HKL forensic expert maintains Adib not pulled out of EMRS van

INQUEST | An autopsy conducted on Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim's body did not reveal injuries consistent with the late firefighter being pulled out of the Emergency Medical Rescue Services vehicle he was riding in, and the ongoing inquest did not reveal any details that supported the argument.

Medical forensics specialist Dr Ahmad Hafizam Hasmi, who performed the autopsy on Adib's body at Kuala Lumpur Hospital, told the Coroner's Court that he therefore deduced that the firefighter had exited the EMRS vehicle on his own - and was subsequently injured - at the height of the Seri Mahariamman temple riot scene on Nov 27 last year.

"The post-mortem findings did not find injuries consistent with the deceased being pulled.

"Throughout the inquest proceeding, so far there have been no eyewitnesses whose testimonies could support the argument that the deceased (Adib) was pulled out or assaulted," said Ahmad Hafizam, the inquest's 24th witness who was recalled before Coroner Rofiah Mohamad.

To questions from lawyer Syazlin Mansor on behalf of the Fire and Rescue Department and the Housing and Local Government Ministry, Hafizam conceded that there were also no eyewitnesses who testified that Adib had exited the EMRS van on his own.

"But because the post-mortem findings showed there were no injuries consistent with being pulled out, it was concluded that the deceased had exited on his own," said Hafizam.

Was it Adib's jacket?

Previously, Hafizam said he had carried out an experiment to determine the cause of Adib’s injuries and refute the theories presented by retired pathologist Dr Shahrom Abd Wahid.

Shahrom, the 29th witness, had testified that Adib was pulled out of the EMRS van and the injuries on the firefighter's chest may have been caused by the van door.

In his testimony today, Hafizam said he was not confident that Adib had worn the firefighter jacket that was retrieved from the site where he was rescued by a passer-by.

Based on Shahrom's theory, he said, Adib's jacket would have been torn on its front.

"Adib's jacket was not torn... (Instead) his pants were dirty and torn," said Hafizam, adding that the pants torn at the knee was consistent with a gash found on Adib's right knee.

Hafizam, however, said he was unable to comment on the fact that several buttons were missing from the firefighter jacket.

Injury caused by van's striker plate

Other points were raised by Hafizam to support his argument today, including the length of an abrasion found on Adib's chest.

"If he was dragged, the abrasion would be shorter and if he had exited on his own, the abrasion would be longer," he said in pointing out there was no dispute that the abrasion was caused by a striker plate on the EMRS van door.

"The issue at hand here is whether Adib had exited (the van) on his own or whether he was dragged," he added.

Adib passed away on Dec 17 at 9.41pm at the National Heart Institute after succumbing to injuries sustained on the night of the riots. The inquest was ordered after two conflicting versions of his cause of death emerged.

One version claimed he was hit by a vehicle, while the other said he was beaten up by a mob. - Mkini