10:49 am
Nel asks if he has tested for the transfer of the varnish. Dixon says no.

Nel hands the portion of prosthesis that was cut out to Mr Dixon.

He says he did not see the prosthesis until he came to court.

10:47 am
Dixon says the amount of varnish that has been taken off varies.

He says that under the prosthesis varies. It's not a direct/flat, even force.

Nel says you would expect varnish to be transferred over the whole area of the prosthesis.

Dixon says it wouldn't necessarily be even.

10:46 am
Dixon says the piece of prosthesis is slightly smaller than the mark that is seen on the door.

He photographed fibres on the door (which he says are from Pistorius's sock) in court.

Nel asks if there's any significance to the fibres pointing downwards.

Dixon says that pictures from the day of the event show that the door has been cleaned. The fibres are flexible and they could move.

10:42 am
Nel asks him if he didn't think there was an onus on him to maintain a chain of custody relating to the piece of prosthesis.

He says he has written it down in his notes which are on his computer.

That's why he wants to refer to his computer to give the court the exact date. He says he has a visual memory and not a numerical memory.

10:41 am
Dixon says he has been making notes and made some early this morning while looking through exhibits.

Nel says it's not that he wants them now, he says with a proper report, these notes would not have been necessary.

Dixon says he was not asked for a full affidavit.

10:39 am
During the break, Dixon confirmed that he has Facebook and Twitter.

He says he has received a lot of hate mail.

10:39 am
Nel says that experts give their opinions and go through the process of how they came to their conclusions.

Nel starts with the date that he received the piece of the prosthesis.

Dixon says it was in a report and asks if he can look at his computer. Nel says no.

Dixon says the piece of prosthesis was given to him at Pistorius's home on one of two dates in either February or March 2013.

Nel asks if he can find the date on his report. Dixon says no there isn't because he was doing a report on the marks.

10:36 am
Nel says that Mr Dixon is relying on his memory for his testimony. Why? and why doesn't he have a report?

Dixon says that when he gives testimony in court he says he does not follow records that he has written.

He says he has been over the evidence many times and it is fixed in his mind. Basically he prefers it that way.

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

10:52 am
Nel says that the portion removed from the prosthesis is much smaller than the mark on the door.

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

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

11:06 am
Dixon said the cricket bat tests were done at an approximate angle. He can't replicate 100% what happened.

Nel asks if all the pictures from his visit from March 29 were included in an album.

Dixon says he takes a lot of pictures from the scene. So he selected to illustrate his point.

Nel asks him if they are all still available. Dixon says he stores them on his folder and he doesn't object to handing over the pictures.

11:04 am
Dixon says the amount of force that would have been used to transfer the amount of varnish would have been significant.

He says it couldn't have been caused by stumbling on wood on a panel on the floor.

He says there's not enough space. He says you would have to kick over quite a distance.

11:01 am
Nel asks if he excluded the possibility that the door could have been used to kick other doors.

Dixon says he didn't.

10:58 am
Dixon says he prepared the sample, scraped pieces of varnish off the wood and the piece of prosthesis.

He then placed it in vials to analyse it at university. He said it's the same equipment they use at the forensics laboratroy.

He says he has a report of the analysis "I can see it isn't here... I have it on my computer if it is necessary."

Dixon says he didn't do any samples on other doors in the house. He says he wasn't aware the leg could have been used to kick other doors in the house.

10:55 am
Dixon said he hasn't seen the leg for real until today and was not there when the section was cut out.

Nel asks if it's significant when the piece of the prosthesis was removed.

He says it's not significant. Chain of custody for him started when he received it and it is still in his possession.

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

11:21 am
Dixon says he used four witness boards for his tests and took images of the results of all four.

Nel asks how he knows the witness boards will be used by another expert.

He says nobody told him. Nel says the only