A moment of levity rang through an otherwise sombre courtroom during the murder trial of Darren Gale on Wednesday.
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As the jury in the Burnie Supreme Court was shown photographs of the shallow grave of allegedly murdered man Noel Ingham, crown prosecutor Jackie Hartnett drew their attention to a tennis ball in the frame.
Many in the room, including jurors and the accused, laughed when they heard the tennis ball was a toy for the cadaver dog which had found the decapitated remains of Mr Ingham buried in Dulverton bushland.
Proceedings were otherwise normal, as Constable Dean Wotherspoon explained in detail each of the several hundred photographs he had taken of the body as it was exhumed in November 2016.
The photographs showed Mr Ingham had been wrapped in two blankets and buried without his head in a grave about 50 centimetres deep.
Many members of the jury grimaced as they were talked through each of the photographs which were shown in chronological order as forensic investigators removed each layer of dirt, exposing more of the partially decomposed body.
Jurors were also shown photographs of the remains of the two small dogs which were also found buried near the burnt out shell of Mr Ingham's Jeep four-wheel-drive.
The court had previously heard Mr Ingham adored his two white bichon frise dogs, and would often pay to have them groomed at the West Ulverstone unit where he and Mr Gale lived in 2016.
Senior Constable Melle Zwerver led the forensic investigation of the unit in October 2016, shortly after Mr Ingham had been reported missing, and detailed search methods in the case.
He said luminol was a substance used in forensic investigation which glowed when it came in contact with blood, even after blood had long been cleaned from an area.
Senior Constable Zwerver said luminol reacted with several areas in the West Ulverstone unit, including a large area in the living room.
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