The lawyer for murder-accused Liam Reid has questioned the reliability of DNA evidence linking him to an alleged rape in Dunedin.
The 36-year-old is charged with the rape and attempted murder of a Dunedin University student on 24 November last year, and the rape and murder of deaf woman Emma Agnew in Christchurch nine days earlier.
The court was told on Thursday that DNA from under the Dunedin woman's fingernails and from a rope used in the attack, was very likely to have come from Mr Reid.
But defence lawyer David Bunce said the DNA test used on the rope was a relatively new technique and prone to contamination.
The defence is expected to open its case on Friday.
