SHAH ALAM, March 22 — A forensic consultant told the High Court here today that Cradle Fund chief executive officer Nazrin Hassan was already dead before the fire broke out at his home. 

Kuala Lumpur Hospital (KLH) forensic medicine consultant Dr Siew Sheue Feng said there is no soot injury and soot inflation and such condition showed the victim did not breathe hot air.

"Looks like he (the deceased) already died before the onset of the fire,” the 46th prosecution witness said during examination-in-chief by Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohd Asnawi Abu Hanifah.

When reading out his witness statement, Dr Siew who conducted the post mortem on Nazrin at 5pm on June 14, 2018, at the KLH Department of Forensic Medicine said, there was no evidence of laryngeal inhalation injury or soot in the trachea and deeper air passage of the victim.

Dr Siew was testifying in the trial of Nazrin’s widow Samirah Muzaffar, 46, and two teenagers, now aged 19 and 16, as well as an Indonesian woman still at large, Eka Wahyu Lestari, who were all charged with murdering Nazrin at his house in Mutiara Damansara, between 11.30 pm on June 13, 2018, and 4am the following day. 

Dr Siew, who has performed more than 2,000 post mortems, also listed 16 marks of injury that were found on Nazrin’s body which include penetrating wound measuring 5x4 cm at the left parietal region, penetrating wound measuring 2x1 cm at the right side of the central forehead and penetrating wound measuring 2x1.5 cm at the upper half of the front of neck. 

The witness also showed and explained more than 100 photographs taken during the post mortem, during which Nazrin’s sister who was in the courtroom was heard crying.

The trial before Judge Datuk Ab Karim Ab Rahman continues tomorrow. — Bernama