DR Peter Leth, the Danish pathologist who was sent by Amnesty International to Jamaica to observe the post-mortem of seven young men shot dead by the police at Braeton on March 14 last year, on Monday denied that his report on the examination was influenced by his prior knowledge of the incident.

At the same time, Leth told the coroner’s inquest into the killings that the pattern of injuries on the seven were not consistent with a shoot-out.

According to Dr Leth, six of the seven youth had gunshot wounds to the head. He told attorney Maurice Saunders, who is representing the estate of Dane Whyte, one of the youth, that six of the seven also received potentially lethal gunshot wounds to the chest and abdomen. Four of them had entrance gunshot wounds from behind.

Attorney Kathleen Phipps, who was holding for attorney Hugh Thompson, representing the estate of Andre Virgo, another of the slain youth, asked Leth whether the pattern of injuries he observed at the post-mortem were consistent with a shoot-out

Dr Leth: No. They were consistent with shots deliberately aimed at the heads of the deceased. There were a large number of head wounds, and as far as I could see, several of the shots were fired from behind.

Attorney Carolyn Reid, appearing for the police, suggested to Dr Leth that he had come to Jamaica with preconceived ideas about the killings and that these might have influenced his report.

Dr Leth, in response, made reference to his report and findings, in which he made it clear that before coming to Jamaica to observe the post-mortem he was briefed by Amnesty International.

He said that on arrival in Jamaica, he read newspaper reports and viewed video clippings. “This did not mean that I believed what I was told. I don’t believe before I see with my own eyes,” he said.

Reid asked Dr Leth whether he was told that the seven men had been bearing arms and that swabs were taken from them by the police.

He responded that no swabs were taken during the post-mortem and questioned the validity of the swabs taken by the police since the hands of the deceased were not placed in plastic bags and there was the possibility of contamination.

Reid: You do not know when the swabs were taken?

Dr Leth: No swabs were taken at the autopsy, but later I saw the police report saying that the swabs were taken.

Reid: You had no swab results in relation to the men before the post-mortem and before you signed the report?

Dr Leth: No.

Reid: You had no statement from the police before you did the post mortem?

Dr Leth: No.

Reid: You had no forensic information before compiling the report?

Dr Leth: No.

Reid: Having regard to these matters, they may have affected your conclusions?

Dr Leth: No, I don’t agree. They would not have affected my findings.

Testifying under the lead of attorney Carrington Mahoney, deputy director of public prosecutions, Leth said that at the post-mortem, conducted by Dr Ere Seshaiah at the Spanish Town Hospital morgue on March 29, he was not allowed to touch the bodies. He, however, made notes while each body was being examined and drew the lesions and entrance wounds on three sketches of human bodies, he took to Jamaica.

Leth told Mahoney that he had seen Dr Seshaiah’s report and “it is only slightly different from my own”.

The Danish forensic pathologist, who received a medical degree from the University of Copenhagen in 1983, after which he was trained as a pathologist, said that he had done in excess of 2,000 post-mortems in Denmark, Greenland and Kosovo.

He testified that he did research for his PhD on fire accidents and in relation to fire victims. He also did post-doctoral training in homicide and gunshot wounds.

Reid asked Dr Leth what was the duration of his training in homicide and gunshot wounds. He told her that the course was for three days and that he had done several other short courses on the subject and read extensively.

Leth, testifying as to the causes of death for the seven, said:

* Curtis Smith, 20, had five gunshot lesions and died of multiple gunshot lesions to the head;

* Lanceford Clarke, 19, had seven gunshot lesions and died from gunshot wounds to the head, chest and abdomen;

* Andre Virgo, who had four gunshot lesions, died of multiple lesions to the head. The doctor also said that he noticed bruises and abrasions on Virgo’s forehead (right side), bruises under the right and left eye, on the chest, on the front right side of the right upper arm, on the back of the left shoulder blade, on the back above the pelvis, the left knee, the back of the left foot and a small contusion on the back of the left big toe. He said that the bruises were pre-mortem;

* Dane Whyte, 19, had six gunshot lesions and died from multiple gunshot wounds to the head, chest and abdomen;

* Tamoya Wilson, 20, had five gunshot wounds and died from multiple lesions to the head;

* Christopher Grant, 17, received two gunshots and died from gunshot lesions to the head. One of the gunshot wounds to Grant’s head, Leth said, entered on the right side of his forehead and exited in the left inner corner of the eye. “There was a big defect (hole) in the skin and cranium,” Dr Leth said;

* Reagon Beckford, 15 received nine gunshot wounds and died from lesions to the neck, chest and abdomen.

The inquest resumes today.