The absence of 'hesitation marks' on the abdomen of Eu Lim Hoklai, who is on trial for murdering his China lover, makes it unlikely that he had stabbed himself, said an expert witness.

Testifying on Thursday for the defence , forensic pathologist Johan Duflou said that these marks are usually superficial injuries to gauge the amount of force used to drive a knife in.

Self-inflicted injuries are also tightly grouped but Eu had five stab wounds on the right side of his abdomen and four of his left.

From his experience, he said it was not common for people to stab themselves in the abdomen as they would prefer cutting the wrists or neck.

But he did agree with Justice Kan Ting Chiu that this may vary among cultures.

Although those who inflict injuries on themselves usually do not damage their clothes as in Eu's case, Dr Duflou stuck to his conclusion that it was more likely Eu was stabbed by someone else.

Eu, 54, a seafood-stall owner, is accused of killing Madam Yu Hongjin on June 18, 2006 in her Ang Mo Kio massage shop.

He claims she attacked him with a knife and he strangled her to knock her out so he could escape. She was also stabbed twice during a struggle.

Madam Yu was found dead on a massage bed. Eu was found lying unconscious nearby.

During the 10-day trial, the prosecution maintained that Eu killed Madam Yu and then stabbed himself to make it look like self-defence.

Earlier, expert witnesses for the prosecution told the court that the blood-flow pattern indicated that Madam Yu was stabbed while she was lying on her back and not standing up as Eu had claimed.

But Dr Duflou said that blood need not drip immediately from a stab wound. The bleeding could be internal at first.

Eu, who had an affair with Madam Yu since mid- 2005, said that she demanded $30,000 as compensation when he wanted to break up with her after seeing her with another man.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Winston Cheng accused him of killing her out of jealousy. He was also afraid that she would reveal the affair to his family.

Eu, a father of three daughters, denied these.

The hearing continues.