Blood from a man who was allegedly murdered in an Ipswich park was found on clothing worn by a man and a woman accused of killing him, a court has heard.

Forensic scientist Martin Whittaker told a jury at Ipswich Crown Court DNA matching that of 35-year-old Christopher Thompson whose body was found in Chantry Park in November was discovered was found in blood stains on a pair of jeans belonging to Christopher Wilson and on leggings belonging to Deanna Stanton who have denied murdering Mr Thompson.

Mr Whittaker said there was a one in a billion chance of the DNA coming from anyone other than Mr Thompson.

Wilson, 33, and Stanton, 26 both of no fixed address have denied murdering Mr Thompson on November 15 last year. Wilson has also denied attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The court has heard that in the hours leading up to his death Mr Thompson had been drinking with Wilson, Stanton and another man in Chantry Park.

Benjamin Aina QC, prosecuting, has alleged that Wilson and Stanton hit and punched Mr Thompson and Wilson strangled him.

He claimed that after the alleged killing Wilson and Stanton had gone to a flat in Austin Street awhere they were given clean trousers as the jeans worn by Wilson were wet and blood stanined and the leggings worn by Stanton had mud on them.

The jeans and leggings were later recovered from a hedge where they had been discarded and were examined by Mr Whittaker.

Mr Whittaker told the court that the discovery of Mr Thompson’s DNA in blood stains on Wilson’s jeans suggested he had been in contact with Mr Thompson while he was bleeding.

Questioned by Patricia Lynch for Wilson Mr Whittaker accepted that the blood staining on her client’s jeans could have come from him breaking up a fight between Mr Thompson and another man or by moving Mr Thompson’s body after he had been injured.

Mr Whittaker said although some of the blood staining on Stanton’s leggings coulld have been transferred by her sitting on Wilson’s lap while he was wearing jeans with wet blood on them he said there was a patch measuring 4.5cm by 2cm that in his opinion had not been transferred in that way.

The trial continues today (Thursday).