A T-SHIRT covered in the blood of Elsie Crook has been shown to the jury as the trial into the murders of her and her husband Robert continued on Tuesday.

The item of clothing was also found to contain skin flakes in the collar which were likely to have belonged to her son Timothy, 51, who is accused of killing the pair.

The bodies of Elsie, 76, and Robert, 82, were found in wheelie bins at a home owned by Timothy in Lincoln in 2007.

He is accused of murdering the couple on the weekend of July 7 and 8 at their bungalow in Thames Avenue, Swindon.

The jury heard evidence from Stephen Harrington, a senior forensic scientist, who described finding blood spatters belonging to Elsie at the couple’s house in Thames Avenue.

The T-shirt was found with other items in bin bags near the property.

Mr Harrington said: “The shirt has impact blood stains, which suggest they have come into contact with blood-covered surface. We took a DNA profile and it matched Elsie Crook.

“There were also smaller spots of blood which also matched Elsie’s profile.

“We look for flakes of skin in the collar to try establish who wore the shirt, and managed to get a partial profile that belonged to a male.

“We can rule out it belonging to Elsie or Robert.”

The partial match suggested it belonged to Timothy but there is a one in seven chance it would match someone else.

Bristol Crown Court, where the trial is taking place, also heard from officers who first spoke with Timothy when it was apparent his parents had gone missing.

DC Samantha Hopkinson, of Wiltshire Police, first visited him on July 12, 2007, at the Swindon property after Elsie and Robert failed to attend a dance class they were expected at.

Timothy said had gone to Lincoln to sell his house but as she and a colleague asked more questions his behaviour altered.

She said: “He appeared calm and was smiling to begin with. The more questions I asked about his parents the more agitated he became.

“He said he had not heard from them since they left and did not have a landline in Lincoln.

“He said his father had a mobile but he had left it behind.”

DC Hopkinson said she had also spotted two books with markers in them and, knowing Elsie and Robert were big readers, asked their son about them.

He said the books were left behind because they were from the library.

Evidence from the doctor who examined Timothy Crook shortly after he was arrested said he had found a number of superficial cuts on his right hand.

Crook denies all the charges and the trial continues.