Stabbing wounds 'inevitably fatal'

The chest wounds Andre James de la Mare received in a confrontation in a Christchurch street were "inevitably fatal" and would have caused collapse within seconds, forensic pathologist Dr Martin Sage told the High Court at Christchurch today.

The stab wounds in the chest severed two major arteries and caused "torrential" blood loss into the chest, where the autopsy revealed 1200ml of blood. That was about 25 per cent of 41-year-old Mr de la Mare's total blood volume.

"If you lose more than 20 per cent you are in dire trouble in circulation terms," Dr Sage said.

The pathologist was giving evidence on day three of the trial of 40-year-old Baz Michael Edmonds, who denies a charge of murdering Mr de la Mare in Olliviers Road, Phillipstown, in a confrontation outside Edmonds' house on August 25 last year.

Edmonds claims that he was acting in self-defence when he stabbed Mr de la Mare, who he said had brought the knife to the confrontation but had been disarmed in the struggle.

Dr Sage said he believed the wounds had been caused with a single-edged weapon, but that did not rule out the double-edged dagger presented as the weapon during the trial.

Scientific evidence from the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) was read to the court. This showed that blood samples found on the knife, which was retrieved from atop a woodshed next door to Edmonds' house, were highly likely to have come from both Edmonds and Mr de la Mare.

A blood sample from Mr de la Mare showed he had 239mg of alcohol to 100ml of blood. The legal driving limit is 80mg. A sample was taken from Edmonds about six-and-a-half hours after the incident, and it was estimated that his level would have been between 190mg and 250mg at the time of the stabbing.

The trial before Justice Graham Panckhurst and a jury is expected to continue into next week.

- NZPA