Court told of horrific injuries suffered by victim

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The trial of two teenage Opotiki girls charged with murdering retired schoolteacher John Rowe has been adjourned until tomorrow morning when the final Crown witnesses will be called.

Justice Geoffrey Venning told jurors in the High Court at Rotorua that proceedings were running ahead of schedule and it was likely the trial would conclude in the early stages of next week rather than at the end of the two weeks set down.

Courtney Churchward, 18, and a 15-year-old whose name is suppressed, have pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Rowe at his Opotiki home on November 25 last year.

For most of the trial the accused have sat impassively in the dock staring straight ahead of them but when graphic photographs of Mr Rowe's multiple injuries were projected on to a courtroom screen this morning both hung their heads.

A handful of Mr Rowe's relatives remained in the public gallery while the photographs were displayed – one woman clutching a framed photograph of him.

Pathologist Dr Jane Vuletic told the court that Mr Rowe had suffered blows to his head, face, trunk and limbs and had multiple, jagged lacerations over his entire forehead.

"It is difficult to say how many injuries because there were so many," Dr Vuletic told crown prosecutor Greg Hollister-Jones.

Mr Rowe had three scalp wounds up to 5cm in length, through which portions of his skull were visible. Force would have been needed to inflict these injuries.

There were multiple fractures towards the left, front and base of Mr Rowe's skull which Dr Vuletic compared with an egg having been smashed against a bench.

Both his eyes were bruised as a result of the fracture at the base of his skull, his nose cartilage was broken, as were both his cheek bones. His right shoulder and arm were extensively bruised with multiple skin splits.

She described these injuries as "defensive wounds", indicating he had attempted to shield his head and face.

His left arm was also bruised and lacerated. There was a large bruise to his lower right thigh.

Shown a wooden staff and steel rod, she said these could have been used to inflict the injuries but she could not say for certain.

It was apparent he had lost a considerable amount of blood.

She said Mr Rowe had died from a combination of multiple head injuries and blood loss. He would have lapsed into unconsciousness before he died.

She agreed with Churchward's counsel Paul Mabey QC that respiratory failure had developed over time and Mr Rowe would have been alive for some time after receiving his injuries.

A forensic neuro pathologist earlier told the court the appearance of bruises on the surface of Mr Rowe's brain were four-six hours old, indicating he would have survived for some time after the injuries were inflicted.

The trial continues tomorrow.

- NZPA