The “gory” attempt to execute a death row inmate that was halted after medical personnel failed to find a vein, despite repeatedly jabbing him in the ankles, lower legs and groin, amounts to torture, his lawyer has said.

Convicted murderer Doyle Lee Hamm, 61, who has spent more than half his life on death row, was returned to his cell after more than two hours of effort by the execution team.  

Bernard Harcourt, who has represented Hamm for 28 years, claimed the “botched” execution attempt led to at least 12 puncture wounds from failed needle placements. 

He said the procedure left behind a bloodied death chamber.

“It was a gory, botched execution," he said. "They gave up when they could not find a vein." 

The professor at the Columbia University Law School, added: “Our case was that this would be tortuous and bloody and they wouldn’t succeed.”

Alabama Department of Corrections officials were not immediately available to respond to the accusation.

The execution has come under federal court review, with a US district judge calling for the state to preserve evidence, including the clothes Hamm was wearing.

"I wouldn’t necessarily characterise what we had tonight as a problem," Jeff Dunn, Alabama Department of Corrections commissioner, said shortly after the execution was called off.

Shape Created with Sketch. World news in pictures

Show all 50
left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch.

Mr Harcourt said there were two sets of medical personnel who tried to place a line in Hamm's groin area or in an area between his knees and feet.

The inmate was examined by a doctor after the execution attempt and found to have at least 12 puncture wounds, his lawyer added.

In court filings in the days before the planned execution, Hamm's lawyers said he had terminal cancer and a history of intravenous drug use that had severely compromised his veins.

They said Alabama was rushing through a specialised execution protocol, increasing the chances that the procedure would fail.

Mr Harcourt said immediately after the botched attempt that his client was " in great pain… physically, from all of the attempts to access his veins in his lower extremities and in his groin".

The state responded that it knew what it was doing and could handle the lethal injection.

It has not indicated if it will seek a new execution date.

Additional reporting by agencies

Comments

Share your thoughts and debate the big issues

Learn more
Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our Community Guidelines.
  • You may not agree with our views, or other users’, but please respond to them respectfully
  • Swearing, personal abuse, racism, sexism, homophobia and other discriminatory or inciteful language is not acceptable
  • Do not impersonate other users or reveal private information about third parties
  • We reserve the right to delete inappropriate posts and ban offending users without notification

You can find our Community Guidelines in full here.
  • Newest first
  • Oldest first
  • Most liked
  • Least liked
Loading comments...
Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our Community Guidelines.

Community Guidelines

  • You may not agree with our views, or other users’, but please respond to them respectfully
  • Swearing, personal abuse, racism, sexism, homophobia and other discriminatory or inciteful language is not acceptable
  • Do not impersonate other users or reveal private information about third parties
  • We reserve the right to delete inappropriate posts and ban offending users without notification

You can find our Community Guidelines in full here.
  • Newest first
  • Oldest first
  • Most liked
  • Least liked
Loading comments...