IPOH: The Ipoh High Court here was told there were no semen stains found on the clothing, mop or mattress taken from the house of former state executive councillor (exco) Paul Yang Choo Kiong, who is accused of raping his maid.
Director of the DNA Forensics Division, Department of Chemistry, Nor Aidora Saedon said an acid phosphatase (AP) test was conducted to screen casework items for the possible presence of semen.
"For garments - clothes, pants, underwear and a piece of mattress which had been cut, I used AP to identify the presence of semen and the results showed there were no stains found on all the fabric.
"However, for the mop, we cannot detect semen stains using AP. There are several factors why semen could not be detected.
"Firstly, there is actually no semen, and secondly, there is a possibility the mop has been cleaned. Also, should semen be detected on the mop, it is probably very minimal and had undergone degradation (process) due to high temperatures and humidity," she said.
Nor Aidora, the 17th witness in the rape trial of Yong said this during her testimony before Judge Datuk Abdul Wahab Mohamed.
Asked by Deputy Public Prosecutor, Azalina Rashdi whether there was foreign deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) found on the hair, Nor Aidora said no.
"There was no DNA found on the hair due to several factors. Firstly, there was no presence of hair roots which still had DNA which had yet to undergo the degradation process or secondly, it could have already undergone the degradation process due to high temperatures and extreme humidity," she said.
On July 13, field investigation officer Inspector V. Simon, 38, told the court that eight suspected semen stains were found on a bed sheet at Yong's home.
The case items also involved four strands of hair found on the bed, and two swab sticks of semen found on the floor beside the bed at the crime scene.
Among the other case items were a bed sheet which had been cut, a mop handle, a grey pair of men's underwear, a brown T-shirt, a pair of black and red striped shorts, an S-sized white round-neck T-shirt, blue shorts, pink panties and a blue bra.
When asked by Azalina whether the use of poli-light was sufficient to make an analysis, Nor Aidora said that it was only for screening and not confirmed.
"Based on the Journal of Forensic Science 2006, it says that detection through poli-light produces 50 per cent false readings and this test is recommended to be accompanied by other tests for confirmation purposes," she said.
Asked by Yong's lead counsel, Datuk Rajpal Singh, whether Nor Aidora had gone to the crime scene to make an analysis, she said no.
"As a forensic chemist of the Malaysia Chemistry Department, I am tasked to carry out the analysis in the laboratory.
"I will only go to the scene if required by the police. In this case, there was no call asking me to go to the scene," she said.
Yong, 51, pleaded not guilty to a charge of raping his Indonesian domestic helper at his house in Meru Desa Park on July 7, 2019 between 8.15pm and 9.15pm.
Yong was first charged in the Sessions Court here on Aug 23, 2019, when he was the state Housing, Local Government, Public Transport, Non-Islamic Affairs and New Villages committee chairman.