Pistorius court taken through blood trail
The High Court in Pretoria was shown a trail of blood in Oscar Pistorius's home as his trial for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp continued on Thursday.
Forensic investigator Johannes Vermeulen, left, speaks whilst holding a cricket bat as state prosecutor Gerrie Nel, right, cross examines him during the Oscar Pistorius trial at the high court in Pretoria, South Africa, Thursday, 13 March 2014. Pistorius is charged with murder for the shooting death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentines Day in 2013. Picture: Themba Hadebe//Pool
Pistorius has pleaded not guilty to murder, saying he thought she was an intruder when he fired four shots into the toilet room adjoining his bedroom.
Last week, the court heard that the first doctor on the scene, radiologist Johan Stipp, found him downstairs with Steenkamp, the life fading from her.
On Thursday, former policeman Giliam van Rensburg testified: “This is part of that large trail that we were following.”
He pointed out picture after picture of what he described as blood spatter and blood stains on floors, walls and banister of Pistorius’s home to prosecutor Gerrie Nel.
Van Rensburg had been stationed at the Boschkop police station in Pretoria on the morning of February 14 2013, when the call came through that there had been a shooting at Silver Woods estate.
The screen next to Pistorius was switched off as Van Rensburg took Nel through what he found on the morning of February 14 last year.
Photographic evidence began with a picture of the entrance of the house, warm light glowing through glass panels around the front door and three tall pot plants next to a pond and a path to the front door.
Inside the house, photographs showed blood spatter on a fawn coloured tub chair and a couch near a cowhide carpet.
A large empty wine rack formed the backdrop in one of these pictures.
Van Rensburg took prosecutor Gerrie Nel through pictures labelled with the description “presumable” blood spatter on a wall between the stairs and the kitchen.
Pistorius listened with his head in his hands.
Van Rensburg showed what he said were blood stains on the tiles in the entrance hall, blood spots on the wall going up the stairs, a long streak of blood spatter after turning right after the landing.
He said he found no blood in a room over the garage which contained a Jacuzzi.
In the background in one of the pictures was a cabinet showing trophies and medals the paralympian has won in his career as the double amputee “blade runner”.
The court adjourned for lunch.
Pistorius is accused of the premeditated murder of model and law graduate Steenkamp in his home on February 14 last year.
He is also charged with illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, and two counts of discharging a firearm in public.
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Van Rensburg, who has since left the police, was expected to continue with his testimony in the afternoon.
– Sapa
