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O9. Crossbow suicide: mechanisms of injury and neuropathological findings
Meeting abstracts and program
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all objects in the room, make a note of the temperature in the room and, if possible, of the baby, notes of the bedding, what and how photographs must be taken by the police photographer and how the body must be handled when it is removed from the scene. The cooperation between the pathologist and the criminal investigators is, therefore crucial. The pathologist depends on the information supplied to him by the criminal investigator to complete his autopsy and report, which is sent to the magistrates court where an inquest will be held regarding the death. In this discussion we will focus on the roles of the pathologist and the criminal investigator in solving a sudden infant death. Attention will also be given to the inquest at the magistrate's court and possible legal proceedings depending on the outcome.
• Prevention of Family Violence Act 133 of 1993 obtaining of interdict against perpetrator; • Sexual Offences Act 23 of 1957 offences and sexual misuse; • Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977 -procedure regarding, child witnesses, mediators in court and special courts; • Constitution of the Republic of South Africa protecting the rights of children; • Domestic Violence Bill - further protection for the child in family violence.
08. Child abuse, neglect and sexual misuse in South Africa Hennie Oosthuizen
• Special Courts for children - the working of the newly established 'Sex Court' at the Magistrate Court in Bloemfontein; and • The system of mediators for children in terms of section 170A of the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977.
Department of Criminal and Procedural Law, University of the Orange Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa The public outcry and concern about the extent and the severity of child abuse, child neglect and sexual misuse of children and the increasing number of reported cases are a matter of great concern in South Africa. Children and women, being the first priority of the Government of National Unity, this has resulted in the Department of Justice stipulating in their strategy document for transforming the administration of justice, Justice Vision 2000, their intent to achieve a criminal justice policy that will address the special needs of the vulnerable groups such as children and women. All over the world nations have committed themselves to the protection of children: • South Africa's ratification in 1995 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child of 1989. • The World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children, signed in 1993 by President Nelson Mandela and Mr EW. de Klerk. • The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 108 of 1996. • The National Plan of Action for Children. • Reconstruction and Development Programme. This discussion will focus on the above initiatives, the current policy and legislation concerning children, namely: • Child Care Act 74 of 1983 - abuse, misuse and neglect of children, person responsible for reporting neglected or abused children;
Extensive focus will be placed on the South African Police Services: Child Protection Unit - their methods, functioning, and results. Lastly, the criminal court system regarding children and especially child witnesses will be discussed:
09. Crossbow suicide: mechanisms of injury and neuropathological findings R. W. Byard, B. Koszyca, R. A. James
Forensic Science Centre and Department of Pathology, University of Adelaide, SA, Australia Objective: Two cases of suicide due to self-inflicted head injuries from crossbows were studied to examine the characteristic features of such cases and to undertake specialist neuropathological evaluation to further delineate the extent of cerebral damage. Case Reports." Case 1: An 18-year-old white male shot himself in the head with a crossbow bolt while in the process of surrendering to police officers following a siege at his home address. Death occurred approximately 28 hours later. The crossbow bolt entered the head midway between the right ear and eye and extended through the diencephalon involving the left thalamus with extensive haemorrhage. Axonal injury demonstrated immunohistochemically was widely distributed throughout the brain, including the opposite cerebral hemisphere and the brainstem, with relatively little present around the missile track. Case 2: A 27year-old white male shot himself in the head with a crossbow bolt in a tent in the backyard of his house. The bolt extended from an entrance wound beneath his chin through the optic chiasm between the inferior aspect of the frontal lobes causing damage to the medial aspect of the left basal ganglia, left cerebral hemisphere and adjacent corpus callosum.
188
Journalof Clinical Forensic Medicine
Conclusions." Despite relatively low velocity, the sharpness and propulsion force of crossbow bolts may be sufficient to enable penetration of the skull at short range. Due to the relatively low concussive force of the crossbow bolt, however, death may not be instantaneous but may occur from intraparenchymal cerebral damage sometime thereafter. Detailed neuropathological evaluation of such cases may therefore demonstrate 'red cell' hypoxic injury, as well as axonal injury, not limited to the region of the missile track, but widely distributed even with extensive brainstem involvement. These changes may result from primary mechanical deformation, from secondary hypoxic damage, or from a combination of both factors. Immunohistochemical staining of brains for amyloid precursor protein to delineate more clearly the distribution of axonal injury may assist in determining terminal patterns of injury in such cases.
