A DNA sample with partial matches to the man accused of raping a 76-year-old woman was found on the victim’s nightdress, a court has heard.
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The man is accused of breaking into the woman’s home in July 2015, demanding $250 cash and then raping her.
He was 18 at the time.
The trial continued in the Launceston Supreme Court on Tuesday.
On Tuesday biological scientist Dr Paul Holloway detailed DNA evidence prepared by Forensic Science Service Tasmania, from 63 samples obtained from items belonging to both the accused and the woman.
Dr Holloway said a partial match to the DNA profile of the accused was found on the woman’s nightdress.
However defence lawyer Alan Hensley argued there was no way to prove “with complete certainty” how the sample came to be on the nightdress, outlining the possibility of a secondary transfer.
The trial, before Justice Robert Pearce, will resume on Wednesday.
