A Palmerston North jury heard yesterday that the exact time and cause of gay man Stanley Waipouri's death will never be known - as two medical specialists gave evidence on day four of the murder trial. A CAT-scan of the body were shown to the jury, revealing shattered facial bone fragments and extensive swelling around the brain. Two teeth had been displaced. Dr John Goulden told the court he'd not "seen such severe frontal fractures on any living person". Dr. Katherine White also gave evidence yesterday, saying she conducted a post-mortem examination of Waipouri the day after his death in December last year. She said there remained a "spectrum of possibilities" as to the specific cause of his death - but confirmed that there were no defensive injuries, or injuries caused through defending himself, found on the body. Waipouri died from significant head and neck injuries, she concluded. Under cross examination by defence lawyers, she said she could not definitively state whether or not a single blow caused the death, reported the Manawatu Standard. Other injuries, including those sustained to his ear, his penis and his nipples, were thought to have been inflicted while he was dying, White said. The examination also found a fragment of bone protruding through the skin, above Waipouri's left eyebrow. A blood sample from Waipouri revealed 301mg of alcohol per litre of blood - the legal limit is 80mg.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Friday, 30th November 2007 - 3:21pm