JMO report confirms Thajudeen's murder

Colombo Chief JMO Ajith Tennakoon yesterday informed Colombo Additional Magistrate Nishantha Peiris that former Sri Lanka rugby star Wasim Thajudeen had not been driving his vehicle at the time of his death.

The initial verdict was that Thajudeen had died of injuries sustained in a car accident.Tennakoon told the Colombo Additional Magistrate that the former rugby star had been assaulted before his body was dumped into the left seat of his car before the accident was staged. Tennakoon made this observation after performing a special judicial medical examination of Wasim Thajudeen's badly-charred body which was exhumed three months ago from his grave in the cemetery in Dehiwela. Tennakoon said Thajudeen's death had been caused by the infliction of multiple injuries to his legs, neck and stomach, the severity of which had been aggravated with injuries caused by the fire when the car had been torched. Thajudeen may have died a few minutes before the car was set ablaze or just when it was being torched, Tennakoon said. The entire disclosure made by the Colombo Chief JMO to the Colombo Additional Magistrate Nishantha Peiris on the charred remains of rugby player Wasim Thajudeen after it was exhumed is as follows. 1. The parts of the corpse that was exhumed and the samples that had been kept at the JMO office were identified as that of late Mohammad Wasim Thajudeen. This was further proved and ascertained through DNA tests carried out on the samples taken from the victim's remains and after having examined and re-examined x-ray photos taken both before and after the victim's death. 2. From the parts of the corpse that was exhumed there were only dried bones. Smooth particles were not found on the bones. 3. We found the fractures at the higher and lower sections of the bone. These fractures are horizontal. In our opinion, these horizontal fractures, in both thigh bones, are on the same level, and cannot occur in a motor accident. These fractures can only have been caused through repeated blows with a blunt weapon. 4. The head injury might have caused the victim to lapse into an unconscious state. 5. The bone below the knee of the left leg was also broken. We believe that this was caused by assault. Examination of the car showed us that it had not met with a motor accident. 6. The wounds on the chest and the neck looked as if they were pierced with some object. The wound in the neck had pierced the Oesophagus (windpipe). The pole to which the steering wheel is attached or the lever on the pole cannot cause such a wound. Therefore we believe that this was caused by a blunt weapon. 7. There had been heavy bleeding from the wound on the lower neck. This can be the wound that was the cause of death. However, we are not one hundred per cent sure because the body was burnt. 8. According to the photographs taken by officials from SOCO and CID, the body was in the front passenger seat. Also, it had turned towards the left door. If this incident occurred when the deceased was driving it would have been impossible, given the nature of the wounds, for him to move to the passenger seat. He could not have been  thrown to the passenger seat. 9. Considering all evidence we believe that the deceased was not driving when the accident took place. The victim was placed in the passenger seat after he was assaulted. He was placed and the perpetrators had then stage-managed what appeared to be an accident. 10. We believe that death was caused by injuries to the leg, neck and the chest and subsequently by the effects of the fire. Therefore, the fire occurred right before his death. 11. There was no carbon monoxide found in the first blood sample taken at the post-mortem. However, in the first post-mortem report it is said that they suspect that there might have been carbon monoxide in the blood. The blood samples were taken from the chest cavity and the abdomen. If the blood was from the wounds before the fire was caused, there cannot be carbon monoxide in these samples. Next hearing of this case will be on 10th of December