Pistorius neighbour gives evidence
Defence lawyers in Oscar Pistorius’s murder trial have sought to undermine the evidence of a couple who say they heard screams and gunfire the night the Olympic athlete fatally shot his girlfriend.
Charl Johnson, a neighbour of the double-amputee runner, resumed his testimony on the third day of the trial after telling the court in Pretoria yesterday that he heard the cries of a terrified woman and shooting around the time Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp.
Mr Johnson’s wife Michelle Burger had given similar evidence and at one point broke down in tears because of what she said was the memory of the woman’s terrified screams.
Chief defence lawyer Barry Roux said there were differences between the statements Mr Johnson and Ms Burger gave to police after the shooting and evidence they gave in court.
Both the statements and the evidence shared similarities, Mr Roux said, implying that the couple contaminated their evidence by talking through what they were going to say.
“You could just as well have stood together in the witness box,” Mr Roux said. “What do you say to that?”
That drew a caution from Judge Thokozile Masipa, who told the defence lawyer he had gone too far.
Mr Roux said crucial elements in their evidence were missing in their earlier comments to police, including statements that they heard a woman’s screams rising in anxiety and intensity and that they heard the woman’s voice “fading” after the last in a volley of gunshots.
Mr Johnson said he and his wife were more expressive while giving evidence in court than when providing information for a police document.
“I would venture a guess that it’s the way you verbally tell the story,” he said. “There’s a lot more emotion involved ... whereas the statement is more factual.”
At the beginning of proceedings today, prosecutor Gerrie Nel said Mr Johnson’s telephone number had been read out in court yesterday.Mr Johnson then said he had since received a “large amount” of missed calls.
He described one voicemail message as saying: “Why are you lying in court? You know Oscar didn’t kill Reeva. It’s not cool.”
Pistorius, 27, says he shot 29-year-old Steenkamp by accident, fearing she was an intruder in his home. The case has transfixed people around the world, and the proceedings are being broadcast on television, adding to the scrutiny of South Africa’s criminal justice system as well as the character of a globally admired athlete whose career peaked when he ran in the 2012 Olympics.
Pistorius was born without fibula bones because of a congenital defect and his legs were amputated when he was 11 months old. He has run on carbon-fibre blades and was initially banned from competing against able-bodied peers because many argued that his blades gave him an unfair advantage. He was later cleared to compete.
He is a multiple Paralympic medallist but he failed to win a medal at the London Olympics.0
