Sydney, Thursday

IVAN MILAT'S defence lawyer today pointed the finger of guilt at Milat's brother as being more likely to have murdered seven backpackers in Australia's worst serial killing.

In his final address in the New South Wales Supreme Court, Terry Martin said the jury just had to look at the way Richard Milat conducted himself at the trial.

``Do you think it is reasonably possible that he was the killer and not Ivan Milat?'' Martin asked.

He listed numerous features including the description given by the surviving backpacker who was allegedly attacked by Ivan Milat; Richard Milat's access to firearms, ammunition, and to Ivan's house; and the discovery of rope in Richard's car which was very similar to rope found near one murder scene.

Further, he referred to comments Richard made to fellow workers, which suggested he knew the German backpackers' bodies were in the Belanglo State Forest before they were found.

``Is it not highly suggestive that Richard Milat is the killer?'' Martin said.

He said evidence was given by another workmate that Richard Milat once said ``stabbing a woman is like cutting a loaf of bread''.

``Why would anyone say anything as hideous as that in a joking fashion?'' he said.

``Do you not regard, in the circumstances of this case, that that was a very sinister thing to say?''

Milat has pleaded not guilty to murdering seven backpackers whose bodies were found in the forest, about 65 miles south-west of Sydney in the New South Wales southern highlands, between September 1992 and November 1993.

The 51-year-old roadworker has also pleaded not guilty to kidnapping another traveller in January 1990.

The victims were: Britons Caroline Clarke, 21, of Slaley, Nortumberland and Joanne Lesley Walters, 22, from Maesteg, Wales; German couple Gabor Neugebauer, 21, of Munich, and Anja Habschied, 20, from Karlsfeld; German traveller Simone Schmidl, 21, from Regensburg; James Gibson, 19 and Deborah Everist, 19, both from Victoria, Australia.-AP.