Murder suspect's DNA 'on bra'

Published on Saturday 28 February 2009 18:48

A BLOODIED bra clasp belonging to murdered British student Meredith Kercher had the DNA of suspect Raffaele Sollecito on it, a court in Italy heard yesterday.

However, mistakes in handling the crime scene mean the clasp was not removed until six weeks after her violent death, leading to claims that it may have been "contaminated".

Under cross-examination by Sollecito's lawyer, Giulia Bongiorno, police admitted that an "error" had been made in not immediately "bagging the evidence" when it was found at Kercher's flat in November 2007.

During a break in the hearings, Bongiorno said: "I think you can see we are beginning to show that the scene of the crime was contaminated.

"For example, that bra clasp did a round of all the rooms and was even under a carpet.

"Before you can start talking about DNA traces on that bra clasp, you have to make sure that the evidence in question was properly handled – and in this case it was not," she added.

"That crime scene was not protected. Certain members of the Flying Squad entered incorrectly dressed, they may have had masks and covers on their shoes but they did not always wear gloves or overalls."

Bongiorno added: "My client is being held because his DNA is said to be on a bra clasp but we have seen that bra clasp was not properly handled."

The court also heard yesterday that a woman's bloodied shoe-print, compatible with the size worn by Kercher's flatmate Amanda Knox, was found under the body.

Monica Napoleoni, head of Perugia's homicide squad, said forensic experts determined the shoe's size range encompassed the size worn by the American student accused of Kercher's murder alongside Sollecito. However, the print has not been matched to any shoes yet.

A second police officer, Marco Chiaccheria, deputy head of the Perugia Flying Squad, told the court he had discovered several pornographic magazines at Sollecito's house. He also said that a jar of Vaseline was found at the murder scene.

Meanwhile, Sollecito stood up in court to claim that police had denied his requests to call his father and a lawyer on the night he was questioned, a few days after 21-year-old Kercher was found stabbed to death. He said police took off his shoes and "left me barefoot all night".

Kercher, from Surrey, was in Perugia as part of a year-long student exchange programme, but had only been in Italy for eight weeks when she died.

Rudy Guede, a 21-year-old drifter, has already been convicted of Kercher's murder.

The trial continues.