SHAH ALAM: Sungai Buloh Hospital's pathologist Dr Shahidan Md Noor today ruled out the possibility that deceased political secretary Teoh Beng Hock was strangled before death but maintained Teoh's neck bore "external pressure", likely caused before the fatal fall.

When cross-examined by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's (MACC) legal adviser Datuk Abdul Razak Musa, Shahidan said it was "most probable" that Teoh was not beaten or strangled before falling to his death as there were no signs of asphyxia or injuries suggestive of beating.

"...the injuries on Teoh Beng Hock's body would have been more obvious if he had indeed been beaten until he fainted, or if he had been strangled to death or to the point of unconsciousness before he was thrown out (of the window)," Shahidan said.

Shahidan, who conducted the second autopsy on Teoh in November, 2009, reiterated that the "external pressure" on Teoh's neck had occurred before the fall but could not specify exactly when the pressure was likely applied, when questioned by coroner Azmil Muntapha Abas.

When referred to a photograph taken during the post-mortem, Shahidan said the red line visible on Teoh's neck was from an incision made during the first post-mortem on July 17, 2009.

Abdul Razak: So, from the red line in the photograph, we can confirm that it is not strangulation marks.

Shahidan: This is what's difficult. It would suggest that (it was not strangulation marks) but the internal bruises can still suggest there was a little bit of pressure applied to the region.

Asked for clarification, Shahidan said the pressure he meant was "any force applied to the area" which could be either by hands, a blunt object or any force.

To questions, Shahidan said Teoh's skull injuries were likely caused by the fall as Teoh had landed on his feet before finally falling on the right-hand side of his body.

Shahidan disagreed with Thai expert Dr Porntip Rojanasunan's earlier opinion that Teoh's skull was likely beaten with a blunt object as the former noted that the cement floor Teoh landed on could also be considered a blunt object.

On Teoh's anal injuries, Shahidan said it was "most probable" that the wounds were caused by broken bones and not from the insertion of external objects, as Porntip opined earlier.

Selangor state government's counsel Malik Imtiaz Sarwar then objected to Abdul Razak's questions which suggested that Teoh had been "sodomised", with Malik maintaining that there had never been such a suggestion.

Shahidan also told the court that Teoh was likely alive and conscious during the fall because there was a "large likelihood" that Teoh would not have landed on his feet had he been dead or unconscious prior.

"It is my view that he was conscious the whole time," said Shahidan, who is the inquest's 31st witness.

He maintained that Teoh's death was caused by multiple injuries due to a fall from height, noting the "severe" skeletal and organ injuries found on the deceased.

Shahidan also disagreed with Abdul Razak's suggestion that Teoh's body could have been slightly damaged by the embalming process that took place before Teoh's burial, some four months before the second autopsy on Nov 22, 2009.

Teoh was found dead on July 16, 2009 on the fifth floor landing of Plaza Masalam here, near Selangor MACC's then office which was located on the 14th floor of a tower block in that complex.

Proceedings today continued to focus on Teoh's neck injuries, following Shahidan's testimony on March 1 when he conceded that Teoh's neck injuries could not be attributed entirely to the fatal fall.