Shocking are the testimonies of the doctors in the trial of the controversial case of a murderous assault with a vitriol. To the conclusion that if Ioanna Paliospyrou had not gone to the pharmacy to wash immediately after the attack she would have died, they concluded the forensic pathologist Socrates Tsantiris who examined the victim and another witness, a professor at the School of Public Health.
In testimony to the court, both argued that Joanna lived by chance.
«Her left side received a large amount. When we use something like a water pistol it looks like a small orifice. As a sprinkler with a small orifice drops a quantity that will run and there will be strips of healthy skin. In this case the burn was uniform and universal. It corrodes clothing and even metal. It causes burns under the skin. Initially it fell into her hair which pulled it out like a sponge. Here she threw a large amount once from the left side,» the witness said.
He estimated that the 36-year-old perpetrator caught Joanna by surprise.
«I understood that he caught the victim at point blank range and that trauma immediately grips you. It creates an open wound, the organs began to corrode. He was able to get too close to it to accept a very large amount. I believe he shot it from a large bottle with a large spout. It must have been like a jug because the whole quantity went out at once. The direction of the perpetrator's movement was from the left of the victim. It was a large quantity. The face and neck were targeted. Most likely he threw it straight.».
Referring to the chemical used, the coroner said:
«As far as the chemical is concerned, it's highly corrosive, it's used in industry. The victim could have lost consciousness at the scene. He was able to get up too shock and walked to clean up the acid. Somehow, magically, he didn't inhale it while he's burned peri-traumatically. He could swallow even a tiny amount. If he'd had a shot, he could have been driven to his death» he said, noting that «it was very quick to get her to the hospital.».
Describing the in his attempt to obtain vitriol for investigative purposes, explained that he had to declare his professional status, but also had to fill out an affidavit and have the reason for use approved.
«It may be odourless but it reacts directly with the environment. Just inhaling the smell can cause huge problems. I have become aware of the severe physical damage he has suffered. For me the danger is not over, cannot be exposed to the sun, cannot consume food and liquids,» he explained.
Prosecutor: Could he die?;
Witness: Without being a doctor you realize that it can cause death. It says so on the liquid packaging in capital letters. The mortality is around 21% if you pour water quickly, it drops to 8%. Chemical burns have the highest mortality and greatest damage. Whoever dropped it had to realize they could kill the other person.
President: How do you draw this conclusion?;
Witness: From literature, with acid the body is dehydrated, it eats everything, it deadens, here it is next to the carotid arteries.
Civil Lawyer: What if he hadn't gone next door to the pharmacy to wash up?;
Witness: He would have died.
«Joanna was lucky and lived...»
«Joanna was lucky and lived. If she hadn't gone next to the pharmacy and washed herself she would have died,» testified the court witness from the School of Public Health who examined Joanna three weeks ago.
«Together with the coroner I examined Paliospyrou to assess from the injuries what might have happened. Divoric acid is widely used in industry and therefore we as doctors know the risks and we have to protect workers from any accidents.
Acetic acid is the most powerful acid with tremendous dehydrating properties. The tissue is completely dehydrated, necrosis occurs and at the same time it burns.
I saw the wounds that the acid had left on Joanna's body. I examined her without the protective gear three weeks ago. I saw large scars that had been repaired by the excellent work of the doctors. The left side and neck and all over the body has large wounds. The impression I got was that there was no splashing with the acid but it was a large amount.
The quantity, concentration and, subsidiarily, the distance travelled would have been lethal. How she didn't lose consciousness, how she didn't swallow it, and the fact that a pharmacy was found that poured the water for her. Chemical burns have the highest mortality and the greatest damage. Whoever took that liquid and poured it having common sense should have known it would kill that person.».
«The temperature on Joanna's face was over 400 degrees Celsius»
In the titanic efforts of the doctors to treat the Burns of Joanna's was also mentioned by the head of the plastic surgery department and burns of the Metropolitan Hospital, where the victim was transferred immediately after the attack.
In fact, as the witness said, their first concern was to neutralize the temperature that exceeded 400 degrees Celsius and which had developed from the penetration of the acid into Joanna's face.
«Burns are considered the greatest trauma to the human body. Burns are evaluated based on extent and depth. The patient came to the emergency room and what we saw was unprecedented. We had to deal with a terrible thing. The breast was partially saved because she was wearing a bra, which was left on her arm. We had to neutralize the heat that exceeded 400 degrees Celsius. We tried to cope with three kinds of shock,» the witness described at the beginning of his testimony.
«He had to gain 8 pounds in fluids. I had to deal with neurogenic cataplexy. The pain is terrible. And finally we had the cardiac shock,» he said and clarified: «She ran a life-threatening risk, she faced three shocks.».
First aid at the pharmacy saved Joanna
The witness estimated that the fact of Joanna's «ablutions» in the pharmacy helped the situation. «The fluid kept going even when she was brought to the hospital. And it kept going until it was neutralized by washes.».
Prosecutor: From the picture you saw, are you able to estimate the quantity received?;
Witness: I can't make an assessment. It has the property of constantly dispersing the liquid. The property of divine acid is to draw water. The acid binds the volume of water.
President: If he had been delayed in getting to the hospital could a cardiac arrest have occurred?;
Witness: Yes, it's cardiogenic shock, which causes arrhythmias and ventricular fibrillation.
Partner: In how much time could something untreatable occur?;
Witness: It depends. To us it came screaming.
Prosecutor: Would Joanna have ended up from the extent and intensity of the burns?;
Witness: from their complications.
Prosecutor: Why would it end up if there was no proximity of the crime scene to a hospital?;
Witness: From complications
Prosecutor: Why did proximity save her life?;
Witness: It needed immediate attention.
Prosecutor: Did he have burn intensity?;
Witness: Uh, didn't he have it with 20%?;
Prosecutor: Were the burns much more severe than average? What is the rate of risk to life?;
Witness: We had burns on the face, nose, ear, neck. Vital signs.
Prosecutor:Are you telling the court that the quantity received was such that if it had not been transported in immediate time it would have ended up?;
Witness: No, that's not what I'm saying. I can't know what would have happened.
Prosecutor: Why would Joanna end up if she did? Any man who is attacked with a vitriol can end up?;
Witness: It depends on the depth and extent.
«She could have lost her life»
Shortly afterwards, in response to questions from the prosecution, the witness made it clear that Joanna could have lost her life if her condition had not been treated in time.
«She was lucky the hospital was close by. If the pharmacist didn't pour water on her, she was in danger of ending up before she got to the hospital.».
The certainty that the Ioanna Paliospyrou could have even lost her life because of the amount of of caustic liquid that ejected against the 36-year-old defendant, had expressed a little earlier and the doctor and Director of Plastic Surgery at the Intensive Care Unit for Burns at the Triasio Hospital, Maria Kalophone.
Testifying before the Mixed Court of Justice, the plastic surgeon detailed the battle for Joanna's life during the first few surgeries.
