SHAH ALAM: The body of Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Nazrin Hassan was found in a straight lying position close to the fire source, unlike in other fire incidents, the High Court was told today.
Testifying in the murder trial of the 47-year-old Nazrin, fireman Tanhoss Bah Agem, 29, from the Damansara Fire and Rescue station said fire victims are typically found with their arms and legs drawn into the centre of the body (melutut or meniarap).
Tanhoss, who had responded to three cases of fires involving deaths since he joined the force in 2011 said the bodies of fire victims were usually found close to any exit points as they would have been looking for ways to escape from the fire.
He said, however, Nazrin’s body did not indicate this, when questioned by Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Salim Soib.
“Usually, the victims will run away from the fire. In this case, the victim’s body was found in an abnormal way, lying straight (face up) on the floor, one foot away from the fully burnt bed in the room,” said the 13th prosecution witness in the murder trial held before Judge Datuk Ab Karim Ab Rahman.
Tanhoss also led the team of firemen that put out the fire at Nazrin’s house on June 14, 2018.
He said upon his arrival at 12.40pm at the two-storey house, Nazrin’s wife Samirah Muzaffar, 44, informed him that her husband was in the master bedroom and that the door was locked from the inside.
“Thick smoke was coming out of the room window. I told Samirah to wait outside for safety reasons but she insisted on following me.
“As I made my way up the stairs, two security personnel came down. I went into the room and saw a man lying down next to the bed. I checked for a pulse on his neck and to see if he was breathing, but he was already dead.
“There was a deep and whitish wound on his head. I was not sure if that was a layer of skin or the skull. His hair was wet. There were also three injury marks on his neck.”
Tanhoss then informed the Fire and Rescue Department’s forensic head about the incident and headed downstairs to see Samirah, who was seated at the dining table near the kitchen.
He said Samirah appeared aggressive and wanted to barge upstairs. To calm her down, Tanhoss told her Nazrin was unconscious.
“She insisted on going inside the master bedroom to see for herself her husband’s condition. After I told her he is dead, she heaved a sigh,” he said, imitating Samirah’s reaction.
Lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah is leading the defence team.
Nazrin’s wife, Samirah, the victim’s stepsons, aged 17 and 14, and an Indonesian, Eka Wahyu Lestari, who is still at large, 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.
The hearing continues next Friday (Nov 15).