SIBU: An angular sledgehammer could be the weapon used to kill all four victims in the quadruple murder at a double-storey terraced house in RTM Road here last year.
Pathologist Dr Jamil Dolkadir told the High Court here yesterday that based on the pattern of the fractured skulls of the victims, the weapon used could have been the sledgehammer.
When shown by defence counsel Darren Ling the picture of a blunt-end sledgehammer downloaded from the internet, Dr Jamil noted that it had one end blunt (round) and the other end pointed.
“The injuries to the four victims were more by the angular edge of a sledgehammer.
“In my opinion, this (the hammer in the picture shown to him) cannot inflict such injuries to the bodies,” he told the court.
Dr Jamil was testifying at the trial of a 17-year-old boy who faces four charges for murder and another charge for attempted murder.
Ling Tong Hock, a 36-year-old timber and shipping businessman, was brutally murdered along with his mother Leong Nyuk Lan, 76, and his two children David Ling Chei Qi, 10, and Amy Ling Zi Jiun, 7, in their double-storey terraced house in RTM Road on Jan 3, last year.
Ling’s wife Li Xiao Lan, a 28-year-old Chinese national, escaped the attack unhurt while Ling’s eight-year-old son, Kelvin Ling, was grievously hurt but survived the brutal attack.
The accused, surnamed Song, is represented by Darren Ling.
Dr Jamil also told the court that sharp objects such as long knives could also be the cause of the death to Ling Tong Hock and his mother.
He said Ling Tong Hock’s death was due to multiple fractures on his skull inflicted by a blunt object and deep cut at his anterior neck, cutting his larynx and carotid vessels due to sharp object.
“The cause of death for Leong Nyuk Lan was due to multiple fractures on her skull due to blunt object and cut wound at anterior neck, cutting larynx and carotid vessels due to sharp object,” he pointed out when asked by the deputy public prosecutor (DPP) Muslim Abdul Hamid.
The cause of death for David Ling was multiple fracture of skull due to blunt object while Amy Ling succumbed to large fracture of skull at occipital area, which caused intracranial bleeding due to head injuries.
His autopsy finding showed that Ling Tong Hock had multiple abrasions over the anterior chest and left collar bone area.
There were cut wounds over the medial posterior left hand anterior upper neck and chin, with cuts on the lower jaw bone.
He said there were laceration wounds from medial to the left eye, over the nasal bridge, middle lower frontal bone, left temporal areas, occipital area and left pinna.
Dr Jamil said Leong Nyuk Lan had laceration wounds on the left side of the face, lateral to left eye, middle frontal area, left temporal areas and cut wound at anterior upper neck extending to the left neck.
David Ling had laceration wounds at the medial to the left eye, temporal and occipital area.
Amy Ling had laceration wounds at occipital area and a 5cm-wide hole at the occipital area.
She also had bruises on her left knee and multiple small cut wounds at her right middle finger posterior.
Half way through the hearing, the defence counsel requested the court to stand down after the accused complained of not feeling well.
Darren told the court that the accused had vomited twice yesterday.
The hearing continues today at 10am.