POLICE officers tasked with searching the scene of an alleged murder ‘could not remember’ if two pieces of clothing evidence were found on the first sweep of the scene, a court heard.

As the trial into the murder of Christopher Lemonius continued at Oxford Crown Court yesterday PC David Morgan and ex-PC Justin Butler took to the witness box.

The pair of Thames Valley Police officers were tasked with searching the house, back garden and alleyway at Jourdain Road two days after the incident on June 1 last year.

During a search of the kitchen area on June 3 between 6.25pm and 6.50pm the court heard that two pieces of clothing evidence – both hats, may not have been discovered on the first search.

Answering questions from defence teams during cross examination PC Morgan said that he could not remember anything about hats during the search.

Quizzing the officer defence barrister Mozammel Hossain said: “You don’t expect two hats lying around in the kitchen.

“They are not kitchen utensils, you don’t drain chip fat with them. Do you think it would be mind-bogglingly stupid to see a hat in the kitchen and not seize them?”

PC Morgan agreed and repeated that as part of a team of officers that conduct many searches he could not recall hats or any other particular from the Jourdain Road search.

Mr Hossain also asked the officer if there had been any prior ‘pressure’ to recall hats specifically being seized, which he denied.

Six Oxford men all deny murder: Yasine Lamzini, Otman Lamzini, Rashaun Stoute, Yousef Koudoua, Connor Woodward and Carlos Spencer. The trial continues.