Shrill cry fills Oscar court

Oscar Pistorius confers with his defence advocate Barry Roux in the High Court in Pretoria on Tuesday. Picture: Mike Hutchings

Oscar Pistorius confers with his defence advocate Barry Roux in the High Court in Pretoria on Tuesday. Picture: Mike Hutchings

Published May 6, 2014

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Pretoria - Another neighbour of Oscar Pistorius has described the shrill cries she heard coming from his home on the night he shot and killed Reeva Steenkamp.

The third witness called to the stand on Tuesday was Rika Motshuane, another of Pistorius’s closest neighbours at the Silver Woods Country estate in Pretoria East. Motshuane said she'd only met Pistorius once when she and her husband moved to the estate. He had come to welcome them to the area.

On the night of the shooting, she was woken when she heard a man crying in pain. She woke her husband, who had also heard the sound but thought he had been dreaming. She thought a security guard could have been shot, as the crying was accompanied by the sound of dogs barking in the estate.

She said the loud crying sounded close nearby, and imitated the sound - a shrill weeping - for the court.

The couple were at first worried the noise was coming from inside the house and Motshuane felt at first like she couldn't leave her bed.

A few moments later, she heard a car passing near Pistorius’s house, so she looked out of the window.

She saw the Mini Cooper of the estate security manager's daughter, Carice Viljoen, parking in Pistorius’s driveway. A security vehicle had also arrived.

Her husband called security to find out what had happened.

Motshuane said she only heard a man crying, and none of the female screaming heard by other neighbours who testified earlier in the trial.

The couple were approached later to make a statement with the former chief investigator, Hilton Botha.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel began his cross-examination by asking about the time she heard the screaming.

Motshuane had told police she heard the crying at around 3.20am.

She also told Nel she had been monitoring the case on television throughout its run.

Throughout the trial, Pistorius’s defence has argued that the female shouts heard from the athlete's home were Pistorius himself in extreme agitation.

Earlier, Pistorius other neighbours also testified they had not heard a woman scream, but they also did not hear any sounds directly afterwards.

Earlier in the day, advocate Barry Roux told Judge Thokozile Masipa that the defence could finish up their case by next week Tuesday.

The trial continues on Thursday morning.

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