The Editor, Sir:

I write to correct an impression given by the story published on your page A2 yesterday, regarding the engagement by this Office of Professor Derrick Pounder, the forensic pathologist, to observe autopsies done on Monday on the 'Tivoli Five', so-called. For it is not the case, nor did I tell your reporter that the office sought the professor's expertise 'due to the sensitive nature of the case.' Quite simply, we deemed it most desirable to have the benefit of expert opinion, independent of Government pathologists, concerning the causes of death and the surrounding circumstances.

As you correctly reported, Professor Pounder was engaged through funds made available to this office by the Public Defender's Commission of Parliament, to bolster our investigations into allegations of infringement of the constitutional right to life and/or other unlawful acts allegedly committed by the security forces in the course of the operation.

Sensitivity

We were not provoked by any or any especial 'sensitivity' of the matter. We have announced, and you will see, that, increasingly, our office will be conducting investigations of the sort that have been under way since last Wednesday: into instances of citizens being killed in alleged shoot-outs with the police.

We take the opportunity to appeal to locally resident forensic pathologists to make themselves available to us in these endeavours and so obviate the need continually to seek assistance of foreign experts (no matter how eminent), because the expenses involved may prove prohibitive.

I am, etc.,

W. EARL WITTER, Q.C.

Public Defender