S2E59: DNA finale

The DNA portion of the trial has officially come to an end, and as tonight’s guest on the Claremont in Conversation, Alison Fan puts it, “It was fitting that the man who started it all, ended it all.” Dr Jonathan Whitaker dismissed the defence’s two DNA contamination theories, by saying it was ‘highly improbable’ that Bradley Edwards’ DNA was found with Ciara Glennon’s samples because of any type of contamination. In this episode, Alison Fan says that comment is the closest a scientist - who never say never -  will come to say an event is ‘impossible’. In his own opinion, Dr Whitaker told the court it was ‘highly likely’ Bradley Edwards’ DNA was found with Ciara’s samples ‘because she scratched him’. The prosecution say Ciara scratched Edwards while fighting for her life. The last DNA expert took the stand, she told how the male DNA profile was 80 million times more likely to belong Bradley Edwards than any other Australian Caucasian man he’s not related to. She also told the court Edwards was 20 billion times more likely to be the perpetrator of the Karrakatta rape. The defence put into question a lot of DNA testing practices in WA, but did they do enough to place reasonable doubt into the mind of Justice Hall? We’ll find out as the trial continues after a 12-day adjournment, when fibre evidence begins.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.