DNA 'match' to Falconio suspect

Mr Falconio's body has never been found

Blood on Joanne Lees' T-shirt was 150 million billion times more likely to be Bradley Murdoch's than any other local white male's, a Darwin court has heard.

A DNA profile from the sample matched one from Mr Murdoch, 47, said forensic biologist Carmen Eckhoff.

Mr Murdoch denies killing backpacker Peter Falconio, of Huddersfield, who disappeared after an alleged ambush in Australia's Northern Territory in 2001.

He also denies the assault and kidnap of Miss Lees, Mr Falconio's girlfriend.

DNA profiled

Mr Murdoch, of Broome, Western Australia, is accused of shooting dead 28-year-old Mr Falconio and disposing of his body after flagging down his camper van on a remote road near Alice Springs on 14 July 2001.

The backpacker's body has never been found.

The probability of this profile appearing randomly in the Northern Territory Caucasian population was 1.5 times 10 to the power of 17, to one Forensic biologist Carmen Eckhoff

On Tuesday, Ms Eckhoff told the Australian court the bloodstain was found on the cap sleeve of Ms Lee's light blue French Connection T-shirt.

"It was profiled on 31 December 2003 and was found to be an exact match," she said.

"The probability of this profile appearing randomly in the Northern Territory Caucasian population was 1.5 times 10 to the power of 17, to one."

That meant 150 followed by 15 zeros to one, or 150 quadrillion to one, she explained.

Mr Murdoch laughed in the dock when she gave the statistics.

A more discriminatory test on 21 January 2003 also matched a DNA profile from a mouth swab from Mr Murdoch, she said.

'Falconio match'

A blood stain on a rock was 3.8 quadrillion times more likely to have come from Peter Falconio than from another person selected at random, Ms Eckhoff said.

Earlier the court heard DNA samples from blood pools where Mr Falconio was allegedly attacked matched one from his own asthma inhaler, found inside the couple's camper van.

Ms Eckhoff told how she took several samples from rocks including one measuring just 1cm by 1cm, a pool of blood on the Stuart Highway and a red-stained dirt mound.

Each produced a full DNA profile matching that of Mr Falconio, the court heard.

Lip balm

She found a short white hair, which appeared to have come from an animal, on tape used to construct manacles which Miss Lees told police the attacker used to bind her arms behind her back.

It was sent to be compared to dog samples, but no DNA profile was found.

Joanne Lees and Peter Falconio's family have been at the trial

In her evidence, Miss Lees had said the attacker's dog was in the front cab of the man's four-wheel drive when she was forced inside.

DNA samples on the cable ties and tape on the wrist bands matched Miss Lees and truck driver Vince Millar, who rescued her.

Miss Lees, from Brighton, had told police she rubbed lip balm into the cuffs to try to loosen them.

Ms Eckhoff told the court she examined tape on the cable ties on July 31, 2001.

There was evidence of a substance similar to how the lip gloss had been described, she said.

Evidence explained

The lip balm container was later found under a bush but no DNA was found - unsurprising after it had been left out in the elements, Ms Eckhoff said.

The forensic biologist explained DNA analysis and said she had no access to Murdoch's DNA until November 2003.

She described how items like the manacles were kept individually packaged in heavy-duty paper, inside an evidence box.

Unlike plastic, the paper does not sweat in the heat and humidity of the Territory.

DNA on the outside of any bag would not contaminate anything inside, as long as it remained sealed and intact, she said.

Parents present

Mr Falconio's parents were in court to hear evidence.

When judge Chief Justice Brian Martin adjourned the case for lunch he spoke to the jury about Tuesday's Melbourne Cup horse race, traditionally known as the race that stops Australia.

"If it's running on time, we will be back at 2pm. If it's not, we will be delayed," he said.

The trial continues.