A man murdered in 2006 was stabbed in the heart, the Supreme Court heard yesterday.

John Obafunwa, a forensic pathologist, told the court that Marcus Gibbings died of blood loss after he suffered multiple stab wounds.

Dr Obafunwa highlighted three major wounds — two to the left side and one to Mr Gibbings’s face and neck.

He said one of the blows to Mr Gibbings’s chest slashed his heart and damaged the barrier between the left and right side.

Dr Obafunwa explained the injury could have caused a loss of heart function and blood loss.

The body of Mr Gibbings, 32, was found in a pool of blood inside an apartment on Derwent Lane, in Devonshire, on October 26, 2006.

Katrina Burgess, Mr Gibbings’s ex-girlfriend, and Cleveland Rogers, her half-brother, are charged with his murder.

Both deny the charge.

The prosecution has alleged that Mr Gibbings was lured to the apartment, which he had shared with Ms Burgess, and was stabbed to death by Mr Rogers.

Dr Obafunwa said he travelled to the island on October 28, 2006 to assist police with the murder investigation.

He told the court that during his autopsy, he noticed several of the injuries appeared to be “L” or “V” shaped, which indicated movement, possibly a struggle.

Dr Obafunwa said some of the injuries, such as damage to one of Mr Gibbings’s ribs, suggested the use of a serrated weapon, but other wounds showed no signs of serration.

He said that the murder weapon could have been serrated on one side and smooth on the other.

Susan Mulligan, defence counsel for Mr Rogers, asked Dr Obafunwa if it was possible that two different knives had been used in the attack.

Dr Obafunwa said: “A single knife is capable of inflicting all the injuries, depending on the configuration of the weapon.”

But he added: “That does not exclude the use of multiple weapons.”

The Nigerian-based doctor also confirmed that police sent him a photograph of a knife in 2018 and asked if it could be the murder weapon.

Dr Obafunwa said: “I responded on the phone that I couldn’t offer an opinion because I didn’t have the dimensions.

“If a weapon is recovered from the scene I would naturally examine it, take measurements of the blade and handle and try to match it with the wounds or exclude it.”

He added he was given no information about the knife and police did not suggest that it was the murder weapon, but only asked if that type of knife could have caused Mr Gibbings’s injuries.

The trial continues.

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