It is unlikely that Adib was assaulted, says pathologist

Hospital Kuala Lumpur forensic director Dr Mohd Shah Mahmood says Adib’s left rib bones were broken in a ‘unique’ and ‘weird’ manner.

SHAH ALAM: A forensic pathologist told the Coroner’s Court today his team was not convinced that fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim’s injuries, which led to his death, were due to him being assaulted.

Hospital Kuala Lumpur forensics department director Dr Mohd Shah Mahmood said his team conducted an examination on Adib when he was receiving treatment at the National Heart Institute (IJN) and during the post-mortem after the fireman succumbed to his injuries.

“At first, we expected Adib to have been attacked, including being punched. However, after examining his injuries during the post-mortem, we were not confident the injuries were linked to an assault,” he said.

“Police did not provide any information on how Adib sustained his injuries.”

He said the forensic team could have established possible theories on Adib’s injuries if they could reconstruct the riot scene.

When asked by lawyer Syazlin Mansor on Adib’s chest injuries, Shah said Adib’s left rib bones were broken in a “unique” and “weird” manner.

The inquest was called by the government amid conflicting claims on the cause of Adib’s death.

Adib was part of a response team sent from the Subang Jaya fire and rescue station on Nov 27 last year to the temple area in answer to a call that cars had been set on fire. He died at the Institut Jantung Negara on Dec 17.

The hearing continues on April 1 before coroner Rofiah Mohamad. - FMT