0 1 0 . Fatal shark attacks in South Australia - pathological features of two cases R. W. Byard, K Brown, J. Gilbert
Forensic Science Centre and Forensic Odontology Unit, University of Adelaide, SA, Australia Introduction." Traumatic lesions caused by marine predators are not well categorized. This is particularly the case with shark attacks as the body is often not found, or is in a less than optimal state for the assessment of wound patterns when recovered. Objective." To examine the pattern of injuries in cases of fatal shark attack in South Australian waters. Materials and Methods: The files of the Forensic Science Centre were searched for all cases of shark attack where full autopsies had been performed over the past 25 years from 1974 to 1998. Results: Of the seven deaths attributed to shark attack over that time, full autopsies were performed in only two cases. In the remaining five cases bodies had either not been found, or were incomplete. Case 1: A 27-year-old male surfer was attacked by a shark. At autopsy the main areas of injury involved the right thigh with characteristic teeth marks and extensive soft tissue damage and incision of the femoral artery. There were also incised wounds of the right wrist. Bony injury was minimal and no shark teeth were recovered. Case 2: A 26-year-old male diver was attacked by a shark. At autopsy the main areas of injury involved the left thigh and lower leg with characteristic teeth marks and extensive soft tissue damage and incised wounds of the femoral artery and vein. There was also soft tissue trauma to the left
wrist with transection of the radial artery and vein. Bony injury was minimal and no shark teeth were recovered. Conclusion." In both cases death resulted from exsanguination following a similar pattern of soft tissue and vascular damage to a leg and arm. The type of injury is in keeping with predator attack from underneath or behind with the most severe injuries involving one leg. Less severe injuries to the arms may have occurred during the ensuing struggle. Reconstruction of the damaged limbs in Case 2 by sewing together skin, soft tissue and muscle bundles not only revealed that no soft tissues were missing, but also gave a clearer picture of the pattern of teeth marks, direction of the attack, and the species of predator.
0.11 The (almost) perfect murder D. Little
Department of Forensic Medicine, ICPMR, Westmead, NSW,, Australia In London, England in the 1940s, John Haigh committed a number of murders and disposed of the bodies by digesting them in acid. He was eventually convicted of the murder of Mrs Durand-Deacon on whom not all of the tissues had been completely digested and remained as forensic evidence. In Australia in 1997, a similar case occurred when a young woman went missing and her body was subsequently found almost completely digested by hydrochloric acid in a large domestic wheeled trash can. Portions of the limbs and some of the organs were recovered. The body was identified by personal effects and a dental prosthesis which were unaffected by the acid. The examination of the remains and identification procedures will be discussed.
O12. The SilkAir crash M1 185 Keng-Poh Wee
Institute of Science and Forensic Medicine, Singapore The SilkAir crash occurred on 19 December 1997. A 1-year-old Boeing 737 plane left Jakarta for Singapore and was lost when it reached the vicinity of Palembang, crashing into the River Musi. 107 passengers and crew members were lost. It was a difficult operation to search the surrounding swamp land of the river for parts of the plane and human body parts. The problems which the medical investigators face will be discussed. The forensic pathological and odontological investigations are presented.
187
all objects in the room, make a note of the temperature in the room and, if possible, of the baby, notes of the bedding, what and how photographs must be taken by the police photographer and how the body must be handled when it is removed from the scene. The cooperation between the pathologist and the criminal investigators is, therefore crucial. The pathologist depends on the information supplied to him by the criminal investigator to complete his autopsy and report, which is sent to the magistrates court where an inquest will be held regarding the death. In this discussion we will focus on the roles of the pathologist and the criminal investigator in solving a sudden infant death. Attention will also be given to the inquest at the magistrate's court and possible legal proceedings depending on the outcome.
• Prevention of Family Violence Act 133 of 1993 obtaining of interdict against perpetrator; • Sexual Offences Act 23 of 1957 offences and sexual misuse; • Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977 -procedure regarding, child witnesses, mediators in court and special courts; • Constitution of the Republic of South Africa protecting the rights of children; • Domestic Violence Bill - further protection for the child in family violence.
08. Child abuse, neglect and sexual misuse in South Africa Hennie Oosthuizen
• Special Courts for children - the working of the newly established 'Sex Court' at the Magistrate Court in Bloemfontein; and • The system of mediators for children in terms of section 170A of the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977.
Department of Criminal and Procedural Law, University of the Orange Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa The public outcry and concern about the extent and the severity of child abuse, child neglect and sexual misuse of children and the increasing number of reported cases are a matter of great concern in South Africa. Children and women, being the first priority of the Government of National Unity, this has resulted in the Department of Justice stipulating in their strategy document for transforming the administration of justice, Justice Vision 2000, their intent to achieve a criminal justice policy that will address the special needs of the vulnerable groups such as children and women. All over the world nations have committed themselves to the protection of children: • South Africa's ratification in 1995 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child of 1989. • The World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children, signed in 1993 by President Nelson Mandela and Mr EW. de Klerk. • The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 108 of 1996. • The National Plan of Action for Children. • Reconstruction and Development Programme. This discussion will focus on the above initiatives, the current policy and legislation concerning children, namely: • Child Care Act 74 of 1983 - abuse, misuse and neglect of children, person responsible for reporting neglected or abused children;
Extensive focus will be placed on the South African Police Services: Child Protection Unit - their methods, functioning, and results. Lastly, the criminal court system regarding children and especially child witnesses will be discussed:
09. Crossbow suicide: mechanisms of injury and neuropathological findings R. W. Byard, B. Koszyca, R. A. James
Forensic Science Centre and Department of Pathology, University of Adelaide, SA, Australia Objective: Two cases of suicide due to self-inflicted head injuries from crossbows were studied to examine the characteristic features of such cases and to undertake specialist neuropathological evaluation to further delineate the extent of cerebral damage. Case Reports." Case 1: An 18-year-old white male shot himself in the head with a crossbow bolt while in the process of surrendering to police officers following a siege at his home address. Death occurred approximately 28 hours later. The crossbow bolt entered the head midway between the right ear and eye and extended through the diencephalon involving the left thalamus with extensive haemorrhage. Axonal injury demonstrated immunohistochemically was widely distributed throughout the brain, including the opposite cerebral hemisphere and the brainstem, with relatively little present around the missile track. Case 2: A 27year-old white male shot himself in the head with a crossbow bolt in a tent in the backyard of his house. The bolt extended from an entrance wound beneath his chin through the optic chiasm between the inferior aspect of the frontal lobes causing damage to the medial aspect of the left basal ganglia, left cerebral hemisphere and adjacent corpus callosum.
