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Woman suffered 'worst injuries I have seen' - Pathologist
By Tony Gardner A pathologist told a murder trial that injuries to a teenage battered wife in Leeds were the worst he had seen.
Professor Christopher Milroy said they were worse than those suffered by victims of road traffic accidents.
He graphically revealed the full extent of the horrific damage to 19-year-old Sabia Rani which she is thought to have suffered in the last 72 hours of her life.
Shazad Khan, 25, her husband by arranged marriage, is accused of her murder.
Leeds Crown Court heard how Sabia Rani suffered 12 fractured or badly damaged ribs along with around 30 other separate wounds to her head, neck body and limbs.
Internal damage was so extensive as to cause soft tissue and fat in her body to turn to liquid.
Stamped on
Prof Milroy, told Leeds Crown Court: "I have not seen this degree of damage in a case after 15 years of examining people who have died in many different circumstances."
The Home Office forensic pathologist said the injuries indicated that Sabia Rani would likely to have been "curled up in a ball" as she was kicked or stamped on.
He said: "You do not get rib fractures from simple punches. You are most likely to get them from kicking or stamping. If you fall heavily you can break one or two ribs but not this multitude of ribs."
The court has already heard how keep fit fan Khan regularly worked out in the garage at the family home in Oakwood Grange, Roundhay where the couple lived with other members of his family. He is accused of murdering Sabia Rani by carrying out habitual beatings.
Khan was arrested after paramedics found the body in the bath at the home.
Despite the severe physical damage, Prof Milroy said her death would likely have been caused by the release of excessive amounts of potassium into her body as her body broke down trying to repair the multiple injuries.
Dr Karen Simpson, a consultant anaesthetist with Leeds teaching hospitals, said Sabia Rani would have become extremely distressed and in pain in the hours leading up to her death.
She told the court: "When a trauma reaches a certain stage the body can no longer cope with the chemical releases and it becomes a very unhelpful response."
The jury has already heard claims from prosecutor Simon Myerson that Khan told a "string of lies" about the circumstances of his wife's death and that he carried out sustained attacks on her in the week leading up to her death.
He said Sabia Rani only went out in the company of her husband or one of his family.
Khan, who had three jobs including one working for Leeds City Council and as a porter at St James's Hospital, told police he was not responsible for his wife's death and had never lost his temper.
The couple, who are first cousins, signed a marriage certificate in Pakistan on December 25 2002, but didn't live together until she came to England three years later.
In January 2006 there was a wedding ceremony after which the couple were regarded as fully married.
Sabia Rani had been married five months when she was found dead.
tony.gardner@ypn.co.uk
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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