‘Half a football team’s DNA unrecorded’

DNA specialist Dr Seah Lay Hong is quizzed on why she failed to record at least two more samples found during Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy trial.

KUALA LUMPUR: Anwar Ibrahim’s defence team trained their guns on DNA specialist Dr Seah Lay Hong for failing to record at least two samples during the opposition leader’s sodomy trial hearing today.

Lawyer Ram Karpal Singh took the chemist to task for not recording “half a football team’s DNA” found on Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan’s clothes and lower rectal area.

During cross-examination, Seah told the court that some high allele readings which were registered on her analysis equipment were not mentioned in her report.

According to Seah, who heads the Serious Crime Unit of the Chemistry Department, she thought it was insignificant.

The two readings ignored were a 14.4% reading on a stain from the lower part of Saiful’s trousers and a 28.4% reading recorded from the lower rectal swab.

Ram then raised the possibility that at least two unknown DNA profiles were not on record.

“This does not belong to Saiful or ‘Male Y’. The reading of 28 allele is not mentioned (in the report) although it has a high peak,” he said.

Previously, Seah testified that she found three male DNA profiles – “Male Y”, an unknown male and Saiful’s – on two patches of semen stains found on the complainant’s undewear.

Commenting on this, Ram said: “It seems half a football team’s DNA is found on Saiful but you chose not to report it.”

When he continued to grill the DNA specialist, Seah refused to respond, prompting the lawyer to complain to the judge, Justice Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah.

Ram also noted that Seah did not comply with the guidelines set by the International Society of Forensic Genetics, of which she is a member, on handling mixed DNA.

Seah failed to offer a response when Zabidin quizzed the chemist on why she did not comply with the guidelines.

The chemist also testified that she still remains in the dark about the identity of “Male Y”, saying that the police did not provide any specimen or reference sample.

Seah said the police only provided Saiful’s blood sample as a reference.

Following this, Ram said that the unidentified sample could be anybody’s, including police investigating officer Jude Blacious Pereira.

Seah, who is the prosecution’s fifth witness, also told the court that she did not find any stains on the carpet and blue duvet, which she received from the crime scene. - FMT