IT is likely that murder victim Heather Barnett was rendered unconscious soon after being attacked, a court heard this morning.

Forensic scientist Geoffrey Robinson, who examined the murder scene at Capstone Road, Charminster, after Heather was found dead in November 2002, said it was likely the 48-year-old seamstress lost consciousness or was subdued soon after she was attacked, from indications from blood patterns and the lack of items disturbed around the house.

He told Winchester Crown Court this morning that his examinations of the scene led him to conclude that she would have been unable to try to fight off her attacker.

Mr Robinson said: “One would conclude that the indications were that very, very quickly, Miss Barnett was subdued in a sense and couldn’t put up any form of struggle.”

Mr Robinson told the jury that there was an “extensive pooling of blood” around her body where it was found on the bathroom floor.

“Clearly this was a scene where there was a substantial amount of blood present, clearly indications of a very violent assault, and one piece of information is the perpetrator would have been heavily blood stained,” he said.

The trial earlier this week heard that Heather was found with her throat cut and breasts removed.

Mr Robinson said that there was a lot of blood on the bath too, adding: “The conclusion I drew is the breasts probably were placed on there after being cut from her body.”

Mr Robinson said he also found loose hair around the scene.

But, he said, there was not as much blood as he would have anticipated from such a violent attack, which indicated she was dead by the time her other injuries were inflicted.

Away from where Heather’s body was found, there was a blood trail from the bathroom to the lounge, into the victim’s work room and up to the patio door.

In the work room, a sewing machine was upturned on the floor and a wooden stool was also knocked over.

There was blood around the patio doors and on walls nearby. Mr Robinson said it was likely that Heather was attacked near her work top. Blood stains showed she was not stood up - her head was close to the floor - when she was hit in the head and it was possible she was pushed or fell from her stool.

Danilo Restivo, 39, of Chatsworth Road, Charminster, denies murdering Heather Barnett.

The trial continues.