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IPSWICH - Blood from two murdered prostitutes was found on a jacket worn by the man accused of killing them and three others, a court heard on Thursday.
Prosecutors said bloodstains on Steve Wright's yellow reflective jacket came from Paula Clennell and Annette Nicholls, whose naked bodies were found dumped in remote spots around Ipswich late last year.
Forensic scientists also found the defendant's DNA on three of the bodies, while fibres were recovered that linked him with all five women, the court heard.
The probability of the DNA matches occurring by chance is one in a billion, prosecutor Peter Wright told Ipswich Crown Court. He said the DNA evidence "paints a compelling picture" of the defendant's guilt.
"These findings point not to an unfortunate coincidence, but rather to the defendant as being engaged in an active campaign of murder," Wright told the jury. "A campaign that only came to an end with his arrest."
It was not a surprise that no DNA evidence was found on the bodies of Tania Nicol and Gemma Adams because they had been submerged in water for weeks.
"Any DNA that may have been on their bodies would, we suggest, have long since gone," the prosecutor said.
Evidence was also found on two pairs of gloves taken from Wright's car.
When questioned by police about the presence of his DNA on the bodies of Anneli Alderton and Clennell, the defendant declined to comment, the court heard.
Wright, 49, denies killing the five women, whose bodies were found dumped within the space of just 10 days.
Outlining their case for a second day, prosecutors also said a neighbour of Wright's told police that he heard "odd noises" coming from the house he shared with his partner, Pamela Wright.
There were banging sounds and the washing machine was sometimes on between midnight and 2am.
Two of the victims were found with their bodies deliberately posed in a cruciform shape with their arms outstretched, the court heard, and Wright might have had an accomplice.
The prosecution said the evidence indicated all the victims, who had been systematically selected, were asphyxiated while under the influence of hard drugs.
The trial continues.
- REUTERS
