Pretoria - It is not clear when he will be called to testify.
But witness 54 – Darren James Fresco – will be key to proving or disproving the State’s case that Oscar Pistorius is a trigger-happy man who not only plays with loaded firearms in packed restaurants, but also randomly discharges his firearm when enraged.
The Paralympian’s ex-girlfriend Samantha Taylor told the court on Friday that she had been travelling with Fresco and Pistorius from the Vaal when Pistorius, enraged that police had stopped his car for speeding and touched his firearm, had fired shots.
“He shouted at the police officer. Oscar and Darren had then spoken about shooting at a robot,” said Taylor, adding that Pistorius had then fired shots through the sunroof of his moving car.
He denies this incident ever happened so Fresco is likely to help the court establish if the September 2012 shooting incident had merely been a figment of Taylor’s imagination.
It was Fresco’s loaded gun that went off in a packed Tashas restaurant in January last year, and he’s the man who had taken the blame as Pistorius wanted to avoid negative media attention, said Kevin Lerena, who had been with Pistorius, Fresco and Martin Rein.
Also likely to be called this week:
*Jacques Van Der Merwe: Lives 98m across from Pistorius’ house. His wife said “explosive sounds” had woken them up.
*Johan Stander: Security manager at the Silverwoods Country Estate and the first person Pistorius claims to have called.
8 Anette Stipp: Her husband, radiologist Johannes Stephanus Stipp had told her to get away from the window as gunshots could come their way.
Forensic experts are expected to testify later.
Sunday Independent