Oscar Pistorius: witness heard ‘blood curdling screams’
The first witness called to give evidence at Oscar Pistorius’s murder trial describes hearing “petrified screams” on the Valentine’s evening that Reeva Steenkamp was shot dead.
A witness who lives in the estate next to the Paralympian athlete has told a court that she awoke at 3am to the sound of a woman’s terrified screams, followed by four gunshots, on the night that Steenkamp was killed.
Michelle Burger, a University of Pretoria professor, told the court that it was a “traumatic” evening.
“You could hear it was blood-curdling screams. You can’t translate it into words,” she said, speaking in Afrikaans. “The anxiousness in her voice, and fear. It leaves you cold.”
She was then put under intense questioning by Oscar Pistorius‘s defence lawyer Barry Roux, who asked if she considered Pistorius to be a liar – something that she avoided answering, but said: “I couldn’t understand why Mr Pistorius didn’t hear the screams of the woman and if he didn’t hear the screams of the woman that’s a question that needs to be asked to Mr Pistorius.
The anxiousness in her voice, and fear. It leaves you cold Michelle Burger
The 27-year-old sports star, a double amputee known as “blade runner”, pleaded not guilty to murdering his girlfriend on 14 February last year. He faces a life sentence if found guilty in one of the most keenly watched trials of the century that is being beamed live across the world.
Dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and black tie, Pistorius also pleaded not guilty to several other firearms charges: discharging a pistol under the table of a Johannesburg restaurant and another of putting a bullet through the sun-roof of a former girlfriend’s car.
He argues that the killing of Steenkamp, 29, was a tragic case of mistaken identity. Last month, he issued a statement on the anniversary of her death saying he was consumed with “sorrow” over her death.
Prosecutors say that he killed his girlfriend after a heated row in the middle of the night, and that witnesses will testify to having heard them arguing. In his opening statement, Prosecutor Gerrie Nel said that the case against Pistorius was based largely on “circumstantial evidence”.
The fate of Pistorius, who won gold at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, rests entirely with Judge Thokozile Masipa: there are no jury trials in South Africa.
‘I want to look him in the eyes’
Steenkamp’s mother June (pictured right) came face to face with Pistorius for the first time on Monday, and sat in court for the start of the trial. She told reporters that she wanted to “force” him to look her in the eye.
“I want to look at Oscar, really look him in the eyes, and see for myself the truth about what he did to Reeva,” she told the Mail. “But first I want to force him to look at me, Reeva’s mother, and see the pain and anguish he has inflicted on me.
Her daughter Reeva (see picture below) was a model and a star on reality TV, and had been dating Pistorius for several months.
Much of the first day of the trial was taken up with the evidence of Ms Burger who described in detail how she was convinced that a woman was being attacked by burglars in the early hours of Valentines Day last year. Her testimony was broadcast live, but the judge granted a request for her face to be hidden.
As well as the terrified screaming, she said that she heard four gunshots and a man screaming for help three times.
The defence lawyer accused Ms Burger of giving different accounts of what happened, accusing her of “speculating, trying to fill the gaps”. He added: “it’s quite clear from your testimony that you’re not sure.”
From Afrikaans to English
The witness had asked for an interpreter to translate her Afrikaans into English. However she was asked by the judge whether she was having difficulty with the chosen interpreter, after a couple of interjections by Ms Burger to correct what the interpreter had said.
And that wasn’t the end of the interpretation problems: the start of the trial was delayed because the Afrikaans interpreter, who was reportedly brought in at short notice, was to overwhelmed to work at the trial and burst into tears on arrival at the courthouse before leaving.
The proceedings have attracted huge media attention around the world, with hundreds of foreign and domestic media camped outside the Pretoria court. The trial is being broadcast live on television, putting the South African justice system under intense scrutiny.
