The Cooper twins may have died minutes after their injuries were inflicted, their murder trial heard yesterday.

One had his jaw fractured with such force that it split in two, a doctor told the court.

And Dr. Valerie Rao said the other brother was struck so hard on the back of the neck that he would probably have only survived a few minutes after receiving the multiple fractures.

The severity of the injuries suffered by the Cooper twins before they died was outlined in graphic detail for the first time in Supreme Court One yesterday.

The jury saw a series of pictures of the twins? bones taken after their badly decomposed remains were recovered from Abbot?s Cliff last April.

Dr. Rao yesterday confirmed both twins died from ?multiple blunt force trauma?, probably after a blunt weapon was used, after multiple fractures on their bodies.

She said that Jahmil?s neck fractures would have caused spinal chord bleeding and affected his breathing. He also suffered serious injuries to the abdominal area, chest and a right finger.

Dr. Rao said he might have survived the abdominal bleeding with urgent hospital treatment, but said the neck injuries were the most serious and branded them ?lethal?.

?He would survive very few minutes after receiving those injuries,? she added.

The pathologist said Jahmal?s head injuries ? including a massive fracture of the jaw at the chin ? would have caused the brain to bleed and swell.

She also said fractures to the wrist areas of both arms ? which indicated someone under attack trying to defend their head ? would have ?bled tremendously? without medical attention. This injury was consistent with a hard, long object being used, the court heard.

Crown counsel Paula Tyndale asked how long it would have taken for Jahmal to die after these injuries were inflicted. Dr. Rao again estimated a few minutes.

The American-based doctor said the maximum time for both brothers to have died after such injuries would have been about one hour.

The trial heard last week how Kenneth Burgess allegedly launched a baseball bat on the 20-year-old brothers at a lower apartment on Crown Hill Lane, Devonshire, on March 13, 2005. Co-accused Dennis Alma Robinson guarded the door to prevent escape, the prosecution claim.

The forensic pathologist yesterday said all injuries were received before the twins died.

The court heard how a post-mortem revealed Jahmil?s neck had been fractured in three places. There was also ?severe trauma? to the abdomen, with bleeding in the kidney and bowel areas. The liver was lacerated and several blows using ?significant force? would be needed to cause such injuries, the jury was told.

His finger fracture was evidence of somebody trying to defend themselves by raising their hands, the doctor told the court.

She said that the age of the twins and the strength of their bones had to be taken into account when assessing the injuries and the force needed to cause them.

She also said the neck injuries could be caused by an instrument wielded with ?significant force?.

The court was told that Jahmal?s jaw bone would have taken ?considerable force? to get broken in two. And Dr. Rao suggested the ?tremendous fracture? may have been caused by a baseball bat or a significant punch.

Earlier, Dr. Rao told how she abseiled down Abbot?s Cliff with a Police officer to reach the brothers? decomposing bodies when they were recovered last April.

She said the remains were heavily covered by brush and twigs. Dumped motorbike parts littered the area.

She said Jahmil?s remains, identified in court as victim one, had been sheltered by the trees and was not as badly decomposed as victim two, Jahmal, which had been more exposed to the elements.

The pathologist said Jahmil?s feet had been exposed to animals and insects, whereas Jahmal?s feet still had socks and trainers on. The court heard how Jahmil?s skull was found separated from the rest of the body, and was wrapped in a long-sleeved shirt with a picture of rap star Tupac Shakur on.

Courtenay Griffiths QC, for Burgess, said there were no injuries to Jahmil?s ribs, arms or legs and there was no evidence of facial fractures.

But Dr. Rao rejected his suggestion his injuries were consistent with a car accident victim. She said there would be rib injuries in a car accident, and she said Jahmil?s neck injuries were too isolated to account for such an explanation. She also denied his neck injuries were ?survivable?.

She added that she did not see any evidence to support a theory that Jahmil?s neck injuries were caused by a near 80ft drop down Abbot?s Cliff, as skull fractures would have been sustained as well.

Under cross-examination from John Perry QC, for Robinson, Dr. Rao admitted decomposition meant the pathological evidence was partly limited.

Dr. Rao told him the severity of the injuries the twins sustained meant the use of a weapon was a very good probability.

Earlier yesterday the court heard evidence from analyst Christine Quigley, from the Bermuda Central Government Laboratory.

She confirmed drug tests on fluid from both twins proved negative. Alcohol tests showed Jahmil had probably been drinking on the night the twins vanished, although the court heard that levels of alcohol produced by the body after death made firm conclusions about exactly how much was drunk difficult.

Burgess, 33, of Hamilton Parish, and Robinson, 34, of Southampton, deny murdering the twins on March 13 last year.

The high security trial, now in its second week, continues.