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A man whose dog's DNA was used to link him to an armed carjacking has been jailed for at least four years.Peter Mahoney was arrested in November 2008 when police recovered DNA from the burnt-out vehicle, seized the animal - called Buster - and found a match.
The previous day Mahoney had racially abused a man and shot him in the face, Maidstone Crown Court was told.
Mahoney, 33, from Norwood, Kent, admitted robbery, racially-aggravated wounding and possessing a firearm.
Judge Martin Joy imposed an indeterminate sentence for the protection of the public and said Mahoney must serve at least four years. He will be on licence for life.
Pellet in jaw
The court heard that on 5 November 2008 he racially abused a man in a shop, went to his home nearby and returned with a pistol.
He shot the man as he was sitting in his car. The victim now has a pellet permanently embedded in his jaw, the court was told.
The next day Mahoney approached a group eating pizza in a car, said he was the police and ordered them out at gunpoint.
He then got in and drove off. The Audi was found burnt out six days later.
Speaking after the conclusion of the court case on Wednesday, Det Con Geoff McCreery said: "Even though the car had been set alight there were forensic opportunities we could harvest.
"A few days later I got a warrant to seize Buster and took him to a vet who took hair and blood samples.
"These were then matched with those found in the Audi, along with forensic evidence, which linked Mahoney."This article is from the BBC News website. ? British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.