Keystone Kops strike again!

Nel made a right dick of himself over the missing electrical extension lead.

Arrogant and dismissive and YET... he is happy to make claims in regard the length of the lead.... and he has the barefaced cheek to admonish witnesses over piddling points. he is a hopeless hapless ass when he himself is the one being questioned. What he says makes no sense at all!!!

The wider point is of course that the cops trampled all over this crime scene... pinching stuff that they took a fancy to. You simply CAN NOT rely on ANY details in photos for instance. They are NOT telling the truth about those and one certainly can not rule out the cops moving stuff.. such as fans, the duvet, the jeans (denim) etc. The State evidence is simply NOT beyond doubt!! To single out a few "cherry-picked" points and make a ludicrous speculation about an "argument" is laughable.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Yes its a good video. I have to say I too am having trouble with this trialm frankly I have never seen anything that comes even close to how this trial, its defence and prosecution have been conducted, and now regardless of tbe outcome, am losing interest.

Even if this trial finishes on Friday or eRly next week, we won't know the outcome until August.

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Since we are destined to live out our lives in the prison of our minds, our one duty is to furnish it well~Peter Ustinov

Yes, Wroughead... it will take a while to get a result. at this stage I'd just like to see the trial presentation itself put put out of our misery.



I still feel strongly that to find that OP shot KNOWING Reeva was behind the door would be a travesty. Beyond that... I don't care.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

We now know OP was not suffering from some mental malfunction, and knew right from wrong, therefore the question is , did he therefore knowingly shoot Reeva whom he knew was behind that door, if so he was a very bad boy, and deserves to pay a hefty penalty for that action.

Or, did he panic as I suggest most of us might given the same circumstances, and crime figures, and shoot in fear at someone who may have been behind that door?

Unfortunately, under South African law, he would still be gulty of killing someone, as you are not permitted under your gun licence rules, which you sign, you are not permitted to fire that weapon at anyone - we wait with baited breath.
I will go with the same thoughts I have had all along, and that it that it was nothing more than a tragic accident, despite the fact that he shouldn' t have been firing at anyone whether friend or foe.

It bothers me, however, that too much has been made of this case than otherwise may have been so, had the two parties involved not been celebrities in their respective areas.
Nuff said!

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Since we are destined to live out our lives in the prison of our minds, our one duty is to furnish it well~Peter Ustinov

Well we'll see... I wont be holding my breath...

Just so long as Nel gets locked up for at least 20 years!

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Oscar Pistorius Day 34 Recap - Oscar was not mentally ill on the night of the killing
Monday, June 30, 2014

After a thirty day psychiatric evaluation, Oscar Pistorius was found not to have a mental defect when he shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day last year. The 'blade runner's' trial was put on hold this past month after a defense expert said that Oscar suffered from General Anxiety Disorder, which may have affected his judgment on the night he shot Reeva Steenkamp.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel told the court that the panel appointed by the court had provided the necessary reports and their findings showed that, at the time of the offense, Pistorius did not suffer from a mental defect.

Defense attorney Barry Roux said his team had received the report over the weekend, but needed to study it and possibly consult. With that, the defense continued calling witnesses.

Defense Case Continues
Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Gerry Versfeld was responsible for amputating the athlete’s legs as a child. He testified that Pistorius was born with congenital deformities.

...more at link
http://www.courtchatter.com/2014/06/osc ... l?spref=tw

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Oscar Pistorius Trial Resumes: Mental Condition Fine
By Jeralyn, Section Crime in the News
Posted on Mon Jun 30, 2014 at 08:37:26 AM EST

The prosecutor's ploy to have Oscar declared mentally ill didn't work. Doctors at the state hospital found he does not suffer from a mental disease or defect that prevents him from being able to tell right from wrong.

According to the Twitter feeds of reporters covering the trial, today's witnesses included a sound expert and the physician who amputated Oscar's legs.

bbm

...more at link
http://www.talkleft.com/story/2014/6/30 ... ition-Fine

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Aha, and now we come full circle.

I didn't have an inkling how valuable a link that I had posted during Van Rensburg's testimony would be. I had even posted it for a different reason mocking Van Rensburg checking things at the bedside in the dark. Why in the world would he be looking at articles of evidence in almost complete darkness?

But now it's even more relevant as to what he was checking. ............

Oscar Pistorius Trial: Friday 14 March 2014, Session 4


Watch from start to 21:55 and pay particular attention to 12:40 ........ I don't want to spoil the surprise.

