Police in Crete have released forensic evidence that could help Cornish dance teacher Ryan Johnson prove he did not murder his parents.Terry and Jo Johnson from Newlyn were stabbed and strangled in their new Cretan villa last March.

Their son Ryan has been on bail on the island ever since, facing charges related to their deaths.

Ryan has always protested his innocence, and new DNA evidence of "an unknown male" taken from his mother's fingernails could now help to clear his name.

Crete's legal system has meant Ryan and his lawyers have only just been allowed into the villa where the murder happened. Until recently, it was still off limits as a crime scene under investigation.

Ryan, who lived with his parents until their death, has now been able to do an inventory of what is missing from the house.

"He's found jewellery, mobile phones, cash and credit cards have been taken," said Ryan's uncle, John Bailey. "We know there were migrant workers employed nearby and we feel certain they were responsible for this terrible crime."

Police on Crete have few computers and no DNA database which makes the task of cross-checking evidence extremely time-consuming.

There is also little record or registration of migrant workers.

At the time of the murders, Ryan claims he was out for the evening with a friend and only discovered the carnage in his parents' bedroom the following morning.

Although the case was not due to come to trial until 2008, lawyers now expect a decision within three months on whether or not 34-year-old Ryan will appear in court.

For the last 11 months, Ryan has relied on support from family and friends in the UK. Many people in Cornwall have helped raise money to subsidise his expensive legal battle, and an ITV investigative documentary screened last summer concluded the charges against him were shaky.

As one of the conditions of his bail, Ryan is barred from working in certain types of job and has been eking a living in Chania, northern Crete, since last March.

"We don't know how he's survived emotionally," said John Bailey. "But this new evidence has at last given him some hope and he is more positive."

article copyright WESTERN MORNING NEWS 

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