Dr Heath reports that acute subdural haemorrhages usually develop after high speed acceleration / deceleration injuries and can result in death by causing an increase in intracranial pressure which in turn can cause compression and damage to underlying brain tissue. In this case the mechanism of the lethal injury would have been the combined effects of direct trauma to the brain from blunt force impact resulting in multiple skull fractures with a depressed skull fracture in addition to severe acceleration / deceleration injuries due to impact of the head with a hard object resulting in bilateral subdural haemorrhages which would have caused death through raised intracranial pressure. I accept all of that evidence and find that Ebony’s blunt head trauma resulted from multiple blows to the head by, or against, a hard object or surface. In addition to the head injuries, there were multiple additional bony injuries to other parts of Ebony’s skeleton including the spine, rib cage and upper and lower limbs. These injuries were revealed either from the anatomical findings at autopsy or from the skeletal survey and full body CT scan, or all of those modalities. The number of bony injuries was extraordinary. There were forty-eight old healing rib fractures alone. There were four recent rib fractures. There were two possible crush fractures to thoracic vertebrae. There were bony injuries to the upper limbs as well as to the feet. The fractures were of differing ages. Post-mortem radiological appearances suggested the presence of more recent fractures occurring through older fractures. In particular many of the rib fractures, as well as a fracture to the right clavical and fracture of the right humerus, showed changes suggestive of new fractures occurring through sites of healing older fractures. There was evidence of a healing fracture through the midshaft of the left femur (left thigh bone) which I will return to in a moment. As to the mechanism of the fractures, Dr report suggests that the rib fractures were consistent with a compressive or squeezing force such as that provided by encirclement by hands. Finger and toe fractures were consistent with squeezing or stomping on the hands or feet. In this case the fractures observed are described by Dr Heath as being highly specific for inflicted injury, that is to say, deliberately inflicted injury and distinct from the accidental. I have accepted Dr Heath’s evidence in its entirety.
Dr Heath reports that acute subdural haemorrhages usually develop after high speed acceleration / deceleration injuries and can result in death by causing an increase in intracranial pressure which in turn can cause compression and damage to underlying brain tissue. In this case the mechanism of the lethal injury would have been the combined effects of direct trauma to the brain from blunt force impact resulting in multiple skull fractures with a depressed skull fracture in addition to severe acceleration / deceleration injuries due to impact of the head with a hard object resulting in bilateral subdural haemorrhages which would have caused death through raised intracranial pressure. I accept all of that evidence and find that Ebony’s blunt head trauma resulted from multiple blows to the head by, or against, a hard object or surface. In addition to the head injuries, there were multiple additional bony injuries to other parts of Ebony’s skeleton including the spine, rib cage and upper and lower limbs. These injuries were revealed either from the anatomical findings at autopsy or from the skeletal survey and full body CT scan, or all of those modalities. The number of bony injuries was extraordinary. There were forty-eight old healing rib fractures alone. There were four recent rib fractures. There were two possible crush fractures to thoracic vertebrae. There were bony injuries to the upper limbs as well as to the feet. The fractures were of differing ages. Post-mortem radiological appearances suggested the presence of more recent fractures occurring through older fractures. In particular many of the rib fractures, as well as a fracture to the right clavical and fracture of the right humerus, showed changes suggestive of new fractures occurring through sites of healing older fractures. There was evidence of a healing fracture through the midshaft of the left femur (left thigh bone) which I will return to in a moment. As to the mechanism of the fractures, Dr report suggests that the rib fractures were consistent with a compressive or squeezing force such as that provided by encirclement by hands. Finger and toe fractures were consistent with squeezing or stomping on the hands or feet. In this case the fractures observed are described by Dr Heath as being highly specific for inflicted injury, that is to say, deliberately inflicted injury and distinct from the accidental. I have accepted Dr Heath’s evidence in its entirety.
NAPIER%20Ebony%20Simone.docx