DNA evidence pointed to just one man starting a massive blaze at a Wellington storage facility. <\/p>\n
Angelo Bitossi, 35, was found guilty of arson on Thursday at the High Court in Wellington. <\/p>\n
Justice Simon France found the prosecution had proven beyond reasonable doubt that Bitossi had started a fire at the Kiwi Self Storage facility in Kilbirnie on April 4. <\/p>\n
The storage unit where the fire began belonged to Darren McKinley, with whom Bitossi had a falling out. <\/p>\n
The fire sparked a massive blaze which destroyed part of the facility and caused millions of dollars in damage, with hundreds of people losing personal possessions. <\/p>\n
A black and purple cap discovered by investigators on a driveway between two units was later shown to contain Bitossi's DNA. <\/p>\n
\"When one looks at the CCTV footage of the offender coming back after setting the fire, the person appears to be wearing the exact type of hat,\" said Justice France. <\/p>\n
The Crown established that no other DNA was found on the cap besides Bitossi's and he was seen wearing it in the days leading up to the fire. <\/p>\n
Bitossi denied owning such a cap, but could not give an explanation as to how it was found near the storage facility's exit. <\/p>\n
Justice France said it was not just the cap which proved Bitossi was at the storage unit when the fire broke out. <\/p>\n
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Continued here: DNA evidence pointed to just one man starting a massive blaze at a Wellington storage facility. Continue reading
\nDNA was storage arsonist's undoing<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"