The pathologist who examined a terminally ill woman found strangled in her bed believes she could not have died accidentally.
Dr Timothy Koelmeyer yesterday confirmed at a depositions hearing in the Manukau District Court that 82-year-old Florence Marjorie Simpson died in October from pressure applied to her neck.
Mrs Simpson's son, Christopher Simpson, a medical practitioner, was yesterday committed to stand trial for her murder in the High Court at Auckland.
The Howick woman, who was dying of bowel cancer, was found hanging half-way out of bed with her morphine bag's plastic strap twisted twice around her neck.
"In my view, the pressure on the neck from two complete rotations of the bag could not have occurred accidentally," Dr Koelmeyer said.
"It required, apart from the turns, the loop to be tightened underneath the neck."
Simpson, aged 54, allegedly believed his mother had become accidentally caught up in the strap and strangled herself.
"I assumed she had taken a last grasp at life, reared up and had fallen out of the bed," Simpson told police.
"I think that's quite common when people die."
An autopsy revealed pin-point haemorrhages on Mrs Simpson's face, temples, forehead and eyes.
But under cross-examination by defence lawyer Paul Davison, QC, Dr Koelmeyer said such haemorrhages often occurred naturally with old age.
Bruising was also found on the neck but was not confined to an even line where the strap would have been.
Dr Koelmeyer said he had difficulty in explaining how Mrs Simpson could have fallen from her bed as a bed rail was attached.
The possibility that Mrs Simpson strangled herself would depend upon the level of drugs such as pethidine and morphine present in her system, the pathologist said.
The court heard evidence this week that Mrs Simpson supported euthanasia and was a member of the Voluntary Euthanasia Society.
Although Simpson told police his mother was miserable, he believed "she would have wanted to hang in there until the end."
Simpson himself has vehemently denied supporting euthanasia, telling police: "I don't believe in it and that's certainly not what happened tonight."
The court has heard varying accounts of what happened during Mrs Simpson's final hours, with another son, Melvyn Simpson, claiming that his brother tried to smother her with a pillow.
"He was right on top of her with this pillow. It was frightening, just frightening."
Both Melvyn and Christopher Simpson were drinking that evening and a tenant in a flat below the house told the court that they screamed obscenities at each other throughout the night. Mark Carville, who had lived beneath Mrs Simpson for five years, said he heard someone trying several times to call a nurse at the hospice where the elderly woman had stayed.
"It was a panic, Mr Carville said.
"They didn't know what was going on. They were all confused."
He also heard Christopher Simpson yelling, "Ring the brother. Tell him she's croaked it, she's toes up."
Detective Craig Thomas said yesterday that he spoke to Simpson after his mother's death.
The accused told him: "You people wouldn't have been involved if they hadn't blabbed.
"You wouldn't be here if I didn't think the situation was unusual and called you," Simpson allegedly said.
Simpson has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge.
Yesterday, the two justices of the peace presiding at the depositions hearing remanded him in custody.
A trial date will be set in the High Court next month.
Doctor for trial over murder of his mother
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