Man’s DNA at crime scene: prosecutor

A MANGALORE man has denied breaking into a shed at the TCA Ground, stealing items and starting a fire.

Mark Adrian Frankcombe has pleaded not guilty to burglary, stealing and unlawfully setting fire to property.

The Supreme Court in Hobart yesterday heard the charges related to incidents that took place on January 14 this year.

Caretakers at the ground discovered a fire in a shed at 5.15am that morning.

When it was extinguished, it was discovered that a number of items were missing from the shed, including a tool chest, a fuel container and other items and extensive damage was caused to a piece of machinery stored in the shed.

Crown Prosecutor Tony Jacobs told the court that the case against the accused man would include DNA evidence.

“The Crown case is that the accused was the person who left a tissue outside, near a syringe, with his blood on it,” he said.

That evidence established that the blood was Frankcombe’s with a certainty of one in 100 billion, Mr Jacobs said.

Police acting on that evidence went to the Frankcombe’s property and found a large number of items allegedly stolen from the crime scene.

“We suggest that the only rational conclusion is that the accused was there, that it was him who stole the items and set fire to the equipment,” he said.

Frankcombe admitted to police he was a drug user, but gave “no comment” to the bulk of their other questions.

In her opening address, defence lawyer Philippa Morgan said some of the evidence in the case was not disputed.

But she told the jury that what was important to the defence case was what they made of the remainder.

The case, before Justice Stephen Estcourt, continues.