Neesa Gopaul trial: Repeated blunt trauma to head cause of death – PM

As the trial into the death of 16-year-old Neesa Lalita Gopaul continues in the High Court, State Pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh on Wednesday took the stand and testified on the post mortem examination he had conducted on the teen’s remains.

Dr Singh told the court that he performed the examination on October 6, 2010 and found the cause of death to be multiple blunt trauma to the head. The post mortem report, which was previously tendered as evidence in the trial, was shown to the pathologist and he subsequently went through his findings in detail.

He told the court that about 50 per cent of Gopaul’s head was gone and the remaining part was already in the process of decomposition. This he noted made facial recognition even more difficult. He further disclosed that the external post mortem examination revealed that there was no hair but it was during the cross examination that he disclosed that there was no sign of any brain in the skull.

Several bones and parts of the teen’s scalp were broken or missing, he added. Under cross examination Dr Singh was asked to explain the different types of fractures. In addition, he informed the court that during the examination, he found that Gopaul’s hymen was ruptured.

The pathologist explained the rupture of the hymen that he observed was in the “10 o’clock position”. However he pointed out that the rupture was an old one, which indicated that the teen was sexually active.

During the trial, evidence was given to reflect that Gopaul was being sexually abused by her mother’s boyfriend, Jarvis Small called “Barry”, who is indicted along with her mother Bibi Shareema Gopaul for her murder.

The teen had made two reports at the station against the man but subsequently withdrew them. However lawyers representing Small tried to lead evidence to show that the teen had a boyfriend hence she was probably sexually involved with him and not their client. When the teen’s grandfather took the stand on Tuesday, he was asked under cross examination whether the teenager had a boyfriend and he denied having any such knowledge.

Meanwhile, Superintendent of Police Stephen Greaves, of the Police Forensic Laboratory at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters, Eve Leary, also took the stand on Wednesday. He told the court that he witnessed the post mortem examination of Neesa Gopaul during which he was given samples for DNA testing.

Greaves recalled that he took the samples back to the lab where he stored them in the refrigerator and on a later date travelled to Barbados with the samples for DNA testing to be done. Under cross examination by the defence attorney, the officer revealed that he collected the DNA report.

However, the attorney was unable to complete cross examination and as such when he resumes today (Thursday), it is likely that the court will hear about the findings of the DNA test.

Additionally, the Barbadian forensic analyst, Lorraine Alleyne, who conducted the DNA test on the sample, is expected to testify via audio/video link.