A POLICE sergeant has admitted he made errors and omissions in documents he compiled for the investigation into Ciara Glennon’s murder, the Claremont serial killings trial has heard.
Sergeant Gary Hyde took photographs and notes at the Eglinton bushland site where the 27-year-old solicitor’s body was dumped in 1997, and is giving evidence for the second day at Bradley Robert Edwards’ WA Supreme Court trial.
Defence counsel Paul Yovich poked holes in Sgt Hyde’s work during cross examination, getting him to admit documentation mistakes and oversights.
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It included not noting the time certain exhibits were collected and incorrectly listing the location of an insect nest found near the body.
“I did the best I could to record what I thought was relevant at the time,” Sgt Hyde said on Thursday.
He conceded he had “probably made lots of errors” in his career, agreeing with Mr Yovich that was part of being human.
Sgt Hyde agreed his evidence at trial relied heavily on referring to the documents, given he didn’t independently recall everything more than two decades later.
He also agreed that meant his evidence could be incorrect.
When asked about missing minutes from the crime scene video, he said there were times when the recorder was not running as the battery was changed or a fresh tape was inserted.
Sgt Hyde also testified every exhibit was “generally” photographed in-situ as it was collected back then, but it was now “pretty much” mandatory.
Edwards denies murdering Ms Glennon, 23-year-old childcare worker Jane Rimmer and 18-year-old secretary Sarah Spiers in 1996. Ms Rimmer was also dumped in bushland but Ms Spiers’ body has not been found.
The month before the trial started, the 51-year-old ex-Telstra technician confessed to abducting and raping a 17-year-old girl at Karrakatta Cemetery in 1995 and attacking an 18-year-old woman he knew as she slept in her Huntingdale home in 1988.
The prosecution alleges DNA found on the rape victim and on a kimono left behind at the home matches DNA found under Ms Glennon’s fingernails.