Moors murder 'may not be sexual'

Ronald Castree denies murdering Lesley Molseed

The murder of a young girl on moorland more than 30 years ago may not have been sexually motivated, a forensic scientist has told a court.

Ronald Outteridge is the only living witness to visit the scene where 11-year-old Lesley Molseed was killed in West Yorkshire in 1975.

He told Bradford Crown Court that semen samples found on her clothing might not have been deposited during her death.

Ronald Castree, 54, from Shaw, Oldham, denies Lesley's murder.

The court previously heard that the young girl was murdered after going missing from her home in Rochdale in October 1975.

'Endless possibilities'

A pathologist said she suffered multiple stab wounds to her heart and lung in a "frenzied attack".

Mr Outteridge, who is retired, told the court that he went to the moor where Lesley's body was found to collect samples for testing.

He said that examination of the body and Lesley's clothing on the moor did not indicate that it was a sexual murder.

Lesley Molseed's body was found between Yorkshire and Manchester

Tests at the laboratory found four "superficial" fibres on the clothes, while another scientific test found "light" semen staining in the girl's knickers and on the inside front and back of her skirt, the jury was told.

The jury has heard how DNA taken from Mr Castree has been found to be an exact match with DNA taken from the semen found on Lesley's knickers.

But Mr Outteridge said it could not be proved that someone who matched the DNA taken from Lesley's clothes had murdered her.

He said: "To do that it would be necessary to prove that the semen was deposited during the murder of the little girl and I found no evidence to show that was the case. It might have been, it might not."

Mr Outteridge said he could make an "almost endless list of possibilities" as to how the semen could have been found on Lesley's clothing, including that she was subject to a sexual assault unconnected to the murder.

He added: "The fact that there was semen staining there, it might have been relevant to the murder and it might not."

The trial continues.