‘3 samples sent for analysis had petrol residue’
SHAH ALAM: The High Court here was told that three out of four samples submitted to the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department’s Fire Investigation Laboratory on June 17 showed residue of petrol-based flammable liquid.
The prosecution’s 14th witness in the murder trial of Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Nazrin Hassan, chemistry officer, Aznor Sheda Samsudin, 38, said another sample submitted to her for analysis did not turn up any flammable residue.
She said the discovery was obtained after heating four nylon bags containing samples in an oven at 90° Celsius for 15 minutes for the vapourisation process of the residue to take place.
“The resulting vapour was absorbed by using the ‘Solid Phase Micro Extraction’ and it was then tested with the ‘Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer’,” she said.
Aznor Sheda said the nylon bag was used because it was inert and there was no chemical reaction when it was heated up.
She conducted two analyses of each sample as required by the Fire and Rescue Department.
Aznor Sheda said the report on the analysis she conducted was handed over to Fire Officer Abdul Halim Zulkefeli on June 21 last year, while three samples of the petrol were handed over to fire investigators on Aug 17 the same year, after the matter became a court case.
Aznor Sheda said she did not detect any petrol smell when she received the samples.
Based on her experience, she said it was not necessary that the sample received should possess a petrol smell.
Smell is not a parameter in my test. Petrol has the characteristics to fill up space. AZNOR SHEDA SAMSUDIN
Chemistry officer
“We accepted the samples in the form of burnt residues.
“If I received samples or materials in the form of liquid such as petrol, I would not say it was petrol until I had analysed the material and confirmed that it was indeed petrol.
“Smell is not a parameter in my test. Petrol has the characteristics to fill up space.
“When petrol is poured onto any material, it will fill up the space.
“When the fire is lit, it will use petrol to light up (the fire).
“Examples of such fire residue are in the form of ashes and charcoal, which had been completely consumed (by fire),” she said.
Aznor Sheda said even though the fire had completely consumed (the material), remains of the petrol composition would be present on the sample or the evidence.
She added that this evidence was what was heated up to remove the trapped steam from the contents and it was used for analysis.
Aznor Sheda said this during examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Mohd Asnawi Abu Hanipah before judge Datuk Ab Karim Ab Rahman.
Lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah is leading the defence team.
She was giving evidence against Nazrin’s wife, Samirah Muzaffar, 44, two minors, aged 17 and 14, and an Indonesian, Eka Wahyu Lestari, who is still at large, who are charged with murdering him.
They were alleged to have committed the offence at Mutiara Homes, Mutiara Damansara, Petaling Jaya, between 11.30pm on June 13, 2018, and 4am the following day.
They were charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code read together with Section 34 of the same code, which carries the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.