hairbrush

The scantily clad performers spoke in monotone — “lipstick,” “hairbrush,” “pencil” — as the audience took turns puppeteering their arms around their desks.

Giving evidence, Atkins claimed he killed Mr Shotton in self-defence, using the end of a hairbrush and beating him with a loudspeaker, after the lodger threatened him with a knife.

The family prayed as McCormick’s great-grandson built a small plywood coffin that was filled with gifts and necessities for the next world, such as her granddaughter’s artwork and a hairbrush.

DNA from Bryan's late mother's hairbrush was later found to be a familial match to traces on the victim's vest and clump of hair.

In Bryan's absence, cells from his late mother's hairbrush were compared with traces on the victim's vest and clump of hair and found to be a close DNA match, Mr Mably said.