UK - Alesha MacPhail, 6, raped & murdered, Ardbeg, Isle of Bute, Scotland, 2 Jul 2018 -*arrest* #2

[TaylorCallum]

What slightly confuses me though is that, given the accused's apparent interest in true crime documentaries, why did he seem quite unknowledgeable about DNA when he spoke to his mother about it and why did he have to Google it? Surely if he was interested in that sort of thing he would be quite familiar with DNA already?

I'm not sure I buy that he would be cautious enough about fingerprints but not about leaving DNA on the body.

 

[Alyce]

Would that palm print show if they were travelling up or down.

I guess it would - a right hand palm print going up - a left one going down - that sort of thing

 

[Alyce]

Re- knowing which was Aleshas room ... it could be identified from the outside maybe by children's/pink curtains or toys in the window ... that's how I know that my neighbours daughter has the front bedroom of their house.

I think anyone might scream or react IF they were awake and a stranger were in their room but no one is going to react if they're asleep.

IF Accused had been inside the ground level door for a drug deal - why would he be halfway up the stairs? (Unless I'm mistaken and the print was on the ground level only?)

the print was found between step 10 and step 14, so he was part way up ( or down ) the stairs

 

[octagonsunrise]

My point was that perhaps the surface the fingertips touched would not be a good surface for lifting prints from. Without this being stated in evidence it's pure conjecture of course.

I think we can assume any surface below or above a chair rail is most likely to be a painted wall, or a wallpapered wall. Even if it was textured wallpaper, there would be residual fingerprint marks in the expected place in relation to the palm print.

 

[Alyce]

What slightly confuses me though is that, given the accused's apparent interest in true crime documentaries, why did he seem quite unknowledgeable about DNA when he spoke to his mother about it and why did he have to Google it? Surely if he was interested in that sort of thing he would be quite familiar with DNA already?

I'm not sure I buy that he would be cautious enough about fingerprints but not about leaving DNA on the body.

perhaps he knew the basics but not the detailed specifics so he needed to get a deeper understanding of it all

 

[Yenriac]

Just catching up. So far everything has been very slow today. The internet search history is pretty damning BUT like a few others have said depending in the time of the internet search it could be explained. I google all sorts myself especially if i take an interest in something or i don't understand something i hear.

I don't think the palm print proves much. The defence may be able to explain that too.

Hopefully the forensic evidence from Alesha will explain much more.

 

[Edinlass]

I know what DNA is but I don’t know the ins and outs of how it is collected

 

[Alyce]

Just catching up. So far everything has been very slow today. The internet search history is pretty damning BUT like a few others have said depending in the time of the internet search it could be explained. I google all sorts myself especially if i take an interest in something or i don't understand something i hear.

I don't think the palm print proves much. The defence may be able to explain that too.

Hopefully the forensic evidence from Alesha will explain much more.

It has been said before, but if the police or authorities ever checked the google history of many of us on Websleuths, it could be quite scary - for us !

 

[TaylorCallum]

perhaps he knew the basics but not the detailed specifics so he needed to get a deeper understanding of it all

I know what DNA is but I don’t know the ins and outs of how it is collected

Yes, that is true. Maybe he was wanting to learn more about it.

 

[Gardenista]

Waiting for the defense, but, for me, the internet search is the nail in the coffin for him.

 

[neteditor]

I think we can assume any surface below or above a chair rail is most likely to be a painted wall, or a wallpapered wall. Even if it was textured wallpaper, there would be residual fingerprint marks in the expected place in relation to the palm print.

Not necessarily.

 

[Tortoise]

I wonder if they did a luminol search for blood in his shower / plug hole.

 

[octagonsunrise]

Waiting for the defense, but, for me, the internet search is the nail in the coffin for him.

I don't think it's a nail in his coffin unless the search took place prior to the DNA conversation with his mum, otherwise it could easily be explained off as curiosity post that conversation.

 

[Siriusly]

Hi, started at beginning of other thread yesterday so only just caught up so apologies about the jump backwards but something's bugging me about the CCTV from his house.

His mum says he returned and had a shower leaving his clothes 'at his backside' how does she know this if he subsequently went back out and disposed of said clothes?
is the CCTV inside the house? The bathroom?


I haven't seen anything mentioning this (although I was up stupidly late reading so could have)
It may be a minor thing but it jumped out at me straight away as confusing

 

[Yenriac]

I wonder if they did a luminol search for blood in his shower / plug hole.

I was also thinking this, couldn't remember the name of the stuff.

 

[Truthseeker777]

This cyber crime team leader does not appear to have come up with much judging by what has been reported to us...a bit of a joke to be fair...could they not have traced the movements of the accused phone from the night in question?

 

[mrazda71]

Hi, started at beginning of other thread yesterday so only just caught up so apologies about the jump backwards but something's bugging me about the CCTV from his house.

His mum says he returned and had a shower leaving his clothes 'at his backside' how does she know this if he subsequently went back out and disposed of said clothes?
is the CCTV inside the house? The bathroom?


I haven't seen anything mentioning this (although I was up stupidly late reading so could have)
It may be a minor thing but it jumped out at me straight away as confusing

I wouldn't be surprised if there was CCTV inside the house too ... for the family member 'with dementia'

 

[Gardenista]

I don't think it's a nail in his coffin unless the search took place prior to the DNA conversation with his mum, otherwise it could easily be explained off as curiosity post that conversation.

Disagree. In that case, the search would be what is DNA, not how do police find DNA and collecting DNA. This is not beyond all doubt--it's beyond a reasonable doubt

 

[Yenriac]

This cyber crime team leader does not appear to have come up with much judging by what has been reported to us...a bit of a joke to be fair...could they not have traced the movements of the accused phone from the night in question?

I thought tracing his movements via his iphone would have been done as standard practice?

 

[Tortoise]

I was also thinking this, couldn't remember the name of the stuff.

Yes not sure if they use that or BlueStar these days.