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| Teoh could have been injured or unconscious before fall |
| Written by Chua Sue-Ann | |||
| Monday, 17 August 2009 17:22 | |||
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Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Klang's senior consultant pathologist Dr Khairul Azman Ibrahim conceded to Selangor state government's counsel Malik Imtiaz Sarwar's suggestion that several injuries, including those to Teoh's ribs and face, could have occurred before Teoh was dead. Khairul, the 10th witness, told the inquest that the post mortem could not establish the sequence of injuries to distinguish those caused by the fall and those caused by bodily harm. Khairul then agreed with Malik's suggestion that it was possible that Teoh had not reacted when falling either because he was semi-conscious or unconscious, saying "Possibly. We don't know the story." On Teoh's clinched fists, Khairul said normal injuries sustained during a fall would indicate the deceased person's attempt to protect themselves, grab objects or stiffen their legs. However, Khairul said the post mortem did not record any fractures on Teoh's arms. The government pathologist also maintained that the multiple chest injuries found on Teoh's body were likely from the high impact fall. Met later, Malik said the pathologist had assumed that all injuries found on Teoh were caused by the fall on the grounds that there had been no signs of struggle on Teoh's body and the 14th floor office, where Teoh was last seen alive. Teoh, an aide of Selangor state executive council member Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead on July 16 after overnight interrogation as a witness at the Selangor Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's (MACC) office at Plaza Masalam here. The state MACC office occupies Plaza Masalam's 14th floor, near the fifth floor corridor where Teoh's body was found. Lawyers today also honed in on other injuries found on Teoh's body in a bid to determine whether these were caused by a fall or was indicative of foul play. Khairul had told the inquest that Teoh's skull fracture was likely sustained during the fall, maintaining that Teoh had fallen forwards on his face after landing on his feet. That, Khairul said, likely caused the fractures on Teoh's skull and chin while Malik noted that Teoh also sustained lip and forehead injuries which could not be attributed to the fall. Khairul also altered his hypothesis that Teoh's rib and chest fractures were likely from falling fowards, telling the inquest that the injuries could have been caused by impact with Teoh's thigh. Meanwhile, the Malaysian Bar Council's Rajpal Singh said Khairul's earlier assumptions that ruled out homicide were "untrue". Rajpal contended that Khairul's opinion was formed based on the observation that a pen found in Teoh's pocket had not fallen out and that the pathologist found no signs of struggle. Khairul then said it was possible "the struggle was not that bad", adding that "but no one saw actually (what happened)". Despite objections from Tan Hock Chuan, the criminal lawyer assisting the coroner, Gobind stood up to rebuke Khairul for "changing (his) whole version of events after cross-examination". "The doctor is taking different positions each time a question is put... This doctor is completely contradicting himself," Gobind said. University Malaya Medical Centre's pathologist Dr Prashant Naresh Samberkar, who conducted the post mortem with Khairul, is expected to take the stand Tuesday ahead of MACC officers.
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