GUILTY UK - Lucy McHugh, 13, murdered,, Southampton, 25 July 2018

[Alyce]

11:35am
The court takes a short break.

 

[Alyce]

11:46am
The jury returns. The court will now continue to hear evidence.

 

[Alyce]

The court now heard about a pair of gloves found within the pocket of the hooded jacket.
She said the quality of DNA was not good enough to give a result.

The jury now hears about a pair of blue "surgical" gloves, found at the scene.
They had a small amount of blood staining on them.

She tells the jury that one of the gloves appeared to be inside out - as if it had been used.

Ms Adby tells the court the DNA showed components which appeared to match Nicholson's.
She said analysis software showed it was one billion times more likely to have come from Nicholson than someone unknown and unrelated to him.

She tells the court the small area of blood staining had "degraded" and gave limited information but appeared to match Nicholson's.
She said this was not tested further.


LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder jury set to hear forensic evidence as trial continues

 

[Alyce]

Ms Adby tells the court about a DNA sample taken from a sex toy found in Nicholson's room.
She tells the court that the DNA appeared to match that of Nicholson.
She said there was another DNA sample examined but she said it was not suitable for comparison.



LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder jury set to hear forensic evidence as trial continues

 

[Alyce]

Nicholson's defence barrister, James Newton-Price QC, will now cross-examine Ms Adby.

He begins by asking about the secondary transfer of DNA.
Ms Adby uses an example of shaking someone's hand and then touching a cup.
She said this could transfer that other person's DNA on to the cup, without that other person ever touching it.

Mr Newton-Price asks about the transfer of DNA in a household and asks about washing baskets.
Ms Adby agrees that DNA can transfer in such a way.


LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder jury set to hear forensic evidence as trial continues

 

[Alyce]

Mr Newton-Price asks about DNA found on Lucy's clothes at the Sports Centre Centre.



LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder jury set to hear forensic evidence as trial continues

 

[Alyce]

Mr Newton-Price asks about DNA from Lucy's mother's partner, Richard Elmes, found on the clothing.
Mr Elmes lived in the same home as Lucy, Mr Newton-Price explains.
He asks about the prominence of Mr Elmes' DNA on the clothing.
She replies that "quite a lot of components matched those of Richard Elmes".




LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder jury set to hear forensic evidence as trial continues

 

[Alyce]

Mr Newton-Price refers to two pieces of plastic found near to Lucy's body.
He asks if they could come from a kitchen knife.
Ms Adby confirms they could.



LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder jury set to hear forensic evidence as trial continues

 

[Alyce]

He now refers to Tanners Brook, where blood stained items were found.
He asks if it is a possibility some of the DNA did not come from blood.
Ms Adby says she cannot exclude the possibility of other outcomes.


LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder jury set to hear forensic evidence as trial continues

 

[Alyce]

Mr Newton-Price asks about the DNA match analysis, which showed it was 93 times more likely that the DNA came from Nicholson and another unrelated individual rather than two unrelated individuals.
He asks if this is a low number in terms of DNA analysis.
Ms Adby confirms that it is a low number, but showed Nicholson could not be excluded as a possible contributor to the DNA.



LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder jury set to hear forensic evidence as trial continues

 

[Tortoise]

Mr Newton-Price asks about DNA from Lucy's mother's partner, Richard Elmes, found on the clothing.
Mr Elmes lived in the same home as Lucy, Mr Newton-Price explains.
He asks about the prominence of Mr Elmes' DNA on the clothing.
She replies that "quite a lot of components matched those of Richard Elmes".




LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder jury set to hear forensic evidence as trial continues

Wonder if he means the clothing found at the brook.

 

[Alyce]

Mr Newton-Price asks about a t-shirt and a pair of jeans worn by Nicholson when seen on CCTV entering Tesco in Coxford Road on the day Lucy disappeared.
These items were tested for blood.
Ms Adby confirms there was no blood found on the clothing.




LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder jury set to hear forensic evidence as trial continues

 

[Alyce]

Wonder if he means the clothing found at the brook.

I am thinking that's what he means - irritating as always when we only get a snippet of what is said.

 

[Alyce]

Mr Newton-Price finishes his cross-examination.
Mr Mousley asks Ms Adby to clarify a point raised by Mr Newton-Price about the possibility of the DNA on the bloodstained hooded jumper found at Tanners Brook not being blood.
She said it was a "reasonable expectation" that some of the DNA could come from blood.

LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder jury set to hear forensic evidence as trial continues

 

[Alyce]

The court will now take a slightly earlier lunch break to allow preparations for the next witness.
The court is expected to return at the slightly earlier time of 1.50pm.

LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder jury set to hear forensic evidence as trial continues

 

[Alyce]

1:51pm

The court rises. The jury is about to be brought back into the court.

Nicholson is back in the dock.

 

[Alyce]

1:59pm

Penelope Griffiths, a forensic scientist, is called to give evidence.

Ms Griffiths is talking about her forensic assessment of the scene where Lucy's body was found

Ms Griffiths is asked about Lucy's position when her injuries were inflicted.
She said blood was found at a low level - indicating she was likely to be low to the ground when she received the injuries.
She said: "In my opinion, the stab wounds would have been inflicted while she was in that position."

She is asked when Lucy's fatal injuries were inflicted.
Ms Griffiths tells the court the wounds to the right of her neck would likely have been towards the end of the attack.
She said: "My opinion is the injuries to the right side of her neck would have been towards the end of the assault."

Asked where Lucy's attacker was in relation to the teenager, Ms Griffiths replies that the attacker would likely have been behind Lucy.
She adds that, in her opinion, the wounds "were not self-inflicted and had been inflicted by someone else".





LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial: 'Dumped clothes had DNA link to alleged killer on them'

 

[Alyce]

Ms Griffiths now tells the jury about the transfer of fibres from one piece of clothing to another.

Ms Griffiths tells the court that in fibre analysis, experts can use tape to remove fibres from a piece of clothing to match it to another a piece of clothing it has come into contact with - a process called "taping".

Ms Griffiths was given a variety of tapings - including tapings from a hooded jumper found at Tanners Brook.

Ms Griffiths said she was also given tapings from Lucy's body.

She tells the jury that blue fibres found on Lucy's body were "indistinguishable" from the constituent fibres from the blue hooded jumper found at Tanners Brook.

Ms Griffiths tells the jury: "In my opinion, the finding of matching fibres found on the blue hoodie to those found on Lucy's body indicate there had been direct conduct between these two surfaces."





LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial: 'Dumped clothes had DNA link to alleged killer on them'

 

[Alyce]

The jury is also told how fibres matching those from Lucy's jacket were found on the blue hooded jumper at Tanners Brook.

Ms Griffiths said this showed a "two-way transfer" between the two surfaces.

She also tells the court that fibres from blue hooded jumper were "indistinguishable" from fibres found inside a black jacket, belonging to Nicholson.

Ms Griffiths tells the court: "In my opinion, the fibre evidence shows very strong support that the hoodie and jacket had been worn together with the jacket worn on top of the blue hoodie."

Prosecutor Mr Mousley asks what is the chance the transfer of fibres could be random.
Ms Griffiths said: "It is very rare to find a significant number of matching fibres on particular garments or surfaces by chance."

Ms Griffiths adds the evidence she has seen, including the evidence of two-way transfer between Lucy's jacket and the blue hoodie, that the chance of the transfer of fibres having happened randomly is "extremely small".



LIVE: Lucy McHugh murder trial: 'Dumped clothes had DNA link to alleged killer on them'

 

[Legally Bland]

Not sure there's much new in this, but a round up from this morning:
Lucy McHugh murder accused 'dumped clothing with DNA links to schoolgirl'