Oscar Pistorius trial

[JillJ72]

Starting a new thread as as was pointed out on the other thread, it is not an appropriate place to "talk" and continue to "promote" a really poor excuse for a "joke".

Yesterday's post-mortem evidence was awful; if ever there's a way to get across just how unglamorous guns are, post-mortem evidence is a painfully honest way of doing so.

I listened to the trial live today. My main impression? That Darren Fresco consulted with legal experts to ensure his affidavit did not incriminate him, yet left room for questions that weren't explicitly answered. If he'd paid for that input from legal experts, they didn't sew it up nicely and tightly. I got the impression he was a bit of an unwilling witness really, and had problems remembering some things, yet was very insistent on others. Some good journo feeds on twitter that give different flavours and interpretations.

I'll be honest. I hope this was as OP said, an appalling mistake. But equally so many questions, the constant "whys". And so I am sitting on the fence, listening to argument and counter-argument, and waiting for the judge's final decision.

Never have been in a court of law before, are proceedings usually this long, slow, going round in circles, playing cat and mouse?

Prosecution asked OP if he was familliar with the term "zombie stopper", OP said he hadn't. Pros then said there was a video of him filmed by Sky News where the term was used (not sure if by OP or someone in his presence, sorry)

I've seen the video and it is his voice saying the words.

I'm watching. This is going to be looooong and drawn out.

I watched yesterday's on YT - and that final bit in session 4 where he broke down and couldn't continue, the judge looked annoyed to me. V annoyed in fact. I don't think she's buying it.

Personally, I think it's an act - and I think he's overdoing it. I've heard traumatised people breaking down when interviewed - and they don't manage to articulate very careful sentences in a whimpering voice - and they don't just baaawl, either.

When Philomena was on 5Live recently, she just broke down, she couldn't speak - but she didn't just go waaaaaaah! - she was clearly trying to stop herself crying and not make a noise- but she couldn't get a single word out - the real raw emotion was palpable.

I've seen the video, it was all over Sky news and it was taken long before he met Reeva so it's only purpose is to suggest that OP is a trigger happy nutter generally. .

I've not made up mind re innocence or guilt.

The think about Stipp not knowing what he was doing could be op trying to discredit him as a witness yes.

Louise and to show OP as a liar for claiming he'd never heard the term...

Erm... What is a zombie stopper?!

Is anyone else watching it on sky? Did you just see that part they replayed where he's basically saying Stipp didn't know what he was doing, and the look Reeva and the lady next to her face each other?

*gave each other

Reeva's mother?

Video to show him joking about brains and shooting And that he lied. It is his voice. Why not just say that he knew. The video was everywhere. I find it hard to believe he or the defence were unaware.

Yes sorry, Reeva's mother

I believe him too. I think that he has grown up in a society where violence and murder are commonplace, he's vulnerble because he's disabled, and a possible target because he's famous. I think he panicked in the heat of the moment, and shot what he thought was an intruder.

I'm not saying he did the right thing, but I can see why he did make such a horrible horrible mistake.

I don't think anyone can truly understand what his emotions were unless they too have no legs, are in the public eye, and live in a society where everyone has guns (and uses them).

Guns are evil, and should not be allowed in a civilized society.

Judge now viewing video before deciding if it can be shown in court

I find his emotion genuine too and if this is true, it's interesting (from the Telegraph)

"09.54 Aislinn Laing, our correspondent in court, says a Pistorius family source says the reason for his breakdown yesterday was that he has never before been able to speak about it before so openly about that night.

Family say he'd always previously got to a certain point then couldn't go further, with his lawyers, or with them. It was the first time

It explains why the family were so emotional, and why he collapsed so completely. "

Of course it could all be bollocks. He is definitely calmer today - so far. As for self pity, well of course he's sorry for himself, even if he's teling the truth - he killed someone he cared about and almost nobody believes him, plus the prison factor. I'd be bloody self pitying too in the circumstances.

I don't buy it at all. Complete sham. It looked to me like a terrified girl locked herself in the bathroom with her mobile phone, maybe trying to call for help and he shot through the door four times with no regard for life or limb. If this was a black South African case closed. But it's not. He is rich, famous and disabled.

It does seem as if nothing can be put to him that he hasn't already got a carefully rehearsed answer for. So it's looking like it could well be all a performance. Albeit quite a convincing one. I felt really sorry for him yesterday.

Bearing in mind that on his stumps he is has been shown to be definitely slower than normal, how come Reeva didn't have time to at least dial a number? The phone records don't show anything and on my phone even a partially dialled number shows up in the log. She was a fit young woman who could surely run and lock the door before he got there. She had also definitely been to the loo at some point.

Did she have her phone with her in the toilet?

Yes she did he even said in his evidence this morning that he retrieved her cell phone from the toilet. Unless I misheard
.

Apparently - which has been the cause of great internet speculation.

Sorry, I realise now she must have. That is a bit strange isn't it. If you pop to the loo after waking up or in the night, you don't take your phone with you as a matter of course. Though of course some people would I suppose.

It's very rare I would imagine for an intruder to lock themselves in a toilet. I am not buying it and I hope it's not going to be oj Simpson all over again because that was a sham as well IMHO

And would you lock the door in your lovers house in the middle of the night? Some people would I suppose

ok, I have read some more. So he shouted at Reeva to get down, then screamed a bit, THEN shot the 'intruder'?
And Reeva didn't alert him to the fact that it was her?

Sounds like made-up rubbish to me, unless I am missing something.