Expert stands by Bain trial evidence

David Bain denies killing five members of his family. Photo / Pool

A defence fingerprint expert has stood by his evidence that prints left by David Bain on his rifle were not in blood.

Carl Lloyd, giving evidence to the High Court in Bain's defence via video link from the United Kingdom, was cross-examined today by the prosecution about his analysis of the prints found on the wooden stock of the rifle.

The prosecution say the prints were left by Bain's bloodied fingers when he shot dead his parents and three siblings in their Dunedin home on June 20, 1994. Bain, 37, is now on trial for the murders.

Mr Lloyd said there were no evidence of the fingerprints being in blood. They could have been left in sweat or another contaminant such as gun oil.

It appeared there had been a chemical treatment of some sort to make the prints more visible, Mr Lloyd said.

A photograph of the fingerprints had shown up the ridges of the prints as white.

Prosecutor Kieran Raftery put to Mr Lloyd that fingerprint ridges in blood might show up as white depending on the type of light shone on it. But Mr Lloyd said red blood ridges would always absorb light and show up as black.

"How could red ridges ever be white?"

Mr Raftery also put to Mr Lloyd that the appearance of the prints showed that pressure had been applied, which prosecution expert Kim Jones said was a sign the prints were of "recent origin". Mr Lloyd again disagreed.

Defence lawyer Michael Reed QC told Mr Lloyd that no human DNA was found under the fingerprints, and asked him what this meant. Mr Lloyd said it meant there was no human blood.

Bain's defence team say David Bain's father, Robin, 58, shot dead the family and then turned the rifle on himself. There has been no evidence of Robin's prints being found on the rifle.

There were lighter moments in court this morning as Mr Lloyd's sense of humour intermingled with his evidence.

Mr Lloyd was having difficulty trying to view images of fingerprints shown to him over the video link. The images appeared distorted to him and he described one image as appearing like "the top of a sausage".

In the case of another fingerprint image, Mr Lloyd said: "It looks like something swimming about in a pond".

Mr Lloyd signed off by saying: "Good night everyone".