Anni Dewani not raped - pathologist
2012-10-10 14:50
Cape Town - Honeymooner Anni Dewani was not raped or sexually abused by her hijackers, the Western Cape High Court heard on Wednesday.
"There was nothing microscopically I could find. Her underwear was intact, not disrupted. There was no evidence of [sexual] injury internally or externally," pathologist Janette Verster said.
Four fresh contusions were found on the inside of the tourist's left leg.
"They were arranged in a semi-circular fashion, close to one another, which conforms to finger point contusions."
Fresh marks were also found below her left knee, on the outer part of the leg.
The pathologist was testifying in the trial of Xolile Mngeni, 25, who has pleaded not guilty to kidnapping, robbing and shooting Dewani dead in Gugulethu, on November 13 2010.
Verster conducted the autopsy the day after the killing and also attended the scene.
She said the tourist died from a single gunshot wound and had cowered in a defensive pose before being shot at very close range.
Unable to tell where shooter was
At the scene, Dewani was lying on her right side on the back seat, with both hands tucked under chin. It seemed as though she had lifted her left arm and shoulder close to her neck before the gun was fired. The muzzle of the gun was likely five to 10cm away at the time.
The autopsy found that a single bullet entered her left hand, near the thumb, and exited at the back of her hand. It then grazed the skin between her chest and left shoulder, before entering the left side of her neck.
Verster said the bullet severed two vascular veins (veins that carry blood to and from the head) and perforated the spinal cord before exiting her back.
Judge Robert Henney asked if Verster could tell where the shooter was sitting in the car by looking at the wounds.
"Unfortunately not. A person can be in a number of positions and holding the gun in numerous ways," she replied.
The trial continues.
- SAPA
