Heart of man stabbed at house party suffered 'significant damage', murder trial hears
The doctor who examined the body of a man who was stabbed at a house party has told a murder trial the victim's heart suffered "significant damage" in a fatal blow to the chest.
Home office pathologist Alexander Kolar was giving evidence at the trial of Colin Phipps, who is accused of murdering 32-year-old Rommell Holding after a row at a house in Newbury Lane, Oldbury, on September 11 last year. Mr Holding died of his wounds two weeks later.
Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how West Midlands Ambulance doctor James Hudgil performed an emergency blood transfusion on Mr Holding after finding him bleeding profusely. He also administered an electric shock procedure when the patient started to become unresponsive
Doctor Kolar, who examined the body on September 27, two days after Mr Holding had died, said the emergency medical intervention, which had seen his sternum stitched and wired together, had made his analysis of the cause of death more difficult.
But he ruled out any natural disease prior to the incident which had caused the death and said there was clear evidence of two stab wounds .
