‘Severe force’ needed in landlord-stab case
Reporter: Helen Korn
Date published: 21 July 2011
SEVERE force must have been used to drive a knife deeply into Anthony Dale’s breast bone, a court heard.
Dale Ross is accused of murdering the 51-year-old dad-of-three by stabbing him in his Chadderton flat on February 3.
But Mr Ross claims he accidentally stabbed his landlord during a drunken scuffle.
Pathologist Dr Charles Wilson, who removed the knife from Mr Dale’s body at the scene, was adamant that for a knife to penetrate 0.7cm of bone, severe force must have been exerted.
The doctor, who regularly deals with knife wounds, said: “I can relate it to things the public may have knowledge of — butchers trying to cut through ribs with a meat cleaver. You get the idea of force being used. My examination of the sternum showed a significant wound in the bone — severe force must have been used.
“I weigh 75kg and I had to put all of my weight on to the knife to push it through his sternum from a static position. I also tried it with a moving action.”
He added that he couldn’t be specific about the position of either man during the incident but said it would be easier to generate force with momentum.
The knife that killed Mr Dale had gone in almost to the hilt and was left bent on one side.
Defending, Simon Jackson QC, asked whether it was possible the knife could have passed along the side of the sternum and cut into it, to which the doctor replied: “It still takes a lot of force.”
Mr Jackson suggested the knife could have been pushed in with the force exerted as a result of Mr Ross falling or collapsing on to the knife, to which the doctor said: “I have difficulty with people running into knives.”
The jury heard how Mr Dale had suffered with osteoporosis.
Mr Jackson suggested his bones would therefore be softer than those of a non-sufferer.
While the doctor said he agreed slightly, he reiterated his point that a lot of force was used.
Dale Ross told his barrister yesterday that he did not wish to take the witness stand.
The defence counsel will summarise his case today.
Proceeding
