TEOH: Found dead on July 16 last year

DEAD WRONG: Dr Pornthip's homicide theory shot down by government pathologist this morning

SHAH ALAM (Updated): Government pathologist Dr Shahidan Md Noor this morning disputed Thai forensic pathologist Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand's claims of homicide in Teoh Beng Hock's death.

At the High Court this morning, Dr Shahidan, from Sungai Buloh hospital, said his findings from the autopsy concluded that Teoh's death was caused by a fall from a high place with the injuries sustained consistent with the result of a fall.

He also disputed Dr Pornthip's testimony that the bruises on Teoh's neck was a result of strangulation as there was no evidence of asphyxiation or that his anal injury was a penetrative wound.

Dr Shahidan told the court that findings from external examinations of the deceased's body revealed injuries behind the tongue and inner throat. He said the bones at the buttock areas were also broken and further injuries revealed deformities on the deceased's hands, legs and feet due to breaks in the humerus, femur and fibia.

He said he agreed with findings from the first autopsy, which he added was "performed well".

The second autopsy by Dr Shahidan was performed on Nov 22 last year as per the instructions of the Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohd Abazafree Mohd Abbas on Nov 9.

The autopsy was conducted for two hours and supplemented with a report on the first autopsy, Dr Pornthip's testimony and photographs of the scene of the incident.

Dr Shahidan was also contacted by the Menteri Besar's office in Selangor and Teoh's family lawyer to conduct the autopsy but had declined.

The inquest was postponed to March 1, at which time Dr Shahidan would be cross-examined.

Dr Pornthip is a director of the Central Institute of Forensic Science of Thailand’s Justice Ministry. When she took the stand late last year, she claimed that there was an 80 per cent chance that Teoh’s death was due to homicide.

She is assisted by Dr Peter Venezis who became famous after investigating Princess Diana's death.

Both pathologists are scheduled to give their testimonies following Dr Shahidan's.

Teoh, 30, was found dead on July 16 last year at Plaza Masalam here, the morning after he was interviewed for 10 hours by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), whose office is on the 14th floor of the building.

The political secretary of Selangor exco member Ean Yong Hian Wah was reported to have been a witness in an MACC investigation into alleged irregularities in the disbursement of constituency development funds.