Doubts over cause of student’s death

Defence pathologist challenges State’s strangulation findings

MURDER accused Taariq Phillips’s defence forensic pathology expert Dr Steve Naidoo has disputed a State pathologist’s postmortem report alleging that the cause of University of Western Cape law student Sharisha Chauhan’s death was drug overdose.

This report was handed in as evidence in the murder trial in the Western Cape High Court.

On New Year’s Eve in 2013, Chauhan and her boyfriend, Phillips, had attended a rave party in Paarl where it was alleged that they took ecstasy and LSD, commonly known as acid.

Chauhan was rushed to hospital shortly afterwards and died around midnight.

Phillips was charged with her rape and murder.

In in her report, State pathologist Dr Deidre Abrahams said the cause of death was consistent with manual strangulation and the consequences thereof.

“There is no clear evidence of a toxic (substance) which may have caused a death on its own. I conclude in my autopsy report that a substance may have played a contributory role,” she said.

However, Naidoo, in his report, said the cause of death was linked to the alleged overdose.

“The cause of is most likely related to drug-induced hypothermia causing a severe coagulopathy, multi-organ failure and systemic acidosis, leading directly to death; the drugs alleged to have been taken

ACCUSED’S LAWYER SAYS CAUSE WAS MOST LIKELY RELATED TO DRUG-INDUCED HYPOTHERMIA

are well-known causes of this,” he said.

He said multiple skin and mucosal haemorrhaging as well as internal haemorrhages could be explained by the severe drug-induced bleeding disorder.

“The ‘evidence’ of ‘strangulation’ in the neck and associated structures is attributable to the bleeding disorder.

“The deceased was thus not strangled,” said Naidoo.

Naidoo also touched on results of a fivepanel urine test that was done at Paarl MediClinic where Chauhan was treated, which indicated that she had tested positive for opiates which her physician, Dr Craig Franklin, attributed to the morphine she was given by paramedics.

He said traces of cocaine metabolites had been found in her urine.

Also this week, Franklin told the court Chauhan had bruises on her pelvis and knees.

He said her sugar level was low and she had a high level of potassium in her blood.

Chauhan developed a blood disorder, he said, adding that she was bleeding and developing renal failure.

The matter will resume today.