News, links, analysis and comments on Melbourne's Underworld

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Struggle 'possible' after shooting...

Suspected hitman Andrew Veniamin could have continued fighting for up to a minute after being shot in the head and neck, a forensic pathologist told the Supreme Court yesterday.


Well, that's one way of explaining why Mick needed to give him such chronic lead poisoning...

Robert Richter QC (we prefer SC, but hey) is the right man to have in your corner for a gig like this. He's been chomping at the bit to get, as Rumpole would say "a nice little murder". Instead room service brought him up a big one:

Questioned by Robert Richter, QC, for Gatto, Dr Dodd agreed it was difficult to determine individual reactions to particular injuries and that even people shot in the brain could remain active for a brief time.


Given ol' Benji was brain dead from birth, it's a tough call to make.

The defence has claimed that the men struggled until the last of five shots was fired from the .38 revolver that Gatto claims Veniamin had with him.


As Winston Churchill might have said - "well they would say that..."*

But under re-examination by prosecutor Geoff Horgan, SC, Dr Dodd said that if Veniamin had struggled after his carotid artery was lacerated, then he would have expected to see more evidence of arterial blood on the walls of the passageway.

"The body was on the ground and there was an exceedingly large lake of blood under the head and shoulder area pooling back towards the back of the corridor," Dr Dodd said.


We'll call that a draw then...
* Update: Was not Winston, was in fact Mandy Rice-Davies NOT Christine Keeler and most certainly NOT Winston Chruchill.
Struggle 'possible' after shooting - National - theage.com.au

4 comments:

  1. Richter wins. Wish I could see the cheque he gets for his effort.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous11:33 am

    More likely to be cash

    ReplyDelete
  3. I thought that quote
    'well he would say that wouldn't he?'
    was Miss Mandy Rice-Davies 1963?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous4:20 am

    My only contribution to this entire sordid episode is the following:

    Winston was once drunk at a swank party, with the well heeled set in attendance. One old biddy was so disgusted by Winston's state of inebriation that she decided to confront him. The results

    Old Biddy: "winston, you're drunk" (insert disgusted emoticon here)

    Winston: "yes madam I am drunk, but you are ugly. And I'm happy in the knowledge that tomorrow morning I shall awaken sober" (have a think about that one hehe)

    and this...(I highly suspect Winston was drunk again)

    Woman: "Winston, if I were your wife I would lace your tea with arsenic"

    Winston: "and if I were your husband madam, I would drink it"

    ReplyDelete

Don't screw this up.