“It is impossible to say when and how Maigrot’s DNA was deposited on the sheets”

After the prosecution heard the testimony of witnesses in the Assizes Court, it was the turn of the defence to call the first witness in the Vanessa Lagesse murder trial. On Thursday, June 20, Judge Lutchmyparsad Aujayeb called the first witness, Bernard Maigrot, in the Assis Court. The businessman is accused of killing Vanessa Lagesse in her bungalow in Grand-Baie on March 9, 2001. The victim’s body was found in his bathtub.

The defence opened with testimony from Dr Susan Pope, an expert in DNA analysis. The former head of the UK Forensic Science Service answered questions from Gavin Glover, senior legal adviser and lawyer for Bernard Megroat, on Thursday morning. After reviewing her qualifications and experience, she explained why she wanted more information from the prosecution’s expert, Professor Christian Doutremepuich, who had testified via video conference from Bordeaux, France, a few days ago. “The professor did not provide us with details that would allow me to fully verify his methods,” said Susan Pope. However, Dr Pope confirmed that she did not question Professor Doutremepuich’s conclusions. “I have nothing to say about the DNA of Bernard McGraw that was detected on two bed sheets found in the victim’s home and the DNA of an unidentified person that was detected on his bloodstained clothing.” However, the expert continued, “As the professor himself acknowledged, these conclusions about the DNA’s provenance do not allow the court to understand when and how the genetic material ended up on his bed sheets.”.

This led her to conclude in the counter-report written by Professor Champod and her that the results of the Bordeaux laboratory could not indicate in any way whether Bernard Megro’s DNA was deposited on the bed sheets during the last visit to Vanessa Lagesse’s bungalow or on the day of the crime. Dr Pope was cross-examined by prosecution lawyer Darshana Gayan, followed by Professor Champod from Lausanne, the second expert on the defence witness list.

Mind you, Me Glover, assisted by Mes Nabil Moolna, Ezra Colimalay, Guillaume Gillot and Rayan Proag, told the court on Thursday that his client will assert his right to remain silent.