A CASE OF SELF-HARM USING A DEVICE TO STUN FARM ANIMALS
Authors: Voichenko Valerii , Viun Valerii , Levchenko Vitalii , Dosenko Oleksandr 
Published: March 2024

There are several types of devices used to stun cattle before slaughter or stunner (captive bolt pistol, cattlegun, stunner). This device consists of a heavy impact rod made of corrosion-resistant alloys such as stainless steel. It is held inside the case with the help of rubber washers and does not protrude from it. The rod is actuated by the trigger and is advanced by compressed air, a spring mechanism, or a blank cartridge charge that is ignited by the firing pin. After a shallow but strong blow to the animal's forehead, the spring tension causes the rod to roll back into the housing. In forensic medical practice, such devices usually appear as instruments of death in cases of suicidal or accidental injuries. Moreover, when reviewing the Ukrainian-language literature, the authors did not come across reports of deaths caused by stunners for stunning animals. Such situations are described in English-language professional periodicals, but they are extremely rare. Killings are generally isolated, apparently due to the fact that fatal wounds when fired from these devices occur from a distance of less than 10 cm, which follows from the design, namely the length of the rod. That is why the authors decided to report on a case from their expert work.

A 58-year-old man was found unconscious in a beam and was taken to the hospital with a severe open penetrating brain injury, a hole-multifragmentary fracture of the left temporal bone, where he died 10 hours later. No additional data was provided by the police

According to the autopsy data, a wound of a slightly irregular, rounded shape, with a diameter of about 0.9 cm, with small scalloped edges, which were unevenly beveled due to the "minus-tissue" defect towards the center, was found. Around the wound, there was an irregular, rectangular-shaped, brown-brown, dried-up scab, which was more pronounced on the lower edge. On the bow of the right temporal bone there is a hole-fragmentary fracture with the formation of a bone defect in the central part. The defect had a rounded shape, its edges are finely serrated, beveled like a trapezoid in the direction of the skull cavity, around the defect there is a funnel-shaped depression of the bone, which is formed by three incomplete fragments of an irregular shape. The total length of the wound canal was about 9 cm, and there were small bone fragments in the brain detritus along its entire length. No striking elements of the projectile or the projectile itself were found within the wound channel.

According to the medical criminalistics investigation, the following were found: intermittent overlays of small dust-like dull particles of dark gray and black color, similar to soot shot, within the sedimentation belt, on the walls of the hole, and on the area of an irregular oval shape, located below and to the right of the above-mentioned damage. A diphenylamine test with dust-like particles gave a positive result. Traces of compounds of iron (characteristic form), lead, nickel and copper were also detected by the contact-diffusion method.

Conclusions:

Unfortunately, police very often do not provide important, and sometimes critically important, information, especially before the examination, so it is necessary to request the provision of criminal proceedings materials in any case with undetermined or unspecified circumstances.

Forensic medical experts must use all available verified sources of information, within the framework allowed by legislation of Ukraine.

In this case, the injuries were caused by a device with a firearm mechanism of operation, therefore, in unclear cases, it is necessary to use the term "device" and not "weapon" in the results.