Pathologists say no sign of sexual assault on Nora Anne

 

Nora Anne Quoirin was found dead 2.5km away from a resort in Negeri Sembilan, 10 days after she and her parents arrived for a holiday. (Bernama pic)

SEREMBAN: A coroner’s court here was told today that French-Irish teenager Nora Anne Quoirin may have been dead for at least two to three days before her body was discovered.

Two forensic pathologist experts, Dr Hanif Mahmud of Tuanku Ja’afar Hospital, Seremban, and Dr Siew Shue Feng of Kuala Lumpur Hospital, revealed this when testifying on the 21st day of the inquest proceedings to determine the cause of Nora Anne’s death in a jungle in August last year.

Both experts said the autopsy report found there was no sexual assault on the victim based on the genital examination, which found no tear on the hymen.

Nora Anne, 15, went missing on Aug 4 last year, a day after she and her family arrived in Malaysia for a two-week holiday at a resort in Pantai, here, about 60km south of Kuala Lumpur. Her body was found 10 days later near a creek about 2.5km away.

The preliminary post-mortem report stated that the death of the teenager with disabilities, had no criminal element, and she was confirmed dead from gastrointestinal bleeding due to prolonged hunger and stress.

Hanif said the estimated time of death based on post-mortem changes was about two to three days but less than four days. Multiple injuries were found on external examination and they were caused by (friction with) objects such as tree branches, rocks and sand.

“The hymen of the deceased was intact despite decomposition changes and there were no obvious injuries seen in the external genitalia,” Hanif said while reading his witness statement before the coroner, Maimoonah Aid.

Deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Sazali Omar, who is assisting the inquest, asked whether the condition of the body, in the early stage of decomposition, had affected the outcome of finding the cause of death.

Hanif said: “Even though the condition of the body changed due to decomposition, the post-mortem process did not face any problem when it was carried out.”

He said that when he arrived at the location where Nora Anne’s body was found at 4.44pm on Aug 13, he saw the body had undergone decay, with the skin of the body peeling and changing colour, as well as being infested with flies and maggots.

Sazali: Can I suggest that the injuries to the body is in line with the background where the deceased was said to have disappeared in the forest?

Hanif: Through our visit to the site where the body was found, I believe that the injuries on the deceased were consistent with the surrounding conditions where the body was found.

Both Hanif and Siew agreed that the wounds on Nora Anne’s soles were consistent with the area where the teenager was said to have gone missing in the dense forest.

The pathologists also said the post-mortem results showed that Nora Anne’s cause of death were duodenal ulceration, perforation and haemorrhage as a result of starvation and physiological stress.

The inquest continues tomorrow. - FMT