Death at MACC: My CSI part XI: The watch and the left hand

ARCHIVES 2009

By admin-s On Aug 19, 2009

By Dr. Rafick

1. Yesterday, 17/6/2009 at the inquest Dr Khairul was grilled by the lawyers with regards to the injuries that the late TBH sustained. Among the many issues raised by Malik Imtiaz Sarwar Imtiaz, I find that the question that is related to the left forearm is most important.

2. If we read the TBH PM report, item 12(a) and 13 is very significant. The relevant sections of the PM report are
a. Item No 12(a). The left arm showed ecchymosis over the inner side of the left forearm measuring 9cmx4cm. The underlying forearm bone was fractured
b. Item No 12(b).The left arm bone was fractured.
c. Item 13 A rectangular imprint abrasion due to buckle of wrist watch measuring 4.5cm x2cm is present on the front aspect of the left wrist

The word ecchymosis refers to the passage of blood from ruptured blood vessels into subcutaneous tissue, marked by a purple discoloration of the skin. In layman terms, a bruise would be a close description. For convenience, I will use the word bruise.

3. The location of the bruise and the location of the abrasion which is due to the buckle of the watch are quite close. The bruise can be due to the fracture or it could be due to someone gripping his hand tightly. Let us analyze this and comes to a conclusion what is the likely possibility.

4. If we refer back to the picture of TBH lying motionless on the roof the 5th floor, we could see that he was lying on his side. His left upper limb is located on the top on his body and his fingers were curl. There was some speculation on why the finger curled in such a manner.

5. I believe the curled finger can be explained by the fracture of the left forearm near the elbow. It would have probably injured the Radial and/or Ulnar nerve and this led to the curling of the fingers.

6. A fractured forearm and positional gravity can also lead to bruises in the internal aspect of the left forearm. However for a light skin person like TBH, it could also be due to a tight grip. The size is 9cm x 4cm which is equivalent to the size of an adult hand. If we have access to the picture of the bruised we could certainly comes to a definite conclusion.

7. Based on my earlier CSI writings, I had raised the possibility that the piece of shining object lying next to TBH is his watch. From enlargement, I could not see the actual time piece but saw a “Charlie Chaplin” kind of image on the watch. I was surprised to read in the inquest findings that only the watch bracelet with its pins was found. The actual time piece is missing.

8. If we were to put the findings of the bruise, missing time piece and watch buckle imprint on the left hand, it could give a credible theory that there was a man holding on to his left forearm tightly and at the same time the time piece actually dislodge from the bracelet.