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By Citizen Reporter

Journalist


One scream or many? Asks Oscar’s defence

Oscar Pistorius's lawyer Barry Roux on Monday asked a witness who heard the gunshots that killed Reeva Steenkamp if she heard one scream or many from a woman.


As Roux was repeatedly questioning Michelle Burger in the High Court in Pretoria on her statement, in Afrikaans, that she heard “gille” (screams), prosecutor Gerrie Nel interjected.

Roux was pointing out that in her statement on what happened in the early hours of February 14 last year, he did not see the plural of the Afrikaans word “gil” (scream).

“I have to object. It is impossible to say ‘ek hoor die vrou gille’ (I hear the woman screams’),” said Nel.

Burger lives in the Silverstream Estate, about 170m from Pistorius’s home in the neighbouring Silver Woods Country Estate.

Pistorius is accused of the premeditated murder of his girlfriend, law graduate and model Steenkamp, of illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, and recklessly discharging a firearm in public.

His lawyers will argue that he mistook her for an intruder when he shot her through the toilet door of his home.

Sapa

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