More relaxed Oscar taking notes
Murder-accused paralympian Oscar Pistorius looked more relaxed at his trial in the High Court in Pretoria on Tuesday, taking notes as a witness testified.
Oscar Pistorius sits in the dock inside the high court in Pretoria, South Africa, Monday, March 3, 2014. Pistorius is charged with murder for the shooting death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentines Day in 2013. (Themba Hadebe, POOL)
On Monday, the first day of the trial, he kept his back to the public gallery and hardly ever looked around.
On Tuesday, he sat sideways, at one point looking towards where his victim Reeva Steenkamp’s mother June sat on Monday, one row behind him and to his right.
June Steenkamp was not in court on Tuesday.
As witness Michelle Burger replied to questions on the sequence of screams and gunshots she heard the night Steenkamp was murdered, Pistorius listened attentively.
As Burger told Barry Roux, SC, for Pistorius, that she heard how “the gentleman called for help”, the paralympian took notes.
A few moments later, he passed a folded piece of paper to a member of his legal team, who in turn passed it forward to Kenny Oldwadge, SC.
A few minutes later, Oldwadge interrupted Roux’s questioning of Burger to whisper in his ear. Roux asked for a short break and court was adjourned shortly before 11am.
Pistorius stayed in court and stood up, making more notes on a document.
The State will try to prove that Pistorius committed premeditated murder when he shot and killed Steenkamp through a bathroom door in his Pretoria home on February 14 last year.
In addition he is charged with premeditated murder and illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition. His lawyers will argue that he mistook her for an intruder when he shot through the bathroom door.
– Sapa
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