Pistorius had ‘great love’ for guns, says firearms expert

Oscar Pistorius went into “combat mode” when he thought an intruder was in his home back in 2012 – and then realised the noise was a washing machine, a guns expert told the athlete’s murder trial on Monday.

Sean Rens, manager of the International Firearm Training Academy, told court that Pistorius had placed an order for a number of firearms worth £2,700 but cancelled it after shooting Reeva Steenkamp.

He added that the Paralympic star had “indicated a great love of and enthusiasm” for guns. Mr Rens said he was introduced to Pistorius through a mutual friend, Justin Divaris, and that he had trained with him at a gun range in 2012 and later sold him weapons.

When questioned by state prosecutor Gerrie Nel, Mr Rens recalled an incident that Pistorius had tweeted about: the double-amputee athlete had drawn his gun and cleared the rooms in his house when he thought he heard an intruder.

‘Combat mode’

“He went into what we call ‘code red’ or combat mode,” Rens said. “When he came to the source of the noise, it was the laundry or something.”

Pistorius had tweeted about the incident in November 2012: “Nothing like getting home to hear the washing machine on and thinking its (sic) an intruder to go into full combat recon mode into the pantry!” He later deleted the tweet.

Mr Ren said the first weapon he sold to Pistorius was a Smith and Weston 500 revolver.

The second witness to testify on day 11 of the trial was a police photographer, who said he took a photo of blood stains above the bedside cabinet and left-hand side of the headboard. He added the accused washed his hands before police could test for gun residue.

Pistorius said he killed Steenkamp by accident in the early hours of Valentine’s Day last year, believing her to be an intruder. Prosecutors say he meant to kill her after an argument.

Oscar’s cancelled invoice for guns. #Pistorius pic.twitter.com/uM4XJeek0g

— lucy thornton (@lucethornton) March 17, 2014

Photo: Reeva Steenkamp’s mother, June, attends court but leaves during proceedings – accompanied by members of the ANC’s women’s league – as photos of the crime scene are shown to the trial.

Mr Rens read out a gun licence test passed by the track athlete before he was allowed to placed the order for weapons (see video above), which showed he was aware of the rules on when homeowners are allowed to discharge weapons. One of the questions asked was whether a homeowner was allowed to open fire on burglars on the other side of a security gate – to which Pistorius had answered; “No”.

Asked in the test about the legal basis for using lethal force, Pistorius answered: “The attack must be against you, a person and be unlawful.”

He answered “yes”, when presented with the scenario: “There is no security gate between you and the burgelar. They are both armed… Can you discharge a firearm at them because you fear for your life?”

In his cross-examination, defence lawyer Barry Roux asked whether firearms collectors were more reckless around guns. Mr Rens replied with an unequivocal “no”.

Blood stains in bedroom

Police photographer Bennie van Staden was next on the stand on Monday, and talked through the images he took when he arrived at Pistorius’s house on the night of the killing.

The photos followed the trail of blood from the bathroom, where Steenkamp was shot, but there was also a photo of a bloodstain in the bedroom, on the left-hand side of the wall above the bed. Prosecutors are expected to call an expert to analyse this stain in more detail.

Another photograph of the runner, taken in his garage, showed unexplained scuff marks on his bloodied prosthetic limbs.

Photo: Oscar Pistorius’s sister Aimee (right) speaks to Reeva Steenkamp’s mother June (left), as her friend Jenny Strydom looks on.