The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Murder trial hears about blood match
BLOOD MATCHING the DNA profile of a Dundee murder accused was found on the front door of his alleged victim’s flat, a trial was told.
A police forensic scientist said the likelihood of it coming from anyone other than Matthew Pope was more than one in a billion.
The trial in Aberdeen heard a pair of jeans soaked in blood matching alleged victim Michael Given’s DNA were also found in Pope’s girlfriend’s flat.
Po p e , 22, denies murdering Mr Given at his home in Lochee’s Elders Court on July 21 last year by punching, kicking and stamping repeatedly on his head and body and striking him with a piece of wood.
A charge alleging Pope attempted to defeat the ends of justice by concealing and destroying evidence by hiding clothing and a piece of wood was dropped by prosecutors yesterday.
During the final day of Crown evidence, police forensic scientist Fariha Abidi, 41, told the jury she had examined items and blood patterns in Mr Given’s sixth-floor flat and its surroundings.
These included a fingerprint in blood matching Mr Given’s DNA and a blood swab matching Pope’s on the outer door of the flat.
Ms Abidi had also tested fingernail swabs taken from Pope on July 21.
She said: “One swab was bloodstained with a mixed DNA profile of two individuals. Matthew Pope and Michael Given could produce such a DNA profile.”
Ms Abidi said jeans recovered from Pope’s girlfriend Melissa McKay’s secondfloor Elders Court flat had saturated blood staining matching Mr Given’s profile in the knee area, indicating possible contact with “a large volume of blood”.
Referring to blood found on Mr Given’s living-room wall, Douglas Fairley QC, prosecuting, asked: “Could it be consistent with a kick into wet blood at that level or a stamp into the source of blood or striking with an implement or weapon? “Yes,” she replied. Ms Abidi said a small spot of blood matching the DNA profile of Ryan Crighton was found on the living-room wall but that its age could not be determined.
Cross-examined by defence QC Brian McConnachie, Ms Abidi agreed that no DNA matching Mr Pope’s profile had been found on two pieces of broken wood found in Mr Given’s flat and a communal bin.
Pope denies murder and has lodged special defences of incrimination against Ryan Crighton and Aaron McHugh and a special defence of self defence against Michael Given. The trial continues.