By Omar Anderson, Staff Reporter 
DANISH PATHOLOGIST Dr. Peter Leth yesterday told the Braeton Inquest into the killing of seven young men by the police last March, that two marks left on the face of victim Andre Virgo, showed that he was killed, possibly with an automatic weapon, placed on his face.
The pathologist, who is expected to return to Denmark today, had observed autopsies done on the seven young men then filed a report to human rights watchdog, Amnesty International, which then circulated the report to Jamaican authorities.
Dr. Leth was examined by Carrington Mahoney, Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, and cross-examined by several lawyers, including Carolyn Reid, one of the lawyers representing the police.
He said he was trained as a medical doctor at the University of Copenhagen in 1983 and subsequently trained as a pathologist in Denmark. Since 1993, he's been the deputy chief forensic pathologist at the University of Arhos in Denmark, he said. He also did doctoral studies regarding fire victims and fire investigations. Dr. Leth said after becoming a medical doctor, he did a course in morbid anatomy and histology -- the microscopic study of body organs.
He added that he has conducted more than 2,000 autopsies in his career, in his home country, Greenland and Kosovo.
Dr. Leth said on March 29, 2001, he visited Spanish Town Hospital in St. Catherine where he observed pathologist Dr. Ere Seshajah performing autopsies on the bodies of seven young men.
He told the Inquest that the body of Curtis Smith, 20, had five gunshot wounds. Lancebert Clarke, 19, he said, had seven wounds which appeared to have been inflicted from a distance.
Dr. Leth said Virgo had four gunshot wounds to the head, two of which he described as being "contact wounds", meaning that the weapon used to kill the young man touched his skin at the time the weapon was fired. The first contact wound, the doctor said, entered under Virgo's left ear and exited his right ear. The second contact wound, he said, entered Virgo right ear and exited on his right cheek.
The pathologist also testified of seeing two bruises on the right side of Virgo's forehead, one on the young man's nose, and two on his upper chest. He added that he saw a bruise on Virgo's left upper back, on the right side of pelvis, and on his left knee. He said there were three discoloured marks on Virgo's right upper arm, and one the top of his left foot. He said Virgo's eyes were discoloured and so too was his lower lip. Dr. Leth testified that the marks under the young man's eyes could have been caused by punches.
Continuing his evidence, Dr. Leth said Dane Whyte, 19, received six wounds, two of which were fired into the top of his head. Tamayo Wilson, 20, Dr. Leth testified, was shot five times, two of which were head injuries. He said gun powder was found on Wilson's T-shirt, indicating that he was shot at a close range.
Another victim, 17-year-old Christopher Grant, the pathologist said, received two gunshot wounds, one of which ruptured his brain. Ronald Beckford, 15, received nine gunshot wounds, Dr. Leth testified. He said all seven men died from gunshot injuries.
Under cross-examination from attorney by Kathryn Phipps, who held for attorney Roger Davis who is representing Virgo's family, Dr. Leth said the pattern of firing as indicated on the young men's bodies, showed it being more consistent with shots deliberately aimed at their heads.
But a little while after Ms. Phipps' asked her question, Ms. Reid objected and Coroner Lorna Errar-Gayle said she agreed with the objection, as Dr. Leth is unable to say where the police were at the house and what positions the seven young men were inside the house.
When cross-examined by attorney Dennis Daly, Q.C., who is representing Beckford's family, the Danish pathologist said based on the trajectory of the bullets that killed Tamayo Wilson, the young man could have been killed in combat but he would have had to be close to his attacker.
Continuing his evidence, Dr. Leth told the Coroner and the 12-member jury that he did a three-day post-doctoral studies in assessing homicides and gunshot wounds, but couldn't remember if he'd received a diploma or certificate. He said he subsequently did similar courses.
The pathologist said he became a member of Amnesty International between May and June 2001, soon after he'd observed the autopsies on the seven young men here. He said before he arrived in the island, Amnesty International had briefed him about his assignment. On his arrival in Jamaica on March 28, the day before the autopsies were conducted, the pathologist said Yvonne McCalla-Sobers, head of Families Against State Terrorism (FAST), met him and gave him newspaper clippings and video recordings regarding the circumstances surrounding the Braeton killings.
Dr. Leth said he was not made aware of the guidelines of how Jamaican pathologists conduct their jobs. He said neither was he given anything informing him how the laws governing Jamaican post-mortem examinations work.
Yesterday there was an issue in court when Ms. Reid found out that pages one to six of a copy of Dr. Leth's report she had were missing. However, lawyers representing the victims had the full report, and the pathologist said all the pages were included in the report he sent to Amnesty International.
In the missing pages to which Ms. Reid referred and questioned the witness about, Dr. Leth said the briefing Amnesty had given him prior to his arrival here, suggested that the seven young men were killed extra-judicially. He said Amnesty also told him that there were suspicions that some of the men were taken outside the house and beaten.
Dr. Leth testified that from the first day he arrived, he was told that proceedings were pending into the matter. He admitted, however, that he gave the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) an interview about a report he filed on the autopsies.
The Inquest continues tomorrow.
