Witness breaks down as Pistorius lawyer questions her testimony

The lawyer for Oscar Pistorius has questioned the evidence given by his neighbour in his murder trial.

Witness breaks down as Pistorius lawyer questions her testimony

The lawyer for Oscar Pistorius has questioned the evidence given by his neighbour in his murder trial.

Michelle Burger has broken down in tears at his murder trial in South Africa at what she called the "raw emotion" of the night his girlfriend was shot.

Ms Burger has been questioned all morning on the screams and gunshots she heard the night Reeva Steenkamp died.

She told defence lawyer Barry Roux about the statement she gave police after the death.

She has been asked how she would have heard screaming from a closed bathroom door at a distance of more than 170 metres.

Meanwhile the second day of the trial was dramatically interrupted today and the judge ordered an investigation into allegations that a South African television channel was broadcasting a photograph of Michelle Burger – in breach of a court order guaranteeing privacy to witnesses who request it.

Judge Thokozile Masipa at the high court in Pretoria warned the media to respect the ruling that images of witnesses who request privacy should not be shown. She called the revelation “very disturbing”.

“An investigation is to follow to find out exactly what is happening. This may just be the tip of the iceberg,” said Judge Masipa.

South African television station eNCA was broadcasting a live audio feed of university lecturer Ms Burger’s evidence with a still photograph of her, prosecutor Gerrie Nel said in court. He said the photo was captioned: “On the stand: Michelle Burger, Pistorius neighbour.”

Mr Nel said eNCA contacted the court clerk to ask if it could run a photograph of the witness that it had obtained from outside the court. The court said no, Mr Nel said.

“They still went ahead and did it,” the prosecutor said.

Mr Nel said the outlet found the photo “somewhere else”.

The development came less than 30 minutes into today’s proceedings when Mr Nel interrupted Pistorius’s lawyer, Barry Roux, during his cross-examination of Ms Burger, saying he had just been informed that her image was being shown on television.

The judge adjourned the proceedings and Ms Burger immediately left the room.

When the judge returned after meeting with the two sides in her chambers, she ruled that there would be an investigation and instructed that no photographs may be shown in the media of any witness who requests privacy, regardless of the source.

“I am warning the media – if you do not behave, you are not going to be treated with soft gloves by this court,” Judge Masipa said.

Another judge ruled last week that parts of Pistorius’s blockbuster trial could be broadcast on live TV – in South Africa and around the world – but witnesses who request privacy, like Ms Burger, would not be shown. An audio only feed of their evidence would then be broadcast.

The evidence of expert witnesses for the state and police officers can be broadcast on television, but witnesses for the state who request privacy as well as Pistorius and his defence witnesses will not be seen on television or in still images – unless they give their permission.

Ms Burger, who lives about 200 yards from Pistorius’s house, is the first witness to give evidence at the trial and has testified to a sequence of events on the night of February 14 last year which contradicts the athlete’s story.

Ms Burger said she heard a woman scream and a man shouting for help before the sound of gunshots on the night a year ago. Pistorius says he was the only person to shout after thinking there was a dangerous intruder inside his bathroom. He says he then shot his girlfriend through a toilet door by mistake.

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