Templeton evidence 'contaminated'

Ms McCabe, 20, was from Lochee in Dundee

The Templeton Woods murder trial has heard about the possible contamination of evidence in the 27 years since Elizabeth McCabe's body was found.

After the case was reopened by Tayside Police in 2003, DNA which was traced to a police expert was found on a sheet used to wrap the body, the court heard.

Retired Det Insp Ian Kennedy said police took every step to make sure there was no chance of contamination.

Vincent Simpson, 61, of Camberley, Surrey, denies Ms McCabe's murder.

Boxes and bags of Ms McCabe's clothing, forensic samples and other items found with the body in Templeton Woods, near Dundee in 1980, were looked at again after the case was reopened.

A black plastic sheet used to take the body to the mortuary was among them.

The trial heard that a forensic scientist at a laboratory in Yorkshire found traces of DNA on the sheet.

We took every possible step to make sure there was no chance of contamination Ian Kennedy Retired detective

Defence QC Mark Stewart said the DNA was traced to a police expert, Paul Deacon, who had been using a specialised light to examine the sheet for traces of semen.

The officer had been wearing a full protective paper suit and mask but had still been able to leave traces, said Mr Stewart.

Mr Kennedy - who headed Tayside Police's scene of crimes team until his retirement in 2005 - told the court the sheet was taken to a police firing range where there would be plenty of room to spread it out.

During the exercise in February 2004, clean paper was put on the floor first, to protect the sheet, the trial heard.

But a later examination by forensic scientists revealed tiny fragments of metal, which had the appearance of broken bullet parts.

"If that were right," said the lawyer, "the cleaning of this firing range was not particularly thorough."

Mr Kennedy told him: "I think we cleaned the firing range as thoroughly as possible."

Sticky tape

The trial also watched footage of seven or eight police officers in protective clothing examining items of evidence at their premises in Baluniefield, Dundee.

At one point during the exercise, one of the officers answered a mobile phone lying on a table.

Another officer appeared to have difficulty with a roll of sticky tape.

Mr Kennedy told the court: "My recollection of that exercise was that we took every possible step to make sure there was no chance of contamination."

Mr Stewart also pointed out that there was no sign of officers changing gloves as they handled one item after another.

Mr Kennedy said he was sure gloves were changed - but that was simply not filmed.

He also said that contamination was not necessarily a problem, if the source of the contamination were known.

The trial continues.