Prosecution rules out sedatives

THE prosecution brought its evidence against Huntley to a close with a series of statements about clothing seized from him and his home.

Richard Latham QC read a statement from a forensic toxicologist, who said there was no evidence that Holly or Jessica had been sedated prior to their deaths.

He ruled out the use of certain drugs, such as temazepam, opiates and cannabis, because he found no trace of them in samples of the girls' body tissues.

But he said the nature of the decomposition of the bodies meant he was unable to say whether other substances, such as alcohol, chloroform, ether or the date rape drug known as GHB had been used. Medicines and a drink bottle seized from 5 College Close did not suggest Huntley or Carr had access to "potent sedative drugs", he said.

A bottle of tablets used to treat depression which was seized from the house, was prescribed to Huntley on 13 August, nine days after the girls vanished. None were taken, the toxicologist said.

Junior counsel for the prosecution, Karim Khalil QC, then read out a further list of admissions. He said no hairs or blood from either Holly or Jessica were recovered from the house or Huntley's car.

He also said no fingerprints from either girl were found "save for those on the box of Celebrations chocolates" (which Holly gave to Carr at the end of the 2002 academic year).

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