Media Links **NO DISCUSSION**

[jilly]

<modsnip>

Four shots through a closed door. This is what Oscar Pistorius will have to prove was a reasonable reaction to his alleged perceived fear that his life was in danger when he shot dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

.......

&#8220;On the particular facts of this case (the Pistorius case) putative private self-defence has never been successful in a South African court where the accused fired through a closed door thinking his life was in danger. In this case the door was locked, so the intruder would have had to break down the door to enter the house.

&#8220;Subjectively he could have foreseen that his life was in danger, but that is not the test. The test is, if that subjective belief was objectively reasonable and if he could have taken other preventative steps.

&#8220;The law is quite clear. If you can escape the imminent danger without putting your life in danger you have to do it. If you kill a person it must be in such severe circumstances that there&#8217;s virtually no other way open to protect your life.&#8221;.....

Good article to read: http://citizen.co.za/129328/reasonable-reaction/

 

[BritsKate]

Here's a diagram.
http://www.2oceansvibe.com/2013/02/...storius-affidavit-that-weve-seen-infographic/

In this, it shows the open window is adjacent to the toilet room. Literally right beside it. The window in the toilet looks to be a privacy window. FWIW

 

[soozieqtips]

Roux says he is going to produce experts who will say Pistorius' screaming could be mistaken for a woman's based on decibel tests. Dr Stipp disagrees saying he heard a male voice "intermingled" with the screaming.

"I find it hard to believe he was screaming in two voices," he says.


http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/oscar-pistorius-murder-trial-live-3212335

 

[jilly]

.....Pistorius took such a competency test for his 9 mm pistol and passed it, according to the South African Police Service&#8217;s National Firearms Center. He therefore should have known that firing through a closed door cannot be viewed in South African law as an accident, according to Andre Pretorius, president of the Professional Firearm Trainers Council, a regulatory body for South African firearms instructors.

Criminal law experts say that if the prosecution fails to prove premeditated murder, firing several shots through a closed door could bring a conviction for the lesser charge of culpable homicide, a South African equivalent of manslaughter, which could still land him in prison......

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world...ed63e6-a24f-11e3-a5fa-55f0c77bf39c_story.html

 

[bessie]

Some of the wounds showed that the bullets were atypically shaped when Steenkamp was hit, most likely from hitting the bathroom door first.

Saayman confirmed that it was likely that one of the bullets had passed through Steenkamp's arm and into her head.

Saayman added there were also small, superficial injuries caused by splinters.

Abrasions on her body suggested damage from a blunt object, or projectiles that lost the force to penetrate the skin.

http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/reeva-s-head-wound-fatal-pathologist-1.1659020#.Ux3GD4WPNpV

The court heard that Steenkamp had a few bruises on her body that were not as a result of the shooting.
Her upper eyelids were blue-reddish and there was soft tissue swelling but no injury to the eyes.
This was not caused by direct trauma but a fracture to the skull.
As Saayman explained that it could have been blood leaking from the skull Pistorius retched loudly.
There were also bruises on the upper part of the right thigh that were not linked to the shooting and behind the left knee and the left shin.

http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/20...esigned-to-maximise-tissue-damage-pathologist

http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/oscar-used-expanding-bullets-expert-1.1659043#.Ux3o_IWPNpU

Pathologist Gert Saayman told the court that Steenkamp did not take more than a few breaths after suffering her head wound.

Saayman described the wound to her head as an incapacitating wound, and said there was physical damage to the brain because of a substantial fracture to the base of the skull.
However, both the injuries to her arm and her right groin or hip area could have been fatal as well, he said. Her right hip bone was shattered and this was likely to cause immediate instability, he explained.

As Saayman spoke of the "painful wound", Pistorius bowed his head and retched. He said Steenkamp would have collapsed and, unless she had something to grip onto, it would have been difficult to get back up. It was also an incapacitating injury that if not operated on immediately could be fatal. He said there was a 50/50 chance of surviving the injury.

He described the wound to Steenkamp's arm as devastating. Her right arm was shattered, leaving it with no functionality.
Saayman said any of the head, arm or groin injuries could have caused her death because she needed urgent medical assistance to survive them.

http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/2014/03/10/the-oscar-pistorius-murder-trial-day-6
http://citizen.co.za/141417/steenkamp-took-breaths-head-wound/

Pathologist Gert Saayman said Steenkamp had two scratches on her back. This could have been caused by a blunt object or shrapnel.

Her right buttock was bluish in colour. Saayman said this could have stemmed from the injury that Steenkamp had sustained on her right hip, where a bullet had penetrated.

There was some reddish discoloration on her right nipple, said Saayman. He said this could have been caused by frictional contact.
Earlier, Saayman told the court that Steenkamp had also sustained wounds to her head, hips and hand.

http://www.sabc.co.za/news/a/b7b061...ned-bruising-on-her-back,-buttocks-and-breast

...a bullet entered Steenkamp's head in the right upper part, and ran under the skull before it exited from a second wound in the head. ...Saayman said a bulk of the projectile went into the brain.

The upper left arm was deformed due to the amount of fracture...

Wounds were caused by multiple small fragments. There was bruising in skin around the wounds. The right upper arm had a bluish discolouration surrounding that wound.

...Steenkamp's body was naked when it was brought in for the post mortem and her clothes were brought in along with the body. Saayman said the holes in the clothes corresponded to the wounds on the body.

