Screams. Shots. But Oscar’s ‘fine’?

Published Feb 21, 2014

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Johannesburg - Oscar Pistorius allegedly told security at his complex that everything was fine shortly after he shot and killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

According to media reports by eNCA and Eyewitness News (EWN), this evidence is contained in a document submitted by the State in response to a request by Pistorius’s defence team for further particulars. The document reportedly said a witness who lived nearly 100m from Pistorius on the Silver Lakes estate in Pretoria heard a scream, followed by a gunshot.

Then there were more screams and several more shots.

After this, the State said security on the estate called Pistorius to check on his safety to which the Blade Runner allegedly replied everything was fine, and that he did not report the shooting.

The National Prosecuting Authority, however, said the document was not public information, and denied leaking it.

“We cannot make comments on something that we don’t know, how it was leaked. It was not leaked by us, and we don’t know how it got in their (media houses’) hands,” said NPA spokesman Medupi Simasiku.

The NPA said it had not yet filed its replying documents to the Pretoria High Court. During Pistorius’s bail application in February last year, the State alleged he had put on his prosthetics before going into the bathroom and firing at the door.

EWN and eNCA reported that prosecutors had done an about-turn on these claims and now believed Pistorius was in fact on his stumps when he fired the shots.

Associate professor from the Wits Law Clinic, Stephen Tuson, said he did not want to speculate on the document before it had been formally submitted.

He said the defence could question why prosecutors had changed their version of whether he was on his stumps. He said the State could argue that their investigation had not been completed at the time they submitted their version during the bail application.

The State also indicated Pistorius’s web activity on the night did not indicate a couple who were in love, the details of which are not shared in the reply, the media reports said. The document also said Steenkamp was standing upright, was fully clothed and was facing the door when she was shot.

Another point the State said showed an intention to kill was the amount, grouping and trajectory of shots fired at the door while the presence of cellphones in the bathroom suggested Steenkamp had not merely gone to the bathroom.

The State’s ballistic expert has alleged Pistorius was at a distance greater than 60cm from the door when he fired the gun – a figure closer than the 1.5m originally estimated by police, eNCA reported.

EWN said the State alleged Pistorius’s “version of events is not reasonably possibly true and it is their case that if rejected by the court, the objective facts will prove the murder with direct intent of the deceased”.

No testosterone was found in the Blade Runner’s home, eNCA reported, which also goes against claims the State made during the bail application.

The testimony of Hilton Botha – the former investigating officer in the case – was now irrelevant as prosecutors would rely on forensic and ballistic evidence.

Botha resigned from the SAPS shortly after he gave testimony, when it was revealed he was facing attempted murder charges. He says the charges relate to an incident in which he fired at suspects in a taxi he was chasing while on duty.

Pistorius’s legal team could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.

The Star

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