By RHONDOR DOWLAT and Lara Pickford-Gordon Wednesday, August 5 2009

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Chopping victim Murium Greene felt strong enough to speak on the phone to her son in England yesterday, enduring the discomfort of a fractured jaw.

Greene’s son is due to be flown to Trinidad courtesy the Government, but he may not arrive in time for her surgery today.

The condition of Greene’s husband Peter is not as favourable as hers, as he remained in a coma yesterday. The British couple of Reading, England, were victims of a brutal cutlass attack at their vacation home in Bacolet, Tobago last Saturday, for which no one has been arrested as yet.

Newsday learned that Greene and her husband have an adopted son. Deputy British High Commissioner Geoff Patton yesterday said arrangements were made for Greene to speak with her son when a consular visited her at the High Dependency Unit of the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) in Mt Hope.

“Murium is in a poorly state but is out of danger and the consular did arrange for her to talk to her adopted son this morning (yesterday) on the phone. The medical officials are also keeping regular checks with us and updating us on the status of recovery of the Greenes,” Patton said.

Patton said he did not have the authority release the name of the couple’s son but disclosed he will be brought to Trinidad to see his parents. Relatives from Canada are also expected to arrive this week.

“I can confirm that we have been able to talk with relatives from the UK and Canada and as a result, one of the relatives, her adopted son, will be by her (Murium) bedside soon, hopefully by the end of the week. He is making arrangements as we speak,” Patton told Newsday.

Greene was prepped yesterday to undergo surgery today where a titanium plate will be implanted to repair her fractured jaw. The severity of the attack caused her upper jaw to be detached from the skull. She had surgery on Saturday night but this was a temporary procedure and she was being closely monitored for infections.

Despite the damage to her jaw, Greene has been able to communicate and on Monday, gave police a statement about the attack. She was reported to be “in good spirits” ahead of today’s surgery.

Maxillofacial surgeon Dr Azard Asraph (who is not involved in Greene’s surgery) said if the upper jaw is fractured and the lower jaw is intact, surgery is done to align the bone of the upper jaw to allow the teeth to go back to the normal position “in relation to the mandible” (lower jaw).

Explaining what surgery would entail, he said an incision will be made on the inside of the mouth as this would prevent scarring on the face. The soft tissue is elevated away from the bone to expose the fracture site. A titanium plate is inserted and titanium screws would be put in the bones on either side of the fracture site.

Dr Asraph said healing could take up to six weeks and the plate stays “for the rest of the patient’s life”.

He said the procedure should not result in pain to the patient but if pain is experienced, it could be managed with drug therapy. Asked what were the complications, he said getting access to the fracture site (depending on where it is) and infection — but in all his years of doing similar surgery, these complications were not common.

Dr Asraph said Greene should have no problem talking and will have to be on a “soft diet” for about five weeks. He said patients who have had surgery to insert a plate in their jaw are usually discharged from hospital within 48 hours. Their recuperation is monitored weekly.

Greene’s husband Peter, 65, who sustained serious head injuries had another CT scan done on Monday, but his condition remains critical. No improvement was seen. He had surgery on Saturday to repair facial injuries and due to bleeding in the brain, was put in an induced coma to assist the healing process. Newsday learned that blood pressure around the brain is being monitored.

A police investigator yesterday said thorough searches for evidence have been done at the Bacolet vacation home of the British retirees, which also involved the use of sniffer dogs.

As the investigation intensifies, the senior officer said there were several leads being followed up.

The police have been updating officials of the British High Commission on the progress of the investigation.

Patton confirmed this yesterday. “I was contacted by a senior police officer who assured me that investigations were ongoing. I was told the forensic dogs were sent out, and also, officers of the Special Anti-Crime Unit of Trinidad and Tobago (SAUTT) were despatched on the case and they were following up on a number of leads.”

“Myself and my government are satisfied with the way in which the TT Police Service is handling the case. We recognise their effort,” he added.

This confidence was reflected in a moderate update in the British government’s travel advisory, which remained essentially unchanged except for the addition of the attack on the Greenes.

“In August 2009, a British couple was attacked in their home in Bacolet. The couple suffered life threatening injuries that required medical evacuation to Port-of-Spain,” the advisory stated.

It continued to state that attacks against tourists in Tobago remained a concern and noted the response times of the police to reports have improved.

Robberies, sexual assault and violent attacks were among the noted crimes against tourists, as caution in the rental of villas was advised.

In a statement, the Division of Tourism of the Tobago House of Assembly, which will cover the travel costs of the Greenes’ relatives, condemned the attack but also advised that “in recent months, Tobago has experienced a decline in the incidence of crimes against visitors as well as a significant improvement in the detection rate.”

Anyone with information which can help in solving the Greenes’ case is asked to call investigators at 639-2515, 639-0200, 639-3739 or dial 555.