The question of who handled evidence samples from the two murdered women’s bodies, will become key in both the prosecution and defence’s arguments.

On day 25, we got our first glimpse of just how in depth the witnesses will be expected to remember of their dealings with samples.

Forensic police officer Gary Hyde told the court he was present during the day Ciara Glennon’s body was found, he took photos of her post-mortem the next day, and handled several exhibits.

He was responsible for sending off a critical hair sample to the FBI in 1999.

He also told the court he handled evidence which had been tested by key forensic scientist Laurie Webb in 2012, who went on to be sacked in 2016 for cutting corners.

Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and Emily Moulton as they take you through how the evidence was labelled, where it went, as well as discussing Yakka workwear, and why it has become so important to this case.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Following Jane Rimmer’s post-mortem, the pathologist who carried it out gave one of the detectives a lock of Jane’s hair.

The detective, Vicky Young then washed, brushed and placed an elastic around it and gave it to the Rimmer family.

During her evidence today, she said it was an act of compassion. But she also said the hair was covered in fluids and matter when it was given to her.

On the podcast for day 24 of the Claremont Serial Killings trial, Alison Fan, Tim Clarke and Natalie Bonjolo discuss this act of kindness, and whether this could have an impact in the case against Bradley Edwards.

In a massive day of WA’s trial of the century, several police officers were questioned, including the first Macro Taskforce detective, who organised a massive search - which included TRG officers - of the Wellard area following the discovery of Jane Rimmer’s body, for Sarah Spiers.

But they didn’t find anything. Sarah still has never been found.

Also today, for Sergeant Barry Mott revealed he drove to Jane Rimmer’s crime scene in a station wagon, the type of car the prosecution says Bradley Edwards used when the murders happened, and fibres from it which were found in both Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon’s bodies.

Join the podcast team as they discuss why this new information may be an obstacle for the prosecution.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

****WARNING: Some listeners may find the content discussed in this episode distressing****

The doctor who examined the 17-year-old who was brutally raped by Bradley Edwards in 1995 has recalled the horrific injuries the teenager suffered that night.

In Day 23 of the Claremont serial killings trial, Dr Amanda Barnard gave evidence saying while she had examined thousands of women during her career as a doctor for the sexual assault resource centre, the injuries inflicted on the 17-year-old by Bradley Robert Edwards almost 25 years ago had stayed with her.

Bradley Edwards pleaded guilty to the rape, in which he abducted the teenager while she was walking to a friends’ house in Claremont on February 11, 1995.

He grabbed the 17-year-old from behind, bound her hands, put a hood over her head and carried her to his van, where he tied her legs, drove her to Karrakatta Cemetery where he then brutally raped the teenager twice.

Dr Barnard, who was working at the sexual assault resource centre at the time told the court how the teenager’s examination was ‘painful and difficult’, saying, “I think the things that made this particular case stick in my mind were the violent nature of assault by a stranger, the fact that she had been hooded and restrained, the extent and painfulness of her injuries and given the fact of her youth and that she was a virgin,”

But while on the stand, the doctor was quizzed about how she collected samples from the teenager, how they were stored and who she sent them to.

The defence say these samples – which were found to have Bradley Edwards’ DNA on them were cross-contaminated with the fingernail clippings from Ciara Glennon.

But the prosecution say they were never even stored on the same shelf, let alone could be contaminated, and previously called the suggestion of cross contamination an “exercise in errant fantasy”.

Join Natalie Bonjolo, Tim Clarke and criminal defence lawyer Damien Cripps as they take you through day 23 of the Claremont serial killings trial.

If you, or anyone you know has been affected by the content in this podcast, you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14

Or the sexual assault resource centre on 1800 199 888

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.