THE Heather Barnett murder trial heard today from the A&E doctor who examined an injury on Danilo Restivo’s hand the day Elisa Claps disappeared.

Elisa Claps, 16, went missing from Potenza in Italy on September 12, 1993. Her remains were not discovered until March last year.

The prosecution claims there are “striking similarities” between the deaths of Elisa and mother-of-two Heather Barnett nine years later. They claim both killings were the work of one man.

This week Winchester Crown Court has heard evidence from a number of witnesses from Italy which centres on the disappearance of Elisa.

Restivo says he met Elisa at church that morning but she left shortly before him and he didn’t see her again.

Giving evidence via live video link from Potenza today, Dr Michele Albano said he treated Restivo for a small 1cm cut to his left hand between his thumb and first finger on the afternoon of September 12.

The court heard Restivo claims he cut his hand on sheet metal during a fall at a building site where escalators were being built.

Dr Albano said the injury was caused by a “cutting object, something with sharp edges”.

Looking at photographs of the escalator, Dr Albano said: “A fall on these stairs more probably would have caused an injury of different matter.”

David Jeremy QC, defending, said: “Would the injury you saw be entirely consistent with a splinter of metal going into the hand?”

Dr Albano replied: “We are taking in terms of probability and if someone had fallen on those stairs it would have been different.”

Danilo Restivo, 39, of Chatsworth Road, Charminster, denies murdering Heather Barnett on November 12, 2002.

The case continues