DATA relating to phone calls made between two convicted robbers and an alleged accomplice has been described as 'fragmented', a court heard.

Christopher Doughty, 62, is accused of conspiring with Eriks Valants and Jed Martin to rob the home of Susan Hunt in Leckford, near Stockbridge on March 23, 2020, from his cell at HMP Erlestoke. 

He denies the charge. 

Doughty's trial continued for a fourth day at Winchester Crown Court on Monday, November 13. 

The court heard the cross-examination of Katherine Buckland, analyst for Hampshire Police.

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A series of phone calls and text messages were made between the phones believed to belong to Doughty, Valants and Martin. 

However, data relating to calls from a phone attributed to Valants were described as 'fragmented' by defence barrister Gordon Carse.

Data only recorded a use as an activation whereas other phones had a start and end point when phone calls were made, Mr Carse argued to the court. 

Ms Buckland said: "It shows the number as activations, not the number of calls made or received.”

Therefore, the exact timings of calls couldn't be recorded. 

The court heard that 50 connections were made from a number to Valants' device between March 19 and 30 2020. Six of those were made around the time of the robbery, however it wasn't known who the phone belonged to. 

Officer in the case DC Thomas Bailey also gave evidence. He told the jury that he carried out a number of test phone calls from inside one of the cells at HMP Erlestoke. 

He found that the signal was much better by the cell door than by the window.

In cross-examination, Mr Carse asked if the robbery suggested any inside knowledge of Mrs Hunt's property. He said that tools had been used from a gardening shed to break into the house and that the robbers had to locate a key to access it.

Mr Bailey said: "It was certainly suspicious, but we were never able to prove that. But the key would have been difficult to find without knowledge of the property."

In April 2021, Valants and Martin were jailed for 10 years.

The trial continues.