‘My Lord, I will call the next witness, Dr Joseph Wren,’ Andrew said.
Dr Wren, a short dapper man in his mid-sixties, dressed in a brown tweed suit with a light blue shirt and a blue and brown striped bow tie, skipped energetically into the witness box. He was carrying a green file folder, which he deposited on the edge of the box. He took the Bible in his hand and took the oath without being asked.
‘Joseph Wren, pathologist, my Lord,’ he said, nodding in the direction of the bench.
‘Thank you, Dr Wren. Would you please outline your qualifications for the jury?’
Ben had dealt with Dr Wren before, notably in the capital murder case of Billy Cottage some six years earlier. He stood at once.
‘My Lord, there’s no need for that as far as I am concerned. Dr Wren is a well-recognised and experienced expert witness, and his qualifications are not in doubt. Indeed, it may be helpful if I indicate that there is no dispute about the cause of death, and my learned friend may lead the witness if he wishes.’
‘I’m much obliged, ‘Andrew said. ‘Then let me ask you this, just so that the jury will understand what it is that you do. Is a pathologist a doctor who specialises in the examination of bodies and determines the cause of death?’
‘Among other things, yes.’
‘Yes, of course, I’m simplifying –’
‘For our purposes today, that is correct.’
‘And have you practised as a pathologist and have you given evidence in court about your findings on a regular basis for more than thirty years?’
‘Yes, I have. I also speak at various seminars, write articles for respected journals, and participate in training for younger colleagues, which are all things we are expected to do, in addition to our usual professional work.’
‘Thank you. Dr Wren, I see you have your file with you. Don’t hesitate to refer to it as and when you need to. Did you conduct the post-mortem examination of Susan Lang in this case?’
Dr Wren took his reading glasses from his inside pocket and put them on. He opened his file.
‘I did, my Lord. On Thursday 29 April of this year, at Guy’s hospital, I examined the lifeless body of a female identified to me as Susan Lang. The body appeared to be that of a well-nourished young woman of about 30 years of age. I was unable to make any meaningful observations about her pre-mortem state of health because of the extent of the injuries she had sustained, but the cause of death was clear almost immediately.’
‘Taking this quite shortly, did you find that she had sustained a number of wounds inflicted with a sharp object?’
‘Yes. There were either six or seven wounds. The reason I put it that way is that there was what appeared to be one very large wound, the entry point being into the shoulder at the base of the left side of the neck. The blow had been struck in a downwards direction with a good deal of force, but the skin had been ripped sideways, and the width of the entry point was such that I could not determine with any certainty whether it was the result of one blow or two. If it was only one, the weapon was probably used also in a sideways direction, widening the area of impact.’
Ben glanced in the direction of the jury, and saw them grimace.
‘I see. In addition to that wound, or those wounds, were there three blows to the chest or torso, also appearing to have been struck from above with a downwards motion?’
‘Yes, two of those wounds were slightly left of centre, and one slightly to the right, all broadly speaking just below the breasts, though one of the blows on the left had penetrated the left breast and done considerable damage to it.’
‘And finally, were there two wounds to the lower abdomen?’
‘Yes. These wounds had a direct frontal entry point, as opposed to a downwards motion.’
‘What conclusion, if any, did you draw from that?’
‘I concluded that the blows higher on the body had probably been struck while she was still standing, and that these two blows lower on the body had probably been struck after she had fallen to the ground – which would have been almost instantaneous, given the severity of the injuries.’
‘Dr Wren, my learned friend has indicated that there is no dispute about the cause of death, so perhaps you could state that to the jury in simple terms?’
‘Certainly. Each of the injuries I have described would have been fatal in itself, either because it caused catastrophic injury to a major internal organ, or because it resulted in haemorrhaging which could not be stemmed. I can’t say with certainty which blow caused Susan Lang’s death, but the combination of all of them was certainly fatal. Her heart, lungs and liver were fatally compromised, and two major arteries were severed. The haemorrhaging from the arteries alone would have resulted in death within a short space of time, quite apart from the damage to the organs.’
‘Did Susan Lang have any chance at all of surviving this attack on her?’
‘None whatsoever. Death would have followed the attack very quickly.’
‘With the usher’s assistance, I would like you to look at a knife. My Lord, it will be formally identified later, but if there is no objection, may this be Exhibit 2?’
‘No objection,’ Ben said at once.
‘Exhibit 2,’ the judge confirmed.
It was the jury’s first glimpse of the weapon used by Henry Lang to kill his wife. As Geoffrey passed by the jury box, they peered at it curiously, and some turned towards the dock to look at Henry. Since saying that he was sorry just before lunch, Henry had remained silent, sitting quietly and following the proceedings without comment like a disinterested observer. If the jurors were expecting him to react when the knife was produced, they were disappointed.
‘Dr Wren,’ Andrew was saying, ‘have you had the opportunity to examine Exhibit 2 before coming to court today?’
‘Yes, I have.’
‘Can you say whether this was, or may have been, the weapon used to inflict the injuries you saw on the body of Susan Lang?’
Dr Wren took the knife from the usher and peered at it.
‘I can say that the injuries I saw would be consistent with the use of this weapon, but –’
Ben stood.
‘Again, my Lord, I can save my learned friend the trouble. There is no dispute that this knife was used to inflict the injuries.’
Andrew and the judge exchanged looks.
‘Again,’ Andrew said, ‘I am obliged to my learned friend. In that case, Dr Wren, I don’t think there is anything else I want to ask you at this stage. Please wait there in case there are any further questions.’
‘Dr Wren,’ Ben began, ‘do I take it that you did all the usual tests for the presence of drug residues and other substances in the body?’
‘I did, sir.’
‘Your post-mortem examination was conducted on the day after her death, wasn’t it?’
‘Yes.’
‘Did you find any evidence of recent sexual intercourse?’
‘No. I did not.’
‘Did you find any evidence of alcohol consumption?’
‘No.’
‘If she had consumed alcohol during the evening before, or the early morning of the day on which she died, would you have expected to find any evidence of it by the time of the post-mortem examination?’
‘Not unless she had consumed a very large quantity, or there were very unusual physiological circumstances. The likelihood is that any alcohol in her body would have dissipated. And if she had been drinking enough the night before to leave alcohol in her blood for me to find the following day, Mrs Cameron would almost certainly have noticed its effects during the meeting. She would have been in a bad way.’
‘She would have had a hangover?’
‘She might still have been drunk.’
‘I see. Did you find evidence of recent drug consumption?’
‘Yes, I did.’
‘Tell the jury about that, please, Doctor.’
Dr Wren turned over several pages of his notes, one at a time.
‘I found evidence consistent with the recent consumption of both cannabis and cocaine.’
‘“Recent” in this context meaning what?’
‘Within 48 hours, and very probably within the 24 hours preceding death.’
‘Thank you, Doctor. Is it within your knowledge that one of the effects of the consumption of cocaine may be a feeling of well-being and euphoria, which may cause the user to behave in a more excitable and perhaps even more reckless way than she otherwise might?’
Dr Wren nodded.
‘I might not put it exactly like that myself, but I wouldn’t disagree.’
‘Is that effect capable of continuing for up to 48 hours after consumption?’
‘Yes. Again, that depends on timing and quantity. But it would certainly be commonplace for it to continue for at least 24 hours.’
‘Thank you, Dr Wren.’ He glanced at Jess, who shook her head. ‘I have nothing further.’