A government chemist yesterday told a jury he did not report on the quantities of drugs found in Robert Peter Kissel, who was allegedly murdered by his wife, because it would have been misleading.
Cheng Kok-choi, who identified four hypnotics and an anti-depressant in the senior Merrill Lynch banker's stomach and liver, was asked by prosecutor Peter Chapman to respond to a series of criticisms of his findings by Olaf Drummer, a forensic expert from Australia called by the defence.
Responding to criticism that the amount had not been quantified, Dr Cheng explained that the banker's body had already started to decompose when it was found on November 7, 2003, five days after he was allegedly bludgeoned to death after being served a sedatives-laced milkshake by his wife, Nancy.
'It is a well-known fact in the case that the [quantitative] results would not be reliable and can even be misleading,' said the prosecution witness. He said such results would only be sought on special request from the government laboratory or in cases of drug overdose. He said he had only been sent 20 millilitres of stomach contents - rather than a whole stomach, which would have been needed for the quantification.
The drugs found were Rohypnol, Lorivan, Ambien, Axotal and amitriptyline.
Mr Justice Michael Lunn asked the witness if the amount of drugs found corresponded to 'a tiny fraction of a normal dose'. The witness said yes.
Nancy Kissel, 41, has pleaded not guilty to a count of murder.