Durban - An “unbroken fall” by possibly drunk former Royal Marine Brett Williams caused his death, not an assault, the Durban Regional Court heard on Monday.
Previous forensic evidence that the Briton died from a brain haemorrhage was “misguided” and perhaps not clarified correctly during testimony, specialist forensic pathologist Dr Steve Naidoo testified on behalf of the defence for Blayne Shepard, who is charged with killing Williams.
He disputed State witness testimony that Williams died from being kicked, assaulted, and stomped on.
Naidoo told the court his speciality was in the pathology of trauma and sudden death, both natural and unnatural.
Williams died outside Durban's Kings Park Stadium on the night of March 23, 2013, after the Sharks beat the Melbourne Rebels in a Super Rugby match.
Shepard was initially one of five friends accused of beating Williams to death, but now remains the only person charged with his murder.
One accused, Grant Cramer, turned State witness, while the three other accused, Andries van der Merwe, Dustin van Wyk, and Shepard's older brother Kyle, were discharged last month.
Naidoo said he agreed the cause of death was blunt force injury to the head. He studied photographs of Williams's injuries and examined the post-mortem reports and comments from forensic pathologist Dr Christa Hattingh and general practitioner Dr Ashley Hammond.
He explained that the sudden “deceleration” of the head striking the ground, or an object, killed Williams, and not the pressure of bleeding on the brain or a blood clot after the injury, as the court had previously heard.
If pressure on the brain from bleeding had caused Williams's death he would not have died instantly, Naidoo said.
“The death was not caused from the actual swelling and accumulation of blood in the ventricle, but from brain stem concussion resulting from high velocity deceleration, like if someone's head crashes against a brick wall... This deceleration is also seen in motor vehicle accident victims.
“The next possibility then is that it was caused by a fall... such a fall would be from one's standing height and unbroken. The unbroken fall would see the head striking the ground or object.”
Naidoo testified it was highly unlikely that any kicking or striking of Williams would have caused the brain stem concussion which killed him.
He testified that had Williams been “stomped on and pummelled” he would have sustained more injuries. - Sapa