NZ Police/Supplied
Kimleang Youn, 28, died in hospital after falling from a moving vehicle.
DNA found on the trousers of a man who died after falling from moving vehicle is 70 billion times more likely to be the man who the Crown say was the driver, a court has heard.
Cambodian national Kimleang Youn, died from his injuries nearly a month after the Māngere incident.
Mesi Teo is now on trial at the High Court in Auckland, charged with manslaughter and failing to stop to ascertain injury. He has pleaded not guilty.
The Crown’s case is that Youn must have been so frightened that he felt safer to leave a moving vehicle than stay in a van with Teo, fearing violence after Teo began patting him down looking for methamphetamine.
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On Monday, forensic scientist Timothy Power told the court that DNA found on the left pocket of Youn’s pants were “70,000 million” times more likely to be Teo’s than another persons.
“That’s extremely strong scientific support that the DNA from the left side of the pants were Mr Teo’s DNA,” Power said.
The Crown’s case is earlier on the day of the incident, both Youn and Teo had smoked methamphetamine together.
Youn was seen falling from a car. He suffered severe head injuries and died in hospital.
NZ Police/Supplied
Kimleang Youn and Mesi Teo had smoked methamphetamine earlier in the day.
Police later identified Teo as the driver, through a tattoo on his arm, and obtained a warrant to intercept his phone calls.
“God knows I didn’t push him out, the man himself jumped out,” Teo said to a friend.
Soon after that, Teo is alleged to have told a friend while driving on the same road in Māngere.
At some point on the drive, Youn took his seatbelt off after Teo challenged Youn about not having any more drugs, the Crown allege.
He began patting down Youn’s pockets.
Teo, who is representing himself, told the jury in his brief opening statement that the police’s case against him was false and misleading and they had planted evidence.
The trial before Justice Michael Robinson and a jury continues.
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