SHAH ALAM, March 27 — No trace of biological specimens were discovered on the exterior of both the Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS) van and a fire engine deployed during the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple riot last year, the Coroner’s Court was told today.
Chemistry Department Malaysia (Criminalistic) forensics science officer Mohamad Firdhaus Ramli, 33, said he found no physical evidence like textile fibres or biological trace such as hair or blood on the vehicles’ exterior during his examination.
“I did the examination (for human biological traces) but I did not find any biological evidence such as hair or blood,” he told Judge Rofiah Mohamad who is sitting as coroner for the inquest into the death of fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim.
Mohamad Firdhaus, who was the 26th witness to testify, then revealed that he was instructed by his department head to conduct examinations on both the EMRS and the fire engine on December 5 at the Subang Jaya police headquarters, nine days after the riot on November 27.
When government lawyer Faten Hadni Khairuddin asked whether it was possible for a collision to not leave behind biological trace, Mohamad Firdhaus did not rule out the possibility.
Mohamad Firdhaus was then asked if biological evidence could have disappeared due to the vehicles being exposed to the open prior to evidence gathering, to which he replied in agreement.
“In my opinion, they can vanish based on environmental factor such as rain, but as for this examination it is out of my knowledge,” he said.
He said that based on paint specimen obtained from both vehicles, there were existing transfer of paint between the original paint job and specimens taken from damaged areas of the vehicles.
“I do not have any proof to link the crash to any form of human collision involvement based on physical evidence gathered.
“I can only confirm that there is a collision consistency between the front part of the EMRS van and the fire engine’s rear based on the samples analysed,” he said.
Muhammad Adib was critically injured in the early morning of November 27 after he and his team members from the Subang Jaya fire station responded to an emergency call at the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple where a riot was taking place.
The fireman was taken to Subang Jaya Medical Centre before he was transferred to IJN for further treatment, where he succumbed to his wounds on December 17.
The hearing resumes at 10.30am tomorrow.
