NIKITTA TRIAL: Whant ‘made villain of piece’ (From South Wales Argus)

NIKITTA TRIAL: Whant ‘made villain of piece’

10:12am Monday 20th February 2012 in Nikitta Grender trial

DEFENCE barrister Christopher Kinch QC opened the defence’s closing case on Friday.

Mr Kinch said the prosecution made Whant “the villain of the piece” and put to the jury that, if they analysed what has happened, the picture is horribly unclear.

Referring to the evidence from chief fire investigator Mick Flanagan, who said the fire could have started as early as 4.30am, Mr Kinch said: “It follows, as night follows day, whoever started the fire at Broadmead Park killed Nikitta Grender.”

With this in mind, he told the jury if the fire started even at 5.15am, it was impossible for Whant to be the culprit.

Mr Kinch attacked the CCTV footage of a Ford Focus driving around Newport in the early hours of February 5, and the evidence of Matthew Cass, a senior consultant at the Transport Research Laboratory, who analysed the footage.

He said, due to timing inconsistencies and one vehicle being identified as Whant’s, despite not having the same light default, meant this part of the case: “Disappeared in a cloud of over-enthusiasm and failure on the part of Mr Cass.”