IPOH: The heart of a 17-year-old student, who was allegedly murdered by a senior police officer, had already stopped beating before cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was performed, the High Court here heard.
Assistant medical officer Mohammad Nor Shazree Shahrun Nizam, 31, testified that he attempted CPR for about 15 minutes after arriving at the scene at around 12.15pm on Dec 15 last year.
“I checked and found that the victim showed no signs of life, namely no pulse, no dilation of the pupils, and he was not breathing.
“I also found that the victim had bloodstains on his face and hands and that he was unresponsive. At 12.32pm, I confirmed that he had no signs of life,” Mohammad Nor Shazree said when questioned by Deputy Public Prosecutor Afzainizam Abdul Aziz yesterday. He also noted that he believed the victim’s sister had already begun administering CPR before his arrival.
He was testifying in the murder trial of Deputy Supt Mohd Nazri Abdul Razak, who is accused of ramming his car into the victim’s motorcycle, leading to the teenager’s death.
DSP Mohd Nazri is charged with murdering Muhammad Zaharif Affendi Muhd Zamrie at the intersection of Jalan Taman Jati/Jalan Pekeliling Meru Indah, near SMK Jati, between 12.05pm and 12.40pm on Dec 15 last year.
The prosecution team also includes Nasrul Hadi Abdul Ghani, V. Suloshani and Low Qin Hui, while the defence team is led by M. Athimulan, former Perak police chief Datuk Mior Faridalathrash Wahid and Aiman Hakim Kamaruzzaman.
During cross-examination, Athimulan asked the witness if he knew how long the victim’s sister had been performing CPR before his arrival, to which Mohammad Nor Shazree said he was unsure.
The defence lawyer also enquired whether the victim’s sister had received any training in CPR, to which the witness replied that he did not know.
Athimulan then asked if the witness was aware that repeated chest compressions could cause rib fractures, to which Mohammad Nor Shazree responded that he was not sure.
“Are you aware that in this case, five ribs were fractured?” Athimulan pressed.
The witness explained that he was unaware of the condition of the victim’s chest or abdomen before performing CPR.
When asked if he would have stopped CPR had he known the victim had fractured ribs, Mohammad Nor Shazree said he would have continued regardless.
Later, when Afzainizam asked the witness to elaborate on why he would continue CPR in the presence of fractured ribs, Mohammad Nor Shazree explained that efforts should be on restoring the heart’s rhythm.
“Also, if CPR is carried out in a proper way, we can avoid fracturing any ribs,” he added.
The trial is scheduled to continue on Monday.
