Robert Jeffrey
A TEXT message said to have been sent by Robert Jeffrey minutes before he allegedly assaulted a Ballarat North man said “I will break more than his windows”, a jury was told yesterday.
That evidence was given shortly after a forensic case worker claimed that a bloodstain found on one of Jeffrey’s boots was a 33-billion-to-one chance of belonging to Robert Linane, the man he’s accused of assaulting on March 6 last year.
Jeffrey appeared in the dock of the County Court in Ballarat yesterday, where he has pleaded not guilty to charges including intentionally causing serious injury and aggravated burglary.
His defence claims the prosecution has the wrong man.
The latest witness to give evidence was police informant Detective Senior Constable Gerard Collihole, who told the jury how he and another police officer had arrested Jeffrey outside the Queens Head Hotel on March 7 last year.
He said police seized a mobile phone from Jeffrey, which showed a text message saying “I will break more than his windows” being sent at 3.56pm the day before – less than an hour from the time police were called over the assault.
Mr Linane’s partner Leanne Lawson has given evidence that Jeffrey and about 10 others gathered outside the couple’s home in the early hours of March 6, that there was a cricket bat and that windows were smashed.
A case manager from the Victoria Police Forensic Services Centre also gave evidence, telling the jury there was “extremely strong” evidence that a small bloodstain found on one of Jeffrey’s boots seized by police belonged to Mr Linane.
She said it was 33 billion times more likely that the sample analysed would match Mr Linane’s DNA than a randomly selected Caucasian.
The witness also said there was “extremely strong support” that DNA taken from a cricket bat seized by police belonged to Jeffrey.
In her evidence last week, Ms Lawson said the couple had been at home on the day in question when Jeffrey and three others walked in.
She said the intruders went to find Mr Linane while she ran from the house and called triple-zero.
She said she could hear screaming and banging before Jeffrey and the others left the house. She said she found her partner was barely breathing and with one eye hanging out of his head.
The trial before Judge Tony Howard continues.
