Oscar Pistorius Trial Part 6

[Roussette]

here is Part 5 but we are ready (nearly) for a new one.

Not sure "Stack". I thought that statements had to be read into the evidence to be considered. That's why prosecution and defence in all cases can decide which evidence they present.

But I could be wrong. I only have a very limited knowledge of Scots Law and the time I was a juror, we could only decide on the evidence we heard in court, not anything else.

I think the conversation requested by Nel with Judge Masipa also included Roux.
My bet is Aimee is going to find herself on the stand over the handbag!

Back to the

intruder would have had to get into the hugely secure estate that had had no violent crime in years

past the hourly patrols

then decide to choose OP's house - how would the intruders have know
that there was work going on there? Every house in the estate had all their windows open tbh why not one of them nearer the perimeter?

then get past the dogs, no matter how friendly dogs usually say something when someone sneaks in in the dark?

past the staff in the grounds

luckily find the ladder they knew nothing about and manage to put it against a window that had no alarm beam

All these things would have had to have happened

Then OP would have had to waken up just moments before they managed to get to the window

Having been so silent they would then become noisy enough to bang the window and slam the bathroom door closed

I may be taking tramadol and this may be a ramble forgive me

I find it hard to believe that OP has the phone
Someone did in his family/friend group pocketed it

He will have been closely searched before being placed in a cell. They must have been frightened he might commit suicide and in those cases the search is thorough for their own safety

Put like that Ronald, I think OP is going down for a very long time.
I only wish it was some consolation to June and her family.

Sam Taylor said OP always had two phones
A work phone he kept charging downstairs in the kitchen
A personal phone he always kept on him

It appears to have done the rounds a bit that phone!
as for being searched......maybe it ended up in the pocket of his clean clothes?

Ronald When he was taken into custody, he had been put into jogging bottoms and a hoodie, presumably once they'd bagged up his shorts, which would be evidence.

I find it hard to believe too that he had a phone in his pocket, in a police cell.

I thought the phone tracking evidence showed it left the area at about 8am. I had assumed that Carl or Oldwadge took it.

and they looked like police issued clothes - they certainly didn't look like his usual gear, which led me to think that the police took his clothes

....oops, posted too soon
which led me to think that the police took his clothes and gave him something to wear from a pile that they kept for that purpose.

apparently his clothes as i remember...none of this is based on firm reality tonight from me

I wonder if it was all another mistake
Police didn't know there was another phone and the brother or whomever pocketed it rather than leaving it lying around
The police maybe thought that they had all the phones
Ditto the handbag
Did they/Aimee ask to take the bag or did she go back into the house and pick up the handbag? Would the policeman have questioned that or simply thought it was her bag?

But, springy, HE handed it in after the bail hearing.

It wouldn't surprise me if we hear there is a change of plea in the morning!

This afternoons adjournment still has me puzzled, because there are another 12 witnesses still to be called. Surely they didn't all have urgent business to attend to today.

And Nel looked suspiciously pleased with himself today too!

Yes Ronald you're probably right about the police forgetting about the phone.

Re the clothes, not sure now, but I assumed they shoved him into some sweats that they had to bag up his shorts. Aimee was seen arriving later with clothes, a pillow and a blanket.

Pretty unbelievable that he would have kept a phone on him for the 8 days he was in custody.

Anyway, time for bed, busy day tomorrow.

Why couldn't Roux have shown the famous animation today instead?

I have another correction for you Springy, I said 12 witnesses to go. It should have been 15.

What was Mr Chiziweni employed to actually do for OP that he needed to live there? (Out of interest)

What's the famous animation, YNK?

One thing that really chills me is... the description from Viljoen of how OP was when she arrived - begging and pleading and trying to keep RS alive - I just can't get it out of my head how awful, if she was still conscious and knew this was the man who deliberately killed her. I think someone said upthread she will have passed away at that point, I do hope so.

Apparently one of the witnesses this week is a psychologist who will speak about OP's physical vulnerability.

it sounds like in this case neither side wants him in court.

I agree. Moreover, the more I think about it, I find I'm getting more pleased that neither Roux nor Nel had pushed to have him there. Like someone said upthread, if he can't be shown to be loyal, to turn a blind eye to domestic mishaps, he'll never find another job. Look how hard it is for whistleblowers over here. This man has no protection of any laws.

To my mind, I think it works more in the favour of the prosecution for him not to be called. If he could corroborate 'I woke up at 4 bangs, I heard Oscar scream for help from the balcony, I heard more bangs' then that would be fantastic for Oscar's argument. Moreover, that would not be something that would prevent him finding a job due to disloyalty. So that they don't want him to come in an say anything at all is quite telling (to my mind.)

But the thing is, if he were to testify, he'd be asked all sorts of questions that were outside of those specific events. Like 'did the dogs ever bark?' or 'were you ever asked to check the ladder' or 'what did wake you up if it wasn't the sound of four loud gunshots just above where you sleep?'

Over to the reason the Judge wanted to see Nel - I don't think we'll ever know, but (HUGE SPECULATION ALERT!) I wonder if she wanted to let him know that she'd spotted and jotted the extra meeting that Carice had with Oscar, so could he not pull her to pieces on the stand.

But that's MASSIVE SPECULATION and perhaps quite unlikely.

I thought that statements had to be read into the evidence

Looking over the first (incredibly dull) session of the first day, there seemed to be a mix. Oscar's statement was read in for the record. Nel read in some things giving just a brief outline (the blood and urine tests being negatives) and they were marked with an exhibit number. Other doccuments were passed over in folders and called 'admissions to the court' and they weren't read out line by line. I understand that the witness statements were in there, but Berger didn't start by reading hers out.

Another point from that first day; in his opening statement, Nel clearly says that there were only two people in the house that night. Unless he's got this incredibly wrong, I think it suggests that Frank had a room on the premises but not within the main house. But that's me inferring from what he said; he didn't explicitly pinpoint Frank's location.

if she was still conscious

I think it's very, very unlikely that she had any capacity for logical thought following the head wound. If she hadn't taken more than 3 or 4 breaths since that, the oxygen depletion in her brain would surely have made her unconscious.

(I am not a doctor.)

The defense have been saying they will show an animation of events during their slot. Roussette. They could have shown it yesterday since time is so tight they had to start at 8.30. The Standers evidence was lightening quick too!

I think the handbag issue constituted new evidence so they need a new schedule in order to prepare for a witness not previously listed (Aimee?)

I have had a chance to beef out the phone story, and it does look like Clarice is implicated somewhat in that.
She used that 0020 phone that was on charge in the kitchen to make a fair few calls that morning. It was the only phone in the house that made calls that morning. She also mentioned that it might have also been that phone that she saw on another charger in the garage (with OP) later.
The phone masts saw it leave the neighbourhood at 8am not to be seen again until it was handed in to police by OP's DEFENSE TEAM. not OP personally.

I think there's going to be an interesting day in court today!

I read somewhere that the case is due to finish on 15 May, I wonder if that's correct.

Thanks YNK re the animation, understand now.

As far as the phone, I find it amazing any phone should leave the premises but all phone companies can retrieve information even if it's been deleted so maybe it doesn't make much difference, not sure.

I think on OP's timeline

That he shot Ms Steenkamp in an accidental mistake

Today we have the Next Door Neighbour.

OK, this is weird. Apparently Oscar introduced Reeva to Nhlengethwa as his fiance.

Surely the fiancée part is made up. He hadn't even told her he loved her.