Frenchman Thomas Debatisse murder trial   Exhibits shown in court   |10 February 2022

Crime scene officer in charge of exhibits, Corporal Jean Philip Lucas, yesterday afternoon continued to present evidence before the Supreme Court in the ongoing murder trial of Frenchman Thomas Debatisse accused of murdering his girlfriend Emmanuelle Badibanga.

Prosecution lawyer Hemanth Kumar continued to question Corporal Lucas on the exhibits he collected at the scene of the incident in room 2027 at the Club Med Resort on Ste Anne island on the day of the incident on April 27, 2021 as well as at the Seychelles Hospital mortuary.

Officer Lucas gave detailed information as to the number of exhibits collected and their locations. He stated that in total 45 items were taken by him and that he handed over 27 of them to police officer Kelly Auguste who took these with her to France for analysis.

He further declared that he has not yet received back the exhibits which were taken to France for DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and toxicology tests.

At the request of the prosecution, officer Lucas presented 14 exhibits to the court and the jurors. These items included a metal knob, a paper tag, two pairs of shorts, a glass, a swab taken from the victim, a key bracelet, a hair sample as well as a pubic hair sample from the victim, a spectacle frame and lenses in a purse, two t-shirts, a pair of jeans and a boxer short.

The case will continue this morning when the defence lawyer Basil Hoareau will start cross-examining Corporal Lucas.

Contributed