AS IT HAPPENED: #Rohde adjourns early for defence to prepare for cross examination
2017-11-23 10:08
The murder trial of property mogul Jason Rohde has adjourned early in the Western Cape High Court to allow the defence time to prepare for the cross examination of chief pathologist Dr Diedre Abrahams.
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The Rohde case has been adjourned to Tuesday for defence to prepare to cross examine Dr Abrahams.
Chief pathologist Dr Diedre Abrahams remains on the stand.
ICYMI:
Pathologists battle it out in Rohde murder trial
The pathologist who conducted a second autopsy on Susan Rohde, at the request of her husband’s legal team, omitted or missed vital information that pointed to manual strangulation, the Western Cape High Court heard on Wednesday.
In the witness stand was Dr Deidre Abrahams, the Western Cape government’s chief of forensic pathology based in Paarl.
Abrahams effectively tore to shreds the report of KwaZulu-Natal pathologist Dr Reggie Perumal, who conducted the second autopsy on Susan’s body.
She said Perumal's report mentioned the history of the case at the time, that she had hung herself, before he even conducted the autopsy.
ICYMI:
Susan Rohde was strangled to death - chief pathologist
Susan Rohde may have spent her last moments swallowing blood, battling to breathe and in pain after suffering severe blunt force trauma to her ribs, according to testimony presented at the murder trial of her husband Jason in the Western Cape High Court on Wednesday.
"I think this person might have been in pain after this injury," testified Dr Deidre Abrahams, who chose to refer to Susan, not by her name.
"The person was alive, breathing...," said Abrahams, when asked by prosecutor Louis van Niekerk to comment on the physical effect Susan's injuries had on her body.
Susan was found dead at Spier Wine Estate in the early hours of Sunday, July 24, 2016.
