The High Court hearing Stephanie Foray’s murder trial was informed that the deceased’s neck was probably injured and bleeding.  

Foray, a 30-year-old French tourist, was murdered in Pulau Tioman last year.

Eleventh prosecution witness, Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital forensics expert Dr Sri Marni Zainal Abidin was responding to deputy public prosecutor Salim Soib @ Hamid’s reference to her post-mortem report on Foray’s remains.

She testified that although it was difficult to determine if the victim’s neck was injured due to the decomposition of the body and a towel tied around the part during a post-mortem, the possibility could not be discounted.     

“I don’t discount the possibility of injury to the neck and the towel around it was probably used to stem bleeding from the head or it (towel) may have been there for no reason,” answered Sri Marni.

The forensics expert was resuming her testimony on the 15th day of the trial against Asni Omar, 37, who is charged with the murder of Foray at an unnumbered house in Kampung Tekek, Pulau Tioman between 8pm on May 10, 2011 and 12 noon on May 12, 2011.   

Earlier during the morning proceedings, Salim questioned Sri Marni on the contradiction between the victim's x-ray report prepared by the hospital’s radiologist Dr Mubarak Mohd Yusof and her post-mortem report.   

She clarified that Mubarak’s report was based on x-rays which found no fractures on the skull, lower jaw, right humerus, cervical bone and thoracic vertebrae, femur, tibia and both feet.

“Whereas, my colleague Dr Nurliza Abdullah, a Kuala Lumpur Hospital forensics expert, and I could see the bones directly during the post-mortem.     

“Furthermore, hair-line fractures on the bones cannot be detected by x-ray,” she added.

The trial before Judge Mariana Yahya was adjourned to July 30 as the defence needed the lengthy duration to prepare their cross-examination of Sri Marni.

“The witness has testified on matters which were originally not in the post-mortem report, such as radiology, dental and entomology reports, so we need some time to prepare for the cross-examination,” said defence lawyer Muhamaad Hisham Abdul Rahim.   

- Bernama