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| Author | Topic: The prosecutions first witness |
| Rachel Hunter QC |
posted 3/24/03 5:35 PM
VD: I swear that the evidence I give shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.RH: Thank you for coming today Ms Davies, could you please tell the court what capacity you are here in today?VD: I’m a Forensic Scientist with the Mayfair Plaza Police Department; I have been a Forensics Specialist since graduating from Reading University in 1987.RH: I’m showing you now photographs of the scene where Adam’s body was found, can you explain to the court what these photographs show?VD: They show a derelict property situated on 7 Sim Lane, Mayfair Plaza. The body was found at the bottom of a wooden staircase, face down. There is an obvious contusion to the back of the head. There is a partial footprint in the dirt by the top of the stairs.RH: Were you part of the forensics team that examined the scene?VD: Yes, I wasRH: And can you tell us what you discovered at the scene?VD: Certainly. The child had been dead for about 8-10 hours, and we were immediately suspicious of the lack of debris at the scene.RH: Can you explain what you mean by debris?VD: Because of the obvious blow to the back of the head, we would usually expect to find a considerable amount of blood at the site of death.RH: And you didn’t?VD: No we didn’t, this led us to conclude that the child had died elsewhere and the body had been moved to where it was later found.RH: So someone had to be involved in this child’s death?VD: Yes.RH: OK, what else did you find at the scene?VD: At the top of the stairs, we found a partial footprint, which we took casts of and estimated as size 10 shoes. We also found tire tracks leading from the driveway of the property.RH: Is there any doubt in your mind that this child was murdered?VD: No, definitely not. There is no way this could have been an accident.RH: What was the cause of death?VD: The primary cause of death was a severe blow to the back of the head, from the size and shape of the wound; I would say it was most likely the rounded end of a ball hammer.RH: And are you sure this injury couldn’t have happened from falling down the stairs?VD: Quite sure, there is nothing in the vicinity of the stairs that would cause an injury of that size and shape. |
| Rachel Hunter QC |
posted 3/24/03 5:56 PM
RH: Was the murder weapon found at the scene?VD: Not at the scene noRH: Not at the scene? Was it found somewhere else?VD: Yes, it was found in the back of the defendant’s car.RH: How can you be sure it was the same hammer, surely all hammers are the same size and shapeVD: Yes, they are, however, we found hair and blood on the hammer that matched the victim’s hair and bloodRH: Was anything else found in the car?VD: Yes we found a red travel blanketRH: Why was that important?VD: Fibres matching those from the blanket were found in the hair of the child, indicating the body had been wrapped in the blanket prior to it being moved to the property.RH: Was there anything else found regarding the car?VD: Yes, we were able to match the tyre prints found at the scene to the tyres on the defendant’s car.RH: So, a hammer with blood and hair from the victim, a blanket matching fibres found on the body, and the same tyres were all found in one place?VD: The defendant’s car, yes.RH; Thank you, no further Questions. |
| Alistair Logan, Council for the Defence |
posted 3/24/03 5:58 PM
Cross examination by Alistair Logan for the DefenceAL: Ms Davies, let me just address the blanket firstly. It’s true, is it not, that in mass produced blankets, the fibres on every one will be the same?VD: That’s correct, yesAL: So you can’t say with 100% certainty that the blanket that was found in Mr Hansworth’s car was the one wrapped around the body?VD: No, but I would think…AL: No? So it could be another blanket of the same type?VD: Well, theoretically, yes, but…AL: It could be a different blanket, thank you. And is it also true that the tyre tracks found would match to any number of cars, in fact, any car that uses the same brand and size of tyre?VD: It would be unusual to find another car with exactly the same make and size of tyres, right down to the amount of wear and tear on the surface of the tread.AL: But it is possible, that any person using the same make of tyre could leave the same tracksVD: Remotely possible, yesAL: Thank you, no further questions |
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