SHAH ALAM: British forensics expert Professor Dr Peter Vanezis testified at the coroner’s court yesterday that political aide Teoh Beng Hock was not unconscious when he plunged to his death.
Dr Vanezis, when cross-examined by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) legal affairs department head Datuk Abdul Razak Musa, said the distribution of injuries indicated that Teoh was fully conscious and orientated at the time.
“None of the injuries show that he was killed by other means and thrown out of the window,” said Dr Vanezis, who was engaged by the MACC when a second post-mortem was carried out in November.
Teoh, 30, the political secretary to Selangor executive council member Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead a day after he was taken to the state MACC office in Plaza Masalam here for questioning on July 15 last year over alleged irregularities in the disbursement of development funds.
Dr Vanezis said some of the injuries also indicated that Teoh had tried to break his fall by landing on his feet first with his hands out.
He said this was the natural reflex of a live person falling from height.
He said studies had shown that even those committing suicide by falling
from height had the same kind of reflex defensive injuries.
Dr Vanezis testifed that there was no evidence Teoh was manually strangled prior to his death plunge.
“The bruising of the neck region is part of the overall pattern of injury from the fall. The larynx and hyoid bone were intact,” he said, adding that there were no ligature marks, nail scratches or fingertip bruises there.
On the tear around the anal region, he said these were caused by pelvic injuries sustained in the fall.
Dr Vanezis said they resulted from the “free downward and upward movement of the sacrum (the triangular bone at the base of the spine) and coccyx (tailbone) which entirely dislocated from the ilium (the largest bone in the pelvis)”.
His testimony debunks renowned Thai forensic pathologist Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand’s contention that Teoh may have been manually strangled and was unconscious before his death.
Dr Pornthip had described the said lacerations as penetrative injuries.
Dr Vanezis told coroner Azmil Muntapha Abas that the photographs and post-mortem examinations refuted Dr Pornthip’s views.
He also refuted her suggestion that one of Teoh’s shoes, which had come off his feet, could have been thrown out of the window.
Dr Vanezis said a more logical explanation was that the shoe had come off on impact.
On whether Teoh had been shoved out of the window, he said he could not say yes categorically but thought it unlikely from the evidence.
Dr Vanezis did not comment on whether or not Teoh had been intimidated, resulting in his fall, saying “it is outside my area of expertise”.
Meanwhile, Teoh’s family counsel Gobind Singh Deo and lawyer appointed by the Selangor state government Malik Imtiaz Sarwar informed the coroner that they would only be addressing two issues: the injuries to Teoh’s neck and how his body impacted the ground.
The inquest resumes today.
The coroner will also rule on the family’s application to cite Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz for contempt for calling Dr Pornthip a liar. - The Star, 27 April 2010
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Teoh Lee Lan, the sister of the late political aide Teoh Beng Hock said that the family of the Beng Hock is disappointed with the final report produced by Dr Peter Vanezis, a renowned British pathologist who was hired by the MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission). She told reporters that Dr Vaneizis’ report was ‘unprofessional and unethical’ and that the family did not accept his finding that Beng Hock was fully conscious when he fell down from Plaza Masalam. She said “He’s not correct as a professional. As a professional, I think anything you put in your final report should be fact based, not hearsay. Dr Vanezis’s decision not to probe deeper by asking questions of the MACC officials who had briefed him on the events leading to the fall reflected poorly on his credibility. He said he’s not a detective. But how can he just accept what they say like this?” - 27 April 2010
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This was what was reported on the both sides of the coin in the case of Beng Hock's death. But what was never mentioned was the thing called "The Real Peter Vaneizis". It can be a little scary, but this e-mail comes from a little bird and somehow it shows the side of the doctor. Reading that, I felt like it's going to be another cover up to spare further embarassment of the MACC. Remember, the MACC's reputation has taken a severe beating since July 2009 and the beating still goes on with the organization's failure to go after the big fishes.
I immediately remembered of an anonymous letter that was circulated with the MACC's head. If the doctor's statement has proven to be inaccurate, then perhaps the letter means it is real.
But anyhow, is it real that this is to cover up again and spare further embarassment for MACC? Obviously this piece will never hit the newsstands in Malaysia.
Subject: :
The True Dr. Vanezis
The pathologist in the Teoh Beng Hock case.
Read with an open mind!
Vanezis was Regius Professor in Forensics at Glasgow U between 1994 and 2000 something. And Glasgow is the preferred choice for training of both UKM and Health Ministry would-be-pathologists for various reasons then.
Glasgow was cheap although a dreary city. There was a substantial Kampong Melayu at Otago Street and around Kelvingrove park.
There was a largely friendly Paki community. And for Malaysian scholarship holders there was Vanezis. To be a recognized pathologist in Malaysia you must
first pass your MRCPath and then do a substantial attachment with someone famous like Vanezis. But in true Ketuanan style, a shortcut m ust be found. Glasgow was one of those few places that ran an Msc Forensic Pathology course.
KKM and UKM sent their pathologists there and they come back and get it gazetted as a specialist qualification. As a policy maker (Jusa C and above), you can make your own rules, and get the government to recognize your qualifications. Simple huh. So Vanezis, has a constant flow of students, dungu that they maybe. But dungus pay £9000 a year for two years for an MSc course. The money flows to Glasgow U who are happy with Vanezis and our dungu pathologist are also happy because they get to come back home to be called forensic pathologists with a
fat pay and no on calls. But wait.
There is more money to be made. Dungu pathologists screw up or because they are half baked they dont know how to cover their asses or the govt’s asses. What to do? No problem. Call boss to come lahh. Sure come one. Otherwise constant supply of dungu students will stop. Somemore paying him buisness/first class air ticket with fat fees. He will not only come. But will use his reputation and clean up our mess.
So there you are, Peter Vanezis, the cikgu for our dumbo, unethical, cheats who got their pathology degrees via the back door – they have nothing to worry about. Their cikgu is here to clean up the mess.
I am surprised the PR fellas never did their homework. Vanezis was never and will never be an independant pathologist like Pornthip is.
The MACC should have called in an independent pathologist from the US under
whom all our pathologists didn’t train with.
Vanezis, sold himself today. His colleagues in the UK will know about this. > He is finished!
