C.
10
314
CIRCUMSTANCES SUGGESTING THAT THIS DEATH WAS NOT SUICIDE:
The multiplicity of the gunshot wounds.
i)
ii)
In a quarter of a century of active forensic practice
which has included the examination of literally scores
of suicides by firearm, I cannot ever recall seeing a
case with more than 2 gunshot wounds. This is the
strongest and indeed in my view really the only post-
mortem finding to cast doubt on the motive for this
death.
It is, nevertheless, true that such phenomenon do
occur very occasionally - I have checked the literature,
and especially the examples quoted by Dr Ong Yun Kun
and Professor J B Gibson and found them to be correct
such cases are outside the experience of most forensic
pathologists.
However, if this was a deliberate attempt to make a
murder appear a suicide then this plethora of shots
which was bound to cause comment seems to have been an
obvious and elementary mistake. Any person such as a
policeman familiar with the general pattern of suicidal gunshot injuries must have known that more than 2 shots
are distinctly unusual.
Why was no attempt made to take chemical tests from the
hands? This procedure, which could have largely solved the problem, (providing the forensic scientist concerned was believed!) may not, of course, be routine in Hong
Kong. If enquiries show that it was routine, then you will need to enquire how it was this routine was not
adhered to here. It it was routine then who normally
performed these tests
-
the pathologist, the Government