SYDNEY - DETECTIVE Sergeant Philip Elliott has seen many a dead body after 19 years in the job but the badly battered bodies of two Singaporean students murdered in 2003 in Sydney were the worst he had ever come across.
Mr Tony Tan Poh Chuan's head was 'deformed and extensively damaged', said the veteran detective on the stand on Wednesday.
Pieces of plastic, presumably from a newly-bought aluminium baseball bat which was used on him, were stuck to his head in a bloody mess of skin, bone and hair.
The impact of the swinging bat also sprayed several of Mr Tan's teeth, and the lenses of his spectacles, across the living room, where he is believed to have been initially attacked. The assault even flung droplets of Mr Tan's blood onto the ceiling.
Frothy blood had also spurted from three stab wounds to his neck, soaking his clothes when police found his body.
Sgt Elliott, who was among the first police officers to arrive at the murder scene, said: 'In my experience, I have not seen that amount of injury to a deceased's head as a result of an attack by a weapon.'
The other victim, Mr Tay Chow Lyang, also had injuries to his head and stab wounds in his neck, although his injuries were not as severe.
His left index finger was crushed while Mr Tan's hands were swollen and bruised - signs that both men had tried to fend off the attacks with their hands and arms.
A day after the 12-member jury was shown a video of the crime scene taken within hours of the police arriving at the apartment, Sgt Elliott also spoke at length about the blood stains discovered there. He said the stains suggest that Mr Tan had managed to somehow move from the living room where he was attacked to the end of a hallway where his body was later found.
There was also blood spatter on the wall near where Mr Tan was found, suggesting the murderer had attacked Mr Tan there as well. Mr Tay's body was found behind a two-seater couch in the living room.
Read the full story in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.
Mr Tony Tan Poh Chuan's head was 'deformed and extensively damaged', said the veteran detective on the stand on Wednesday.
Pieces of plastic, presumably from a newly-bought aluminium baseball bat which was used on him, were stuck to his head in a bloody mess of skin, bone and hair.
The impact of the swinging bat also sprayed several of Mr Tan's teeth, and the lenses of his spectacles, across the living room, where he is believed to have been initially attacked. The assault even flung droplets of Mr Tan's blood onto the ceiling.
Frothy blood had also spurted from three stab wounds to his neck, soaking his clothes when police found his body.
Sgt Elliott, who was among the first police officers to arrive at the murder scene, said: 'In my experience, I have not seen that amount of injury to a deceased's head as a result of an attack by a weapon.'
The other victim, Mr Tay Chow Lyang, also had injuries to his head and stab wounds in his neck, although his injuries were not as severe.
His left index finger was crushed while Mr Tan's hands were swollen and bruised - signs that both men had tried to fend off the attacks with their hands and arms.
A day after the 12-member jury was shown a video of the crime scene taken within hours of the police arriving at the apartment, Sgt Elliott also spoke at length about the blood stains discovered there. He said the stains suggest that Mr Tan had managed to somehow move from the living room where he was attacked to the end of a hallway where his body was later found.
There was also blood spatter on the wall near where Mr Tan was found, suggesting the murderer had attacked Mr Tan there as well. Mr Tay's body was found behind a two-seater couch in the living room.
Read the full story in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.
