Oscar witness’s account questioned by Roux
Oscar Pistorius' neighbour Dr Johan Stipp today testified that the second volley of sounds he heard that night were too quick in succession to be Pistorius breaking down the bathroom door.
Paralympian Oscar Pistorius arrives at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on the fourth day of his murder trial Thursday, 6 March 2014. Pistorius is accused of shooting dead his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day last year. Picture: Werner Beukes/SAPA/Pool
Stipp, who was one of the first people at the scene after Pistorius shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp to death on Valentine’s Day last year, was confronted with the state and defence’s opposing versions of what had happened that night.
Pistorius’ advocate Barry Roux put it to Stipp that Pistorius had fired four shots into a closed bathroom door, then screamed in anguish when he realised he might have shot Steenkamp before breaking down the bathroom door with a cricket bat.
He put it to Stipp that the screams he heard was Pistorius and the second volley of “shots” the sound of the door being broken down with a cricket bat.
Stipp testified that he had heard what sounded like three shots, followed by a woman screaming in fear a few times and then three more shots.
He said after phoning security he heard a man screaming for help three times.
Stipp said he had not heard any more screams while he was in his room phoning security, but it was possible that he might have blocked it out because he was on the phone.
He was adamant that he had seen that Pistorius’ bathroom light was on simultaneously with hearing the woman’s screams.
He had also heard a man’s voice intermingled with the woman’s screams.
Roux put it to Stipp that the defence had done tests on February 21 this year with a woman screaming as loudly as she could in the bathroom with the door and window closed and that one could not hear it from outside.
Stipp said he had heard a man’s voice and another voice, but did not hear any screams when the test was conducted last month.
Stipp testified that Pistorius’s first words to him were that he had thought Reeva was a burglar and shot her.
Roux said Pistorius could not remember saying this, but remembered being desperate for Stipp to save Reeva on hearing that he was a doctor.
Stiopp said he was not surprised that Pistorius’ recall of the events might not be 100 percent, because he had been “quite upset”.
Judge Thokozile Masipa yesterday issued a stern warning to the media and public that anyone who misbehave in court would be “forcefully removed” from court and would not be allowed back.
“I just hope it won’t have to happen because it will be done. If you misbehave you will be chucked out,” she said.
