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Pistorius trial witness 'pretends to be Reeva' in court

A weapons expert has recreated the moment Oscar Pistorius' girlfriend was shot dead by pretending...
Newstalk
Newstalk

09.25 9 May 2014


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Pistorius trial witness &#...

Pistorius trial witness 'pretends to be Reeva' in court

Newstalk
Newstalk

09.25 9 May 2014


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A weapons expert has recreated the moment Oscar Pistorius' girlfriend was shot dead by pretending to be the former model in court.

Thomas Wolmarans was being questioned about the injuries Reeva Steenkamp suffered on Valentine's Day last year when he asked to enter a mocked-up version of Pistorius' bathroom.

As he stood behind the door, he mimicked the movements he believes Ms. Steenkamp made when the bullets struck her body on Valentine's Day last year.

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It came after Judge Thokozile Masipa and lawyers huddled around the door as a court official used a spray to reveal a laser beam set up by prosecutors to show the trajectory taken by one of the bullets.

Earlier, Pistorius (27) sat with his head in his hands as Mr. Wolmarans spoke in detail about the wounds Ms. Steenkamp suffered.

As the trial entered its 29th day, the witness, called by the defence, also talked about the various bullet fragments found in the bathroom of the athlete's home on a luxury development in Pretoria.

During an uncomfortable cross-examination, Mr. Wolmarans admitted altering one of his reports but insisted the only changes he made were grammatical corrections.

Asked exactly what he had corrected, however, he replied "I can't remember".

Mr. Wolmarans also revealed he supervised a sound test involving a gun and the cricket bat Pistorius says he used to break down the bathroom door, even though he is not an expert in the field and has tinitus, which causes a ringing noise in his ears.

He said he had "never" discussed the case with Pistorius, even when he went to remove a piece of the athlete's prosthetic leg for forensic examination.

On Thursday, the court heard from a social worker and probation officer, who claimed Pistorius was "not putting on a show".

Yvette van Schalkwyk, who sat with Pistorius at the time of his initial court hearings, said he vomited twice and told her he shot Ms. Steenkamp accidentally.

"What I saw from the first time I saw him was a man who was heartbroken...he cried, he was in mourning, he suffered emotionally" she said.

Pistorius denies a charge of premeditated murder, claiming he mistook his partner, a model and reality TV star, for an intruder.

The trial continues.


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