Pathologist: "Cases of self-asphyxiation are very rare"

Wednesday 30 January 2019

The trial of a man accused of murdering his wife following a row over an affair has been hearing from various expert witnesses, to try and determine exactly what happened.

60-year-old Alfredo da Costa Rebelo denies murdering 51-year-old Ana Rebelo at their home in Victoria Street around 3 April 2017.

Pictured: The Victoria Street home where Ana was found dead on 4 April.

Dr Russell Delaney, a Home Office registered forensic pathologist, gave evidence for the prosecution to discuss the findings of the post mortem examination he carried out on Ana on 5 April. He said that Ana had died as a result of “compression of the neck by ligature,” where an item or object is used to apply pressure. Mr Rebelo is accused of strangling her with a pair of leggings - he denies the charge, arguing she committed suicide. 

Dr Delaney said cases of self-asphyxiation were very rare, because of the pressure needing to be maintained independently from the person.

During cross examination, he confirmed he had seen some swelling around Ana’s eyes, but that he had been unable to identify what had caused it. He said he hadn’t found any scratches on Ana’s neck that would have indicated she had tried to remove the leggings from around her neck. He however added that her nails were bitten very short and she might have struggled without leaving any mark on herself or anyone else. 

Given the post mortem examination results, the doctor said it was more likely Ana had died on 4 April than 3 April but that it was impossible to exclude the latter. He added that when Ana was found she had been dead at least a few hours, although he couldn’t say how many due to the “limitations of science.”

Questioned by the Bailiff, the pathologist said that it was possible that the leggings could have been applied from behind, given the abrasions he had found at the back of Ana’s neck and the blood found on the wall next to her bed. He said in that case, the leggings wouldn’t have needed to be wrapped many times around her neck.

Pictured: The Bailiff Sir William Bailhache is presiding over the trial.

A forensic scientist, a crime scene investigator, as well as the two paramedics and two police officers who first attended the scene were also called to give evidence for the prosecution.

Also, Mrs Rebelo’s daughter was cross-examined by the defence’s lawyer, Advocate Julian Gollop. She confirmed that only her and her brother knew about their mother’s affair. She told Court that she had seen her parents argue regularly, and that whenever her mum would become too agitated or nervous, her dad would leave the room.

She said her mum had been more depressed in the days leading to her death and that she had been feeling low.

She also told Court that she had heard her mother breathe very deeply two or three times during the night as if she had been taking a full breath. She didn’t check on her mum during the night, or notice any disturbance in the room when she woke up the morning after.

The trial is expected to last until next Friday under the direction of the Bailiff, Sir William Bailhache, who is sitting with Jurats Jane Ronge and Jerry Ramsden.