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The post-mortem report (at Appendix 26) covers both external and internal examinations of the body. Dr. Wong gave detailed evidence as to its contents, and the most important aspects of this evidence are, in my view, the following:-
(1) Each of the five entry wounds were characterized by a uniform black ring of 3 mm wide which Dr. Wong
described as a black powder mark.
(2) Although Dr. Wong was unable to determine the order in which the bullets were fired into the body, he was able to determine the passage of each bullet from the time it penetrated the body and his findings were (not necessarily in the sequence the shots were fired):-
(i) Bullet 1
It was directed horizontally backwards into the body, slightly to the right. After entry, it fractured the fifth rib, then penetrated the heart sac, the right ventricle of the heart, the diaphragm, the left lobe of the liver, through the descending aorta, finally entering and embedding itself in the ninth thoracic vertebra just lateral to the spinal cord on the left side. (This bullet was found within the body on 18 January 1980 with the assistance of X-ray).
(ii) Bullet 2
It was directed horizontally backwards, about 20° to the left. It penetrated the fifth rib space, the heart sac, the diaphragm, the upper part of the spleen, then through the diaphragm again, fractured the left ninth rib at the back and stopped in the underlying muscle. (This bullet was found within the body on 17 January 1980 in post-mortem).
(iii) Bullet 3
It was directed backwards, slightly downwards, and about 20° to the left, penetrating the abdomen, going through the stomach, the diaphragm, the tenth rib space at the back, and leaving the body through the exit wound No. 1. (This bullet hit the wall in the position next to the light switch).
(iv) Bullet 4
It was directed backwards about 35° downwards and slightly to the right, penetrating the abdomen, through the transverse colon, the mesentery of the small intestine, then the back wall of the abdomen, leaving the body through the exit wound No. 2, on the back of the waist. (This bullet was found between the shirt and the pullover).
(v) Bullet 5
It was directed backwards, slightly downwards, and to the left, penetrating through the muscles of the abdominal wall without entering the abdominal cavity, leaving the body through exist wound No. 3 over the left side of the mid-abdomen. (This bullet hit the bottom drawer of the sideboard opposite the bed).
(3) The air passage contained fine froth.
(4) The left chest cavity contained 500 cc of fluid and clotted blood as did the abdominal cavity which contained
800 cc of fluid and clotted blood.
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The anal opening was dilated with loss of folds; the lining of the anal canal was thickened.
(6) The cause of death was gunshot wounds of chest with injuries to the heart, aorta and spleen.
Dr. Wong, in his evidence before this Commission, made the following additional points:—30
(1) The wounds caused by Bullet Nos. 3 and 4 were so close together that they were almost overlapping.
(2) As he was informed by Trotman during his briefing at the scene that MacLennan was to be arrested for
homosexual charges, he examined the anus also.
(3) He examined the hands for signs of struggle and found none, the only marks of violence in the body being the
five bullet wounds.
(4) The alcohol content of John MacLennan's blood was 52 mg in 100 ml, indicating that prior to his death, MacLennan could not have taken more than 1 pints of beer, or two fluid ounces of spirits, in other words, an insignificant quantity for a person accustomed to drinking (as MacLennan was).
I have considered the statements of Dr. Frederick Ong and Professor James Gibson and their evidence given at the Inquest. Both Dr. Ong and Professor Gibson are Pathologists of great experience, and both concluded that all the bullet wounds found on MacLennan's body were consistent with self-inflicted wounds. In coming to this conclusion, Dr. Ong and Professor Gibson considered the post-mortem report of Dr. Wong as well as the photographs taken of the
30
See Transcript page 10232 (Dr. Wong's evidence).