Vic: Scientist denies contamination happened in lab: inquest

AAP General News (Australia)
12-16-2003
Vic: Scientist denies contamination happened in lab: inquest

By Jewel Topsfield

MELBOURNE, Dec 16 AAP - The scientist who examined murdered Moe toddler Jaidyn Leskie's
clothing said he did not believe they had become contaminated with a rape victim's DNA
in the laboratory.

DNA traces from a female rape victim with no apparent link to the case were identified
on Jaidyn's bib and tracksuit pants which were found in a plastic bag in Blue Rock Dam,
20 kilometres north of Moe in eastern Victoria.

An inquest heard Maxwell Jones, from the Victoria Police Forensic Services Centre,
had conducted sampling procedures from the bib and tracksuit pants and from the rapist's
condom within a few days of each other in early 1998.

But Mr Jones said he was vigilant about following strict protocols such as repeatedly
changing gloves, wiping down benches and cleaning scissors in alcohol.

"There's just no logic I can see that my examination brought about contamination of
those items," he told the inquest.

"I'm a stickler for procedure ... I'm the sort of person who cleans and wipes scissors
several times between sampling.

"I couldn't ever imagine a situation when I would forget to do that, I think I would
do that in my sleep.

"All forensic scientists worth their money are aware of what's at stake and the potential
for an innocent person to be found guilty.

"If I had the slightest inkling of concern or a problem is there I'd be happy to explain,
I'm not the sort of person to hide something."

Yesterday, Professor SallyAnn (SallyAnn) Harbison, a DNA expert from New Zealand, said
accidental contamination from the rapist's condom was the most likely explanation for
the female DNA.

But Mr Jones said most states in Australia now had large DNA databases for the first
time and the possibility of finding "really close" DNA profile matches was growing.

He conceded the likelihood of the DNA computer database coincidentally matching the
DNA of two different people was slight but said it was still a possibility.

But Professor Bruce Weir, a professor of statistics and genetics at North Carolina
State University, said the chances of a coincidental match were less than one in 269 million.

The body of 14-month-old Jaidyn Leskie was found in Blue Rock Dam near Moe on January
1, 1998, six months after he disappeared while being babysat by Greg Domaszewicz.

Mr Domaszewicz was later acquitted of his murder by a Supreme Court jury.

The inquest before State Coroner Graeme Johnstone continues.

AAP jt/ce/jv/br

KEYWORD: LESKIE NIGHTLEAD

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