Moderate force needed for stabbing, Oswestry murder trial told
A moderate degree of force would have been needed to inflict a fatal wound on a trainee accountant who died after a fight, a forensic pathologist told a murder trial.
Dr Nicholas Hunt told the jury at Birmingham Crown Court that he carried out the post mortem on Danny Jones, 21, from Chirk, who died on April 24 in Oswestry after being stabbed during a fight with Richard Reece.
Reece, 19, of Lord Street, Oswestry, denies murder.
Giving evidence at the trial yesterday Dr Hunt said that Mr Jones had died as a result of blood loss caused by a stab wound which damaged two major veins.
"At least a moderate degree of force would be required to cause that wound – comparable with putting a nail into a piece of soft wood," he said.
"It is consistent with a deliberate stabbing.
"But if it was an uncontrolled fall on to a knife that's being held it could penetrate up to the hilt of the object inflicting it," he added.
"It's very difficult not to be influenced by past experience and that would tend to favour a deliberate stabbing action.
"But that does not exclude the alternative of falling on to the blade," he added.
Dr Hunt said he found many bruises and scratches on Mr Jones' body which were consistent with either being in a fight or with falling to the floor.
Mr Robert Price, prosecuting, asked Dr Hunt to give his opinion on whether the 30cm long ornamental sword found in the garden next to Reece's house could have inflicted the wound.
The doctor said although the blade was blunt, the tip was sharp and could have inflicted the fatal injury.
After Mr Jones was injured he had to wait seven minutes for paramedics to arrive.
But Dr Hunt said that he believed doctors would have been unlikely to save Mr Jones's life even if he had received treatment sooner.
The trial continues.
