“Dr Death” drops bombshell at Teoh inquest

Thailand’s most senior forensic pathologist, the renowned Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand, dropped a bombshell at the Teoh Beng Hock inquest today.

Dr Pornthip is the Director-General of the Central Forensic Science Institute, Ministry of Justice, in Bangkok - Photo credit: thaitsunamihelp.org

This is the latest via Twitter from Malaysian Insider:

• Dr Pornthip steps out of witness box.
• Dr Pornthip says, “I never want to criticise the police & doctors.”
• Dr Pornthip requests Azmil to make statement to media, stresses she is here to offer opinion only.
• Magistrate Azmil Munthapa Abas, acting as coroner, thanks Dr Pornthip for helping inquest.
• Dr Pornthip says will take longer time due to decomposition of body but that won’t affect her final analysis.
• Dr Pornthip tells court she is prepared to do 2nd autopsy even if have to exhume Teoh’s body.
• Dr Pornthip disagrees with Tan’s suggestion.
• Tan suggests to Dr Pornthip that she doesn’t have enough basis to conclude Teoh’s death is 80pct homicide & 20pct suicide.
• Tan reads out Dr Prashant’s nine reasons for concluding Teoh committed suicide, one by one.
• Dr Pornthip says she can’t answer Tan’s questions because the investigation is incomplete.
• Dr Pornthip says if bone fragments were found in the anal area, it’d be compatible with injury caused there by fall from a height.
• Dr Pornthip replies yes to Tan but adds its uncommon.
• Tan reads Dr Prashant’s analysis on anal injury and asks Dr Pornthip if penetration can be caused by bone fracture after a high fall.
• Dr Pornthip says strangulation signs may not always leave marks on the skin but can be detected under the skin.
• Tan shows Teoh’s photos to Dr Pornthip & asks if she spots signs of strangulations she had described earlier. She says no.
• Dr Pornthip says she didn’t get copies of all documents from the Selangor government which engaged her.
• Replying to Tan Hock Chuan, Dr Pornthip wished she had a chance to talk to the two pathologists who did Teoh autopsy on the results.
• Dr Pornthip returns to witness box for cross-examination after court resumes after lunch.
• Court allows Dr Pornthip to examine Teoh’s shoes to confirm her hypothesis that he was dragged before falling to death.
• Coroner’s court breaks for lunch and will resume at 2pm.
• DPP Kevin Morais, acting for the MACC, asks Dr Pornthip to clarify definition of strangulation.
• Dr Pornthip says Teoh’s death is 80pct homicide and 20pct suicide.
• Dr Pornthip confirms that Teoh was alive when he hit the ground but may have been unconscious even before falling.
• Dr Pornthip says skull fracture not typical of injury from fall but more compatible from blunt force applied directly to the skull.
• Dr Pornthip notes round marks on Teoh’s neck could mean ‘manual strangulation’ with fingers.
• Dr Pornthip says injury to Teoh’s anus caused by penetration with object before fall, based on pictures taken from death site.
• Dr Pornthip gives a graphic power point display based on a post-mortem pictures to show & explain Teoh’s injuries.
• Dr Pornthip tells court not all injuries on Teoh’s body consistent with fall from a height.
• Dr Pornthip explains her views are based on Teoh’s autopsy report.
• Questioned by Malik, Dr Pornthip says Teoh died from a fall about 6am to 8am on July 16, 2009.
• Dr Pornthip tells court she has conducted more than 10,000 autopsies, of which about 100 dealt with fatal falls from a high place.
• Court resumes with Dr Pornthip taking oath at witness box.
• Teoh Beng Hock’s parents, elder brother & younger sister in court to hear Dr Pornthip’s testimony.
• Court stands down until 10.15am to set up equipment for Dr Pornthip’s evidence, expected to last an hour.
• Selangor lawyer Malik Imtiaz Sarwar introduces Dr Pornthip as expert witness for the inquest.
• AG’s lawyer Tan Hock Chuan introduces UKM forensic chief Prof Shahrom Abd Wahid to sit in for back-up explanation.
• Court sets up projector system in front of witness box for evidence from Dr Pornthip.
• The Selangor government has engaged Dr Pornthip to testify as expert witness.
• Famous Thai pathologist Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand to testify today. She worked on Asian Tsunami victims & David Carradine’s death.
• Coroner’s court resumes hearing on Teoh Beng Hock’s death today.