S2E56: "Fanciful" Contamination Claims Rubbished by Top Scientist

Only one sample of Bradley Edwards’ DNA was created from the Karrakatta rape victim’s intimate swab, and it was revealed that sample sat in an evidence box from 1999 to 2008. The prosecution argues this means there was no way Bradley Edwards’ DNA and and Ciara Glennon’s fingernail samples could have come into contact with each other. Previously the court had been told Bradley Edwards DNA was initially extracted in 1995, and tested in 1996 and 1997, then placed into storage. The Forensic scientist Anna-Marie Ashley, who tested Ciara Glennon's fingernails previously told the court the closest time frame the fingernails and the Karrakatta rape samples ever came to each other was two weeks. Forensic scientist, Scott Egan, who was on his fourth day on the stand said: “The DNA would have had to get out of the tube with the lid on it, out of the box, which has the lid on it, though the box with the lid on it, and then into the tube (of the other sample) with the lid on it.” While the defence proved more contamination events which happened on Claremont exhibits at PathWest, they have said they don’t have an exact contamination event that they can point to, but instead are showing ‘sloppy practices’ at PathWest to show, if those contaminations could happen, why can’t it happen on the exhibits now seen as crucial to the case? As Damien Cripps explains in tis episode of Claremont in Conversation, the prosecution and defence will both be hammering down on their arguments as we get to the end of the DNA portion of the trial. Can the prosecution protect the evidence they have? Or does the defence have enough attack to provide reasonable doubt? Find out what our legal expert thinks on day 56 of WA’s trial of the century. Don’t forget to send in your questions to [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.