Murder victim Sam Abraham had ‘extremely high’ levels of cyanide in his blood, court hears
A FATHER who was allegedly poisoned to death as he slept with his young son had “extremely high” levels of toxic cyanide in his system, a court has heard.
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A FATHER who was allegedly poisoned to death as he slept with his young son had “extremely high” levels of toxic cyanide in his system, a court has heard.
Toxicology specialist Naren Gunja told the Supreme Court jury presiding over the trial into the murder of Sam Abraham that he had a reading of 35mg/l of cyanide in his blood.
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High levels of cyanide were also found, he said, in Mr Abraham’s liver and stomach.
Associate Professor Gunja explained how people have died with cyanide readings of just 1mg/l — and that victim’s of cyanide poisoning by inhalation in a house fire would usually only have a reading between 5 to 10mg/l.
“So this is extremely high,” Prof Gunja said.
“In general, with levels this high, the only way is to ingest it.”
Mr Abraham’s wife Sofia Sam, 33, and her alleged lover Arun Kamalasanan, 35, have both been charged with the murder at his family home in Epping on October 14, 2015.
The pair, who have pleaded not guilty, were not charged until 10 months after Mr Abraham’s death as authorities initially suspected he died from a heart attack.
Police launched an investigation and started following Ms Sam and Mr Kamalasanan when an autopsy revealed he died from cyanide poisoning.
Prosecutor Kerri Judd QC earlier alleged Ms Sam and Mr Kamalasanan plotted the murder and gave Mr Abraham sleeping tablets, before poisoning him by pouring cyanide-laced orange juice into his mouth as he slept.
Prof Gunja said it was “possible” to administer small doses of cyanide, no more than 50ml at a time, into the mouth of a sleeping person without them rousing.
He said the absence of erosion and red spots in Mr Abraham’s oesophagus also meant that he unlikely consumed the cyanide in one large dose, which is often seen in suicide cases.
Describing how cyanide would affect a human, Proj Gunja said it would often bring on vomiting and seizures before the person would go into a coma and cardiac arrest.
“If you were suffering cyanide poisoning you wouldn’t just be lying there, doing nothing,” he told the jury. “You’d be blue and thrashing about, and convulsing. It’s obvious.”
Prof Gunja’s evidence marked the end of the first week of the murder trial, which has heard evidence suggesting Ms Sam and Mr Kamalasanan were having an illicit affair for at least two years before the cold-blooded murder.
The jury was shown diary entries from the alleged killers where they express their love for one another; and photos of the pair shopping and running errands together in the months after Mr Abraham’s death.
The trial will continue on Monday.