Day nine of the Oscar Pistorius trial saw much graphic evidence presented in court, including photographs of the athlete’s blood-stained prosthetic legs and another photograph of his late girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp’s body shown by accident.
There were gasps in court as the close-up photos of the body were displayed, causing Pistorius to throw up into a bucket.
Graphic pics of Reeva’s body flashed up at #Pistorius trial http://t.co/23INEUzRn8 #OscarPistorius #OscarTrial
— Jerome Starkey (@jeromestarkey) March 13, 2014
#OscarPistorius Court computer operator again screens through close-ups of Reeva Steenkamp after shooting. Audible gasps again from all
— Alex Crawford (@AlexCrawfordSky) March 13, 2014
#OscarPistorius OP seems to be complaining about close-ups of Reeva’s mutilated body after shooting which keep appearing on court screens
— Alex Crawford (@AlexCrawfordSky) March 13, 2014
The images of the prosthetic legs were used by Pistorius’ chief defence lawyer, Barry Roux, in an attempt to confirm Pistorius’ claim that he wore them when he broke down the toilet door with a cricket bat to get to Steenkamp after he shot her.
Trail of blood
Col. Schoombie van Rensburg, the now-retired police officer who went to the scene after the shooting, took to the stand and displayed photographs of the bloodied scene to describe what he saw.
After being called to the athlete’s house, police followed a “trail of blood” up the stairs, Col. ven Rensburg said.
The former policeman was initially in charge of the crime scene and now Roux states that evidence from the scene subsequently went missing.
Earlier, a forensics expert defended police handling of evidence.
Col. ven Rensburg said upon arrival he found Pistorius in a very emotional state in the kitchen, pacing up and down.
Col. ven Rensburg said he asked the athlete what happened but “he didn’t understand” due to his emotional state.
Background
Pistorius denies murdering his girlfriend – a 29-year-old model, reality TV star and law graduate – on Feb. 14, 2013, saying he shot her mistaking her for an intruder in the bathroom.
The prosecution, however, says Pistorius tried to beat down the door and the fired the gun following an argument between the two.
The trial is expected to call on over 100 witnesses. If found guilty, Pistorius could face life imprisonment.
