Bradley Robert Edwards.
Camera IconBradley Robert Edwards. Credit: Supplied/SUPPLIED

Bloodstained brick lead in Claremont case

AAPWestern Suburbs Weekly

A BLOODSTAINED brick and two leather gloves found in a waterway near a dumped body were among the leads police explored during the Claremont serial killings investigation, a Perth trial has heard.

Ex-Telstra technician Bradley Robert Edwards, 51, denies murdering Sarah Spiers, 18, Jane Rimmer, 23, and Ciara Glennon, 27, in 1996 and 1997, but admits raping a teenager in a cemetery in 1995 and attacking a sleeping woman in 1988.

During Edwards’ ongoing WA Supreme Court trial on Tuesday, emails sent in 2003 between PathWest scientist Aleksander Bagdonavicius and Senior Sergeant Kenneth Sanderson revealed police wanted some items tested for a forensic review of the case including hair, fingernails and vegetation.

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It has not been revealed where the brick, linked to Ms Glennon’s case, came from or if it was relevant.

The gloves, which were found near Ms Rimmer’s body, have also not been elaborated on.

Central to the prosecution’s case is DNA taken from Ms Glennon’s fingernails, which matches DNA found on the rape victim.

While Edwards concedes it is his, the defence team suggests there was contamination in the laboratory.

On his fifth day of testimony, Mr Bagdonavicius admitted he made several paperwork errors during the Claremont killings investigation.

He was also grilled about contaminated control samples sent to New Zealand for testing in 2004.

The court heard from 21 supposed blank samples tested, four contained DNA that should not have been there.

Mr Bagdonovicius agreed it was a high ratio, but said the lab usually turned up DNA in blanks only about two times in every 100.

“Recently, the laboratory has assessed the number of quality incidents we have and according to international standards, we are approximately half of the international standard,” he said.

The trial will start late on Wednesday and sit well into the night for testimony from the UK via video link.

More Claremont trial coverage:

Lab under microscope at Claremont trial

Omissions delay Claremont murders trial

More mortuary evidence at Claremont trial