It has directly to do with what conveniently came up missing which was revealed today and just further evidence of the railroad job this entire sham has been to shaft Oscar. It shows you just how much they focused on it and what Pistorius faced a blitzkrieg of questions over. But suddenly the next day, not another word about where the fans were plugged in after OP gave Nel a virtual vasectomy to his word twisting and lying accusation.

And now we learn that that very item of evidence with which the defense would easily prove it was a sham and an attempted outright lie to the court is *cough* "unavailable." Just like the two watches and the door keys that we also learn about in this video segment treasure.

Nel, your name should be Hairy Lois Lerner Nel.

EVEN IF the cops were largely "on the ball" and did preserve the crime scene (clearly they were not) then the defense could still cast "doubt" by pointing to a single "slip up"... establish that doubt if there were a few "slip ups". That is the thing about doubt. But here we have REPEATED instances of mistakes, altering evidence, tampering. Missing items, conflicting evidence about who was tramping through and over evidence etc. It is way beyond doubt. We KNOW for sure that the cops messed with things... either through just incompetence, or it even looks like intentional manipulation. The details of Police evidence here are NOT of a standard that should be presented in court.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Pointing out how focused Van Rensburg was on the fan cords and how he repeatedly emphasizes it several times as one of the things he remembers and "focused" on. This begins at video time 12:40.

It shows that at the extension cord at minimum was a material piece of evidence and essentially linked to how the fans could have been plugged in. Recall Nel kept telling Oscar his version was tailored and couldn't possibly be true because there was no socket left in the power strip for the fan to be plugged in. OP was battered with questions about the length of the fan cords and the extension cord. This made the extension cord critical and an essential element which should have been inventoried and preserved for the defense.

This proves that the police considered the length of the fan cables just as important in trying to frame their case against Oscar and that it had to be deliberately discarded or withheld from the defense because it was their duty to maintain the chain of custody of relevant items of evidence. At the very least certified true and accurate authenticated measurements of the extension cord should have been provided to the defense.

The fact that it wasn't collected and maintained for examination by the defense shows that it had to be deliberately and conveniently lost.

These 20 minutes on this video segment alone show a torrent of consistent lies, coverups and f-ups:

1. Shows there is no possible way any photos can be relied on to accurately represent the crime scene.

2. Shows that either Van Rensburg was not the first on the scene or that another officer outright lied who said he was. This is enormously critical because things were changed at the scene and we KNOW it.

3. Shows that TWO watches were missing instead of the common prevailing perception that it was one.

4. Shows that Botha lied about Pistorius having a bloody shirt or Van Rensburg arrived at the scene AFTER Botha. One of them is lying.

5. Shows that the fan cords and length issues were so important, that they were evaluated personally by the lead detective....now the extension cord is magically lost and access is not available for the defense.

When Roux sums up, this should be a real hoo-ha barn burner.

It's generally accepted that expert witnesses can watch other testimony in the courtroom prior to giving evidence, even in the UK.
I do find it strange that the State expert witnesses all sit together with the prosecution in a sort of 'boys club' though, occasionally sniggering amongst themselves.
I find that quite off-putting and would expect it to be a bit intimidating for the accused.

I agree with the above.

Another major backfire with the extension lead today.
It merely confirms the States ongoing attempt to chase a conviction at any cost.

A point that just popped into my head.....

Nel is contemptuous of all Defence witnesses. He implies that they have only been approached at the last minute (since OP's testimony) and as such their mere presence indicates desperation from the Defence after some sort of "FAIL" from OP's testimony.
Nel also implies that the fee charged by Defence experts somehow makes them mercenaries.. and biased. "Opinion for sale". That of course is an accusation leveled at every trial.. by BOTH sides, and could equally apply to State Experts (who also charge a fee) and to State witnesses generally with perhaps a range of motivations to push the State "version".
As far as Roux organizing extra witnesses as this trial drags on for MONTHS.... it seems to me that it is his JOB to provide witnesses and argument to counter whatever comes up in the course of the trial. He would would be less able to do that if the Trial actually progressed. Nel's Vacation break demand, and Nel's insistence on 6 weeks Psychiatric evaluation and delay to the trial gave the opportunities for the defense to seek to find witnesses and bolster their case.
The SA Judicial system is clearly different, but the basic principle is still that the Prosecution PRESENT a case that the Defense then answers. In the normal course of events the trial would proceed with no time to do much in the way of finding and preparing extra witnesses... but Nel provided that opportunity... silly Nel. It is NOT a sign of "desperation" on the part of the Defense. It is more a sign of a professional attitude towards their role and duty to their client, that they have sought extra witnesses once they saw the need and Nel's time wasting provided the opportunity.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Nel is still pushing this NONSENSE about "4 independent witnesses"... that is simply NOT TRUE. It was 2 couples.. that is different. One couple being at a distance where sound level is such that you CAN NOT make that assessment. Besides... as I have pointed out before.. IF OP's screams sounded "like a woman" to one person .. they may well have sounded "like a woman" to ALL people. Correctness of perception can not be determined by a vote or a poll.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

