Source: The Straits Times

A BLOW with the force of a car collision is what likely killed two-year-old Natalie Nikie Alisyia Sallehan, a pathologist testified yesterday.

Following this testimony, the High Court ruled that the prosecution had made its case for murder against the infant’s father.

Standing in the dock, Sallehan Allaudin, 27, replied confidently: “I will give my defence.”

Before this, he had sat quietly during the six-day trial.

Yesterday, Dr Teo Eng Swee told the court that it was likely a hard punch, kick or stomp that had caused a major vein in the toddler to rupture. This caused blood to collect inside her heart sac and prevent it from pumping.

Quoting medical reports describing it as “a rare and usually lethal injury”, the pathologist said Nikie probably died only seconds or minutes after sustaining the injury.

He told Deputy Public Prosecutor Stella Tan that paramedics performing CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, on the little girl would not have caused the vein to tear.

The force required to do that was equivalent to that of colliding with an object at between 20km and 30km per hour, he added.

Although Sallehan admits to slapping and punching the eldest of his three daughters on the evening of Jan 6 this year, he denies kicking at and stamping on her.

The former cleaner claims that Nikie’s mother, Madam Rozanah Mohamed Yusoff, 24, could have caused the toddler’s death by hitting her twice with a broomstick.

Dr Teo, however, ruled out the possibility that a broomstick could have caused such a fatal injury.

Sallehan is expected to take the stand today.