A bomb squad officer who was first to examine the car used by gunmen who killed two soldiers in Northern Ireland said he did not see a latex glove tip said to be at the heart of the case.
British soldiers Mark Quinsey (23) and Patrick Azimkar (21) were murdered in the attack claimed by dissident republicans opposed to the peace process.
The two Royal Engineer sappers were shot dead as they collected pizzas with comrades outside the gates of Massereene army base in Antrim town in March 2009.
They were only hours from flying to Afghanistan to begin a six-month tour of duty and were already dressed in desert fatigues.
High-profile republican Colin Duffy (43) from Forest Glade in Lurgan, Co Armagh, and Brian Shivers (46) from Sperrin Mews in Magherafelt, Co Derry, deny two charges of murder and the attempted murder of six others - three soldiers, two pizza delivery drivers and a security guard.
The trial, which today entered its second week at Antrim Court, has already been told that DNA evidence, yet to be presented to the court, will allegedly link Duffy to a latex glove tip found in the getaway vehicle.
But under cross examination by his defence barrister Barry McDonald QC, Warrant officer Alan Ness said he did not see the glove fragment.
The defence referred the explosives expert to pictures he took while examining the vehicle to ensure it was safe for a full forensic search.
One photograph showed a clothing tag resting on a blue MoT disc holder in the footwell of the Vauxhall car found abandoned seven miles from the murder scene.
Other images subsequently recorded by other security force staff were shown to the court and in those the glove tip could be seen next to the disc holder, though the clothing tag had moved position.
Asked about whether he would have noticed the glove tip if it had been in the car’s passenger footwell when he examined it, the soldier said: “I didn’t see it.”
PA