail to the victim’s address, claimed his DNA may have transferred innocently—alleging he once helped the visually impaired woman from a shed and occasionally masturbated in secluded areas during his route. Prosecutors dismissed this account, with lead prosecutor Birgitte Ernst calling the crime “every woman’s nightmare.”

Møller, who had urged police to adopt the DNA technique after reading about its use in solving the 2024 murder of Hanne With, now hopes the method will help resolve other cold cases. “I hope many more cases will be solved this way in the future,” she said.

While awaiting the appeals process, Møller expressed cautious optimism, noting the original verdict was unanimous. A new trial date has not yet been set.