What I would be ecstatic over and this would be true justice, if Nel can't produce the extension cord that Judge Masipa would say:

"Mr Nel, this is tantamount to a sandbagging of the defense. You raised questions referencing the extension cord and placement of where the fan plugs were plugged in numerous times in your cross examination of Mr. Pistorius and you accused him of not telling the truth when he told you that, not only was it possible in his version, but it was factual and the fans were both plugged in where he said they were utilizing the extension cord.

Since this State accusation is a material issue that the defense is now denied from being able to refute by being able to demonstrate to the court that the extension cord would have provided the necessary length to place the fans where Mr. Pistorius said they were and since this is critical to showing that the police may have moved the fans, this is very prejudicial to the defendant.

It was the police who sealed the home and secured the home. Using photos provided to the defense by the prosecution, Mr Roux has shown the court that, after the initial arrival and processing of the crime scene on February 14th, and after which the police had secured the residence and took possession of the keys, the extension cord is visible on the photo. On the next day however, while still also entirely under the security and control of the police, and while the premises was still being treated and secured as a crime scene, a photo depicts that the extension cord is no longer there. It is now represented to me by the prosecution that they have no idea where it is, who may have taken it or why it was not turned over or made available to the defense on request.

The issue of this extension cord has been relied on and given great importance by the prosecutor to support the case against the defendant being untruthful in his testimony as witnessed by this court on cross examination of Mr. Pistorius.

This inexcusable error of the prosecution and the police cannot be tolerated by this court. It affects and directly impinges on the defendants right to a fair trial and is tantamount to withholding of evidence which may be mitigating on behalf of the defendant or exculpatory in the view of the court. As such I am ordering a sanction against the prosecution as follows:

All reference to fan cords, where they were plugged in, where they were found in the bedroom or how they were found by police when they entered the premises is now inadmissible as evidence and may not be used in closing argument. This sanction is ordered as a balance to offset prejudice to the defendant in lieu of declaring a mistrial as I deem this to be a grave and egregious act and flagrantly in violation of laws binding on the prosecution to turn over all evidence, which in the case of the fan cord is no longer possible due to the police failure to maintain the crime scene evidence and documenting a chain of custody accordingly."

Hey aavi... have you got Judge Masipa's email addy?

I can't see how she could improve on that when drafting her ruling on the matter.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

I'm using my best transcendental powers to send her the vibes lol.

Nel back to his nasty self.... cross examining OP's manager

Nel simply can not stand having a witness who testifies to OP being nice. I don't see much point in Nel cross examining him at all. To say he needs to "prepare" before asking further questions is just plain silly!!! The day staggered through multiple breaks and they never even made it to lunch time

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

I'm astounded at the length of time Nel can spend talking out of his ass.

All the performance about adding an extra 5dB to the sound engineer's report was absolute bo***cks.

The 5dB addition is used for health and safety / environmental noise pollution purposes to ensure sound levels aren't exceeded in situations such as airports, construction work, use of machinery, clubs/pubs music level etc. Generally anywhere consistent tones are generated over a sustained period. The idea is to allow for variables over a period of time due to changing weather/humidity conditions etc., and to compensate for the perceived annoyance affect of continuous loud tones with regard to health. The document referenced by Nel had nothing at all to do with a suggestion that any time you measure a single sound you should add 5dB to it. I think he actually starts to believe himself after a while.

Thanks Steve. I gather from previous posts that you KNOW about this technical sound stuff.

You can be RT's Verified Sound Expert

IANASE but I managed to grasp what Lin was saying, and it was obvious that Nel wanted to simple add 5 (or preferably 10dB) to all the levels at receiver. Obviously because Burger's evidence was discredited by the sound levels predicted.

I thought Lin held up well. The evidence is very technical. I STILL think they could do with a psychologist/audiologist to explain the basics of human perception. Even when sound levels are such that they are "Intelligible" there is still the overriding effect of Human perception. When sound is "barely intelligible" the psychological factors of the "listener" have an even bigger effect. Clearly that is in play here where Burger (and hubby) have "convinced themselves" about what they are hearing despite the sound level likely being below that required to do that

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light