Accused’s DNA match at scene of bookie’s murder
The DNA profile of a man accused of the 1989 murder matched DNA found at the crime scene, a jury has been told. Photo: Getty
The DNA profile of a man accused of murdering a wealthy bookmaker in his Sydney garage 30 years ago matched DNA found on the victim’s sock and his car boot, a jury has been told.
The profile was “greater than 100 billion times more likely” to have originated from Terry John Gordon Hickson than from an unknown, unrelated individual, forensic biologist David Bruce said on Monday.
Dr Bruce was giving evidence at the NSW Supreme Court trial of Mr Hickson, now 60, who has pleaded not guilty to murdering 72-year-old Charles Skarratt.
The successful bookie was attacked and robbed of about $25,000 in the garage of his Woolwich home in December 1989 after returning from the Dapto greyhound races.
Dr Bruce told prosecutor Craig Everson a DNA profile was taken from blood found on Mr Skarratt’s sock, from inside his car boot and from the boot lid.
These were compared with the DNA profile of Hickson – after saliva was obtained from him in November 2017 – and with the profile of the bookie’s widow, Monika Karpel.
All three samples obtained at the crime scene matched Mr Skarratt’s profile, Dr Bruce said.
Referring to the 100 billion times more likely statistic, he said this figure covered the world’s population of seven billion people as well as those no longer alive or not yet born.
Hickson’s barrister, Philip Young SC, put forward a “secondary transfer” scenario, involving the deposit of blood on the boot lid and someone then coming along and touching the wet stain and then touching a garment.
“If the transference took place when the source was still wet, you could still end up with a wet stain on the sock?” Philip Young SC asked. Dr Bruce agreed this was possible.
The trial continues before Justice David Davies.
-AAP