DPP tenders victims autopsy reports in alleged PIU shooter case

In tendering the reports yesterday at the Banjul High Court before Justice E. Jaiteh, DPP AM Yusuf called the 7th prosecution witness - a staff of the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital, and also confirmed to the court that he conducted the autopsy reports of the victims.

The 7th witness, Professor Gabriel Odun, confirmed that sometime in September 2023, the bodies of one Pateh Jallow and Sang J. Gomez were at the EFSTH for postmortem examination, adding that the examination was conducted and he did and signed the reports. 

The post-mortem examination reports of Pateh M. Jallow and Sang J. Gomez were shown to the witness in the witness box and he further confirmed that those were the reports he signed. 

However, defence counsel L.J. Darboe and Sillah for the first and second accused did not object to the documents and the court admitted the documents into evidence. 

Asked by counsel L.J. Darboe where the witness was when thebodies were brought to him, the witness responded that he was in the autopsy room of the EFSTH but he could not remember at what time. 

Witness Odun further testified that he did not certify the bodies so he could not tell the time of death. 

Counsel Darboe referred the witness to the autopsy reports, which were admitted by the court, and told the witness that he the witness stated the date and time of death in the reports, and asked about who certified the bodies. 

The witness explained that there were procedures involved in which some would take the bodies to the emergency room, adding that there was documentation which was tagged with clinical reports. 

He further explained that those clinical records were also made of medical records and those records were tagged on the autopsy including the request for autopsy, where there was a column and row that had the date and time recorded. “That is where these dates and times were listed,” the witness added. 

He continued his testimony that he conducted the autopsy on September 14, 2023 and other than the autopsy reports, he prepared the medical certificate of both bodies.  

The case was adjourned until 30 April 2024.