188
Journalof Clinical Forensic Medicine
Conclusions." Despite relatively low velocity, the sharpness and propulsion force of crossbow bolts may be sufficient to enable penetration of the skull at short range. Due to the relatively low concussive force of the crossbow bolt, however, death may not be instantaneous but may occur from intraparenchymal cerebral damage sometime thereafter. Detailed neuropathological evaluation of such cases may therefore demonstrate 'red cell' hypoxic injury, as well as axonal injury, not limited to the region of the missile track, but widely distributed even with extensive brainstem involvement. These changes may result from primary mechanical deformation, from secondary hypoxic damage, or from a combination of both factors. Immunohistochemical staining of brains for amyloid precursor protein to delineate more clearly the distribution of axonal injury may assist in determining terminal patterns of injury in such cases.
0 1 0 . Fatal shark attacks in South Australia - pathological features of two cases R. W. Byard, K Brown, J. Gilbert
Forensic Science Centre and Forensic Odontology Unit, University of Adelaide, SA, Australia Introduction." Traumatic lesions caused by marine predators are not well categorized. This is particularly the case with shark attacks as the body is often not found, or is in a less than optimal state for the assessment of wound patterns when recovered. Objective." To examine the pattern of injuries in cases of fatal shark attack in South Australian waters. Materials and Methods: The files of the Forensic Science Centre were searched for all cases of shark attack where full autopsies had been performed over the past 25 years from 1974 to 1998. Results: Of the seven deaths attributed to shark attack over that time, full autopsies were performed in only two cases. In the remaining five cases bodies had either not been found, or were incomplete. Case 1: A 27-year-old male surfer was attacked by a shark. At autopsy the main areas of injury involved the right thigh with characteristic teeth marks and extensive soft tissue damage and incision of the femoral artery. There were also incised wounds of the right wrist. Bony injury was minimal and no shark teeth were recovered. Case 2: A 26-year-old male diver was attacked by a shark. At autopsy the main areas of injury involved the left thigh and lower leg with characteristic teeth marks and extensive soft tissue damage and incised wounds of the femoral artery and vein. There was also soft tissue trauma to the left
wrist with transection of the radial artery and vein. Bony injury was minimal and no shark teeth were recovered. Conclusion." In both cases death resulted from exsanguination following a similar pattern of soft tissue and vascular damage to a leg and arm. The type of injury is in keeping with predator attack from underneath or behind with the most severe injuries involving one leg. Less severe injuries to the arms may have occurred during the ensuing struggle. Reconstruction of the damaged limbs in Case 2 by sewing together skin, soft tissue and muscle bundles not only revealed that no soft tissues were missing, but also gave a clearer picture of the pattern of teeth marks, direction of the attack, and the species of predator.
0.11 The (almost) perfect murder D. Little
Department of Forensic Medicine, ICPMR, Westmead, NSW,, Australia In London, England in the 1940s, John Haigh committed a number of murders and disposed of the bodies by digesting them in acid. He was eventually convicted of the murder of Mrs Durand-Deacon on whom not all of the tissues had been completely digested and remained as forensic evidence. In Australia in 1997, a similar case occurred when a young woman went missing and her body was subsequently found almost completely digested by hydrochloric acid in a large domestic wheeled trash can. Portions of the limbs and some of the organs were recovered. The body was identified by personal effects and a dental prosthesis which were unaffected by the acid. The examination of the remains and identification procedures will be discussed.
O12. The SilkAir crash M1 185 Keng-Poh Wee
Institute of Science and Forensic Medicine, Singapore The SilkAir crash occurred on 19 December 1997. A 1-year-old Boeing 737 plane left Jakarta for Singapore and was lost when it reached the vicinity of Palembang, crashing into the River Musi. 107 passengers and crew members were lost. It was a difficult operation to search the surrounding swamp land of the river for parts of the plane and human body parts. The problems which the medical investigators face will be discussed. The forensic pathological and odontological investigations are presented.