Friday, March 11, 2016

Inside storage unit 803 where Jamie Gao was killed


CLUTTERED with furniture and drenched in darkness - this is storage unit 803, where Jamie Gao was murdered by two bullets to his chest and abdomen.
A latex glove was removed from the hand of Gao during his autopsy, a week after he was shot inside the cramped space, allegedly during a botched drug deal with former police officers Roger Rogerson and Glen McNamara.
Photos of the storage unit were shown to the jury as evidence about the crime scene investigation was heard.
The Supreme Court jury also shown photos of elaborate tattoos of Asian symbols that adorned Gao’s back, as they were taken through the report of forensic pathologist, Dr Kendall Bailey.
One bore the words “every saint has a past, every sinner has a future.”

Gao was shot dead inside the unit Rent A Space, Padstow on May 20, 2014 after allegedly bringing 2.78kg of the drug ice to a deal that he had boasted to friends was about make him “very rich.”
Both Rogerson, 75 and McNamara, 56 have pleaded not guilty to murder and supplying a prohibited drug, and are expected to give evidence at the trial pinning the execution on each-other.
Dr Bailey told the jury the bullet trajectory may indicate Gao had been sitting on a chair when he was shot by an assailant standing over him but stressed this was not the only possible scenario.


Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Jamie Gao possibly died sitting down and wearing a latex glove, court hears


When they unzipped the silver Ocean & Earth surfboard bag Jamie Gao was hidden in, he was wearing a watch and a clear, latex glove on his right hand.

Forensic pathologists later peeled off his black Jay Jays T-shirt and found two bullet wounds on the right hand side of his chest and a tattoo that read "Every saint has a past every sinner has a future".

And it is a possibility Mr Gao's future ended sitting down, according to the evidence given by a forensic pathologist in the NSW Supreme Court on Thursday.

The prosecution will allege Mr Gao was shot dead in a southern Sydney storage shed and later dumped at sea by former policemen Roger Rogerson and Glen McNamara.

Kendall Bailey performed an autopsy on Mr Gao and, under questioning, said it was possible the 20-year-old was seated at the time of his death.  
"I agree that's a potential scenario that could result in those trajectories [of the bullets]," she said.
Dr Bailey also explained to the jury what she first saw when Mr Gao's body was brought to Glebe morgue six days after his death on May 20, 2014.

She said his body arrived wrapped in a blue tarpaulin and stuffed inside the surfboard bag.

Around the tarpaulin was a series of ropes of different colours – blue, purple, yellow and white. Then she saw a metal chain.

Mr Gao's white, high-top Lacoste shoes were poking out from the end.

When the pathologists unrolled the tarpaulin they found that Mr Gao wearing blue Calvin Klein jeans, a black Bermuda jacket and Dolce & Gabbana underpants. 

Under his clothes, they found the two bullet wounds and a series of tattoos, one that appeared to be an Asian symbol.

The prosecution alleges Mr Gao, a Sydney University student, met Mr McNamara and Mr Rogerson to sell them 2.78 kilograms of methyl amphetamine.

But he was shot dead and his body was later found by fishermen about five kilometres off the coast of Cronulla.
Police allegedly found the drugs in Mr McNamara's car wrapped in two brown pillow cases.

Mr Rogerson and Mr McNamara have been charged with commercial drug supply in addition to murder.
Both accused have pleaded not guilty to all charges.