SYDNEY - An Australian armed robber linked to his crime by blood left at the scene inside a leech was jailed for two years on Friday in what is believed to be a forensic world first.

Peter Alec Cannon, 54, admitted ransacking the house of an elderly woman and robbing her of 550 dollars (S$709) in 2001 after police matched his DNA to blood in a leech that bit him which was found at the scene.

The leech, which was found beside a looted safe in the house, was the only evidence police had, and it took them eight years to catch Cannon.

He was sentenced to two years in prison by the Launceston Supreme Court in Tasmania, Australia's southernmost state. He must serve nine months before he is eligible for parole.