Bain home smothered in blood, court told

Blood was found throughout the home of David Bain when police began their investigation into the death of his family, a court has heard.

Aside from blood in each of the rooms where Bain's parents and three siblings died of gunshot wounds, police said bloody footprints were found in the hall going to and from rooms, and there also appeared to be blood on the washing machine, a hand basin, a kitchen cabinet and on light switches and door frames.

Who left the footprints will feature prominently in the murder retrial in the High Court at Christchurch.

The prosecution says it was David Bain who shot dead his family before calling 111, but the defence argues it was his father, Robin, who killed four members of his family before turning the rifle on himself.

Video that included graphic images of the bodies of the Bain family was played to the court yesterday, prompting Bain to lower his head and sometimes cover his eyes.

The video also featured the family computer, on which the message: "Sorry you are the only one who deserved to stay" was found on the day of the killings on June 20, 1994.

Milton Weir, formerly a detective sergeant in charge of the Bain house crime scene, described the Bain home as cluttered and untidy.
"They obviously didn't throw much out."

The house also had a bad smell.

The .22 rifle kept in David's room was found lying beside his father's body in the lounge, with an ammunition magazine on its edge near his right hand.

Blood stains were near the entrance to the adjoining computer alcove, where ammunition cartridges lay, Mr Weir said.

Former detective Kevin Anderson said there appeared to be blood and bone fragments on the rifle. He took an ammunition magazine from the rifle that had shells in it, and a live shell from the firing chamber.

Detective Constable Jenepher Glover studied David Bain's room and noted a large amount of live .22 ammunition in his wardrobe and on the floor outside.

Ms Glover said a pair of metal rimmed glasses with no lenses and a single lens were on the chair. The prosecution has already said that a glass lens was found in the room of David's brother, Stephen.

In Stephen's room, there was a considerable amount of blood on the bed, and Stephen's body, Mr Weir said.

He noted a spent .22 cartridge on the pillow and what appeared to be a .22 bullet in the pillow.

"I also noted there was obvious signs of a struggle in the room and some of the injuries on Stephen Bain's body were consistent with having been in a struggle."

In the downstairs bedroom of David's sister, Arawa, her body lay on the floor with a gunshot wound on her forehead.

Apparent blood stains were also found on a net curtain at the entrance to Arawa's room, on the door frame and on a post with materials hanging off it in the middle of the room.

David's mother, Margaret, was found dead in her bed, with blood obvious on her face and a gunshot wound near her eye.

The body of David's sister, Laniet, was found in her bed under the covers. Mr Anderson noted live and spent ammunition shells in her room.

The .22 rifle found next to Bain's father's body was shown to the court, and Justice Graham Panckhurst told the jury there was no live round in it that presented any risk.