A COURT has heard that a major error in the DNA evidence gathering in the case of a police officer accused of assaulting a suspect could have had severe implications.

PC Christopher Jude is accused of seriously assaulting a suspect during a drugs raid before planting a knife and then lying about it.

His defence told the court on Tuesday that the mistake "may have destroyed evidence that could have supported Christopher Jude's account."

Conflicting evidence has been presented to the hearing at Preston Crown Court over how the DNA of both PC Jude and his alleged victim came to be on the knife.

And the jury was told that a mistake in the evidence gathering by police could have led to his alleged victim's DNA being found all over the knife PC Jude is accused of planting.

The trial heard that the knife was tested all over for DNA rather than each individual side.

If the victim's DNA had been found on individual swabs of both sides of the knife it would have been difficult to argue that he had not had the blade in his possession when the drugs raid started.

If his DNA had only been found on the side of the knife in contact with the blanket, the prosecution would have been much better placed.

The case continues.