...a grouping of abrasions, superficial fractures, on the skin of Steenkamp's torso. He said a close-up view of injuries showed they were not penetrating injuries.

...gunshot wound to her right hip, 92cm from the ground. He said a defect he had seen on Steenkamp's pants was in line with this wound.

...injuries to her left groin but these were superficial small abrasions, possibly caused by wooden splinters, said Saayman.

...a wound that he noted on Steenkamp's left hand that was between her second and third finger.

Steenkamp's Nike shorts had blood stains on them, and a small hole around 5mm in diameter. What initially seemed like a defect on the trousers turned out to be a blood spatter, he said.

A sleeveless black vest accompanied the shorts. Saayman said small tissue and bone fragments could be seen on the vest.

http://citizen.co.za/141361/family-members-console-pistorius/

 

[Estelle]

Pretoria &#8211; Bloody towels, a bloody cricket bat, blood splatters across the walls and tiles, and splinters of wood scattered across the bathroom were shown in photos of the gory crime scene presented to the court on Thursday

http://www.sabreakingnews.co.za/201...otographic-evidence-shows-bloody-crime-scene/

 

[beach]

Reeva Forgotten In Pistorius Courtroom Drama

<snip>

The photographs were flashed up for just a few seconds, but the sudden glimpse of Reeva Steenkamp's body was enough to prompt gasps in the courtroom.

Even after all of the evidence about the manner of her death, the actual sight of her bloodied corpse - shown by mistake by the prosecution - was shocking for everyone in the court, but devastating for Reeva's friends and relatives.

.......

more at link

Yorkshire Coast link

 

[Harmony 2]

Pistorius selling house where he shot Steenkamp

http://www.twcc.com/sports/articles/2014/03/pistorius-selling-house-where-he-shot-steenkamp

 

[Coldpizza]

Oscar Pistorius murder trial extended to mid-May

The murder trial of South African athlete Oscar Pistorius will now run until the middle of May after both sides agreed to an extension.

The trial has already overrun its initial timeframe with the prosecution not yet completing its case.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-26705776

 

[Harmony 2]

Prosecutors at Oscar Pistorius' murder trial have presented a "golden thread" of evidence suggesting Reeva Steenkamp screamed before she died, leaving the double-amputee athlete with "serious questions" to answer and his defense likely hinging on his own testimony, a legal expert in South Africa said.

http://news.msn.com/world/expert-screaming-gives-pistorius-major-problem

 

[Coldpizza]

Oscar Pistorius Made Girlfriend 'Scared Out of My Mind,' Text Claims

The texts introduced in court today showed Steenkamp struggling to avoid Pistorius' temper, his jealousy and his frequent criticism.

"I get snapped at and told my accents and my voice are annoying. i touch your neck to show u i care you tell me to stop. Stop chewing gum. do this don't do that," read part of one long text.

http://abcnews.go.com/International...end-scared-mind-text-claims/story?id=23032174

 

[Coldpizza]

Oscar Pistorius murder trial: Recap of live updates as Reeva's messages reveal fears of athlete's temper

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/oscar-pistorius-murder-trial-recap-3276636

 

[Harmony 2]

The State&#8217;s case against Oscar Pistorius

http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/arti...es-case-against-oscar-pistorius/#.UzXbUyFOXIW

 

[Harmony 2]

Pistorius sobs during testimony in murder trial

http://www.twcc.com/articles/2014/04/08/p/pistorius-continues-testimony-at-murder-trial

 

[Harmony 2]

Pretoria &#8211; Murder accused Oscar Pistorius was asked on Friday why he would think an intruder would walk into his toilet and close the door, during his trial on Friday.
"You reasonably thought an intruder came through your window, walked into the toilet and closed the door?" prosecutor Gerrie Nel asked him in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria.

http://m.news24.com/news24/SouthAfr...-questions-Oscars-toilet-noise-claim-20140411

 

[Harmony 2]

Johannesburg - The SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has been asked to probe the manner in which State prosecutor Gerrie Nel conducted his cross-examination of murder accused Oscar Pistorius.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/O...ed-to-probe-Oscars-cross-examination-20140411

 

[Harmony 2]

And yet I would conclude that, overall, these past few days have been close to a disaster for Mr Pistorius - and one that largely seems to have been of his own making

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-26989222

 

[Harmony 2]

Pistorius accused of tailoring evidence as cross-examination continues
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel accused Pistorius of deliberately shooting girlfriend
'You knew Reeva went behind the door and you shot at her', Mr Nel says
Sprinter challenged on why Miss Steenkamp did not scream when he shot

Paralympian said he was 'tired' after admitting making mistake in evidence
'I think you're trying to cover up for lies', chief prosecutor tells athlete

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...accused-tailoring-evidence.html#ixzz2yaohhyjK

 

[Harmony 2]

Prosecutor: Pistorius' story doesn't add up

The exchange dramatically capped the first week of the double-amputee Olympian's testimony at his murder trial in a Pretoria courthouse. Trial resumes on Monday, the start of its fifth week.

http://www.twcc.com/articles/2014/04/11/p/pistorius-back-on-witness-stand

 

[Harmony 2]

Pistorius said the shooting happened in 2008 or 2009 while he was on his way back to Pretoria one night after an interview.

He said he was driving and a car came up behind him. He moved over and the black Mercedes Benz moved in front of him. He saw a muzzle flash from the back of the car.

http://www.ecr.co.za/post/oscar-pistorius-didnt-trust-police/