STEPHANIE FORAY MURDER TRIAL: Court to visit cave where body was found

KUANTAN: The High Court will visit Pulau Tioman next month where French tourist Stephanie Foray was allegedly murdered last year.

Judge Datuk Mariana Yahya fixed the visit between Sept 24 and 28. She, the prosecution and the defence will visit the cave where police found Foray's body.

She made the decision after discharging the 12th prosecution witness, forensic anthropologist Dr Nurliza Abdullah, who underwent re-examination by deputy public prosecutor Salim Soib @ Hamid.

Salim told the court that after chemist Nor Aidora Saedon was called to allow final cross-examination by the defence, he would call the police forensic team to testify and mid-way through the examination-in-chief, would conduct a visit to the island.

Mariana also reminded the defence to wrap up cross-examination of Aidora as quickly as possible so that the visit could take place as scheduled.

Salim proposed that the visit take place a day after Aidora had finished being cross-examined by the defence.

Mariana fixed Sept 24 for Aidora's testimony and the rest of the days leading to Sept 28 for further hearing on the police forensic team's testimony, while the island visit will take place within that period.

During cross-examination, counsel Datuk Ng See Teong asked how Dr Nurliza, of Kuala Lumpur Hospital, measured the thickness of the Malibu wine bottle allegedly used in Foray's murder.

She said she measured it with a ruler and it was between 1mm and 2mm thick.

"If the bottle is only that thick, would it not break when it is used to hit the victim?" he asked.

She said it depended on which part of the bottle came in contact with the deceased's face as well as the force used by the person holding the bottle and its tensile strength.

Taking over from Ng, counsel Mohd Hisham Abdul Rahim held the exhibit while pointing to the bottle's bottom, telling Dr Nurliza that the edges were sharp, which contradicted her assertion that a blunt and hard object was necessary to cause the injuries.

"In my opinion, the bottom edges of the bottle are not sharp but can still be considered blunt," she said.

Salim then conducted re-examination where Nurliza said in her experience, infliction of cracks would cause heavy damage to the surrounding tissue and internal organs, resulting in the victim's death.

Petty trader Asni Omar, 37, was charged with murdering 30-year-old Foray at an unnumbered house in Kampung Tekek, Pulau Tioman, between 8pm on May 10 and noon on May 12 last year.

Hearing continues on Sept 24.

STEPHANIE FORAY MURDER TRIAL: Court to visit cave where body was found

KUANTAN: The High Court will visit Pulau Tioman next month where French tourist Stephanie Foray was allegedly murdered last year.

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