Dr Kelly death - experts are found wanting

Following on from my last post I've found this recording of part of the Channel 4 News originally broadcast just under eight months after Dr Kelly's death. In it you can hear some of the concerned medical experts who were unconvinced by Hutton's conclusions but what really gobsmacked me was the opinions expressed by two forensic experts from Sheffield (this bit starts at about 3.55). It will be recalled that three used blister packs of co-proxomal each originally containing 10 tablets had been found at the scene - in Kelly's coat pocket I think I'm right in saying. There was one left. So, quick bit of mental arithmetic here, 30 minus one = 29. Our first forensic expert states that 29 tablets were more than enough to kill Kelly, or you or me come to that. What is this "expert" on for crying out loud. Because 29 tablets are missing from the blisters he is assuming that all 29 were taken by Kelly. The post mortem suggested that there was a non lethal amount inside Dr Kelly, certainly not all 29 of the tablets. If someone had murdered Kelly one can imagine that removing a number of the co-proxomal tablets (and perhaps conveniently leaving one to assist the police!) would have helped to give the illusion that the death was one of suicide.

I don't pretend to be that intelligent but even I can see just how ridiculous is the argument put forward by the two forensic professors. Sure there is a lot more information out there now about the death and I have the benefit of Norman Baker's excellent book and of Rowena Thursby's brilliant blog to help form some sort of judgment about the matter. Having said that these supposedly clever men seem to have added two and two together to make five with the greatest of ease.

Mentioning Norman Baker reminds me of a comment in his book wherein he notes that the Home Office pathologist who went out to Harrowdown Hill didn't take the rectal temperature of the deceased until he had completed the rest of his examination. Apparently this temperature is one of the most important things to ascertain in determining the time of death and should be done as soon as possible to get the most accurate estimate. So why wasn't this done as a priority? Truly the experts seem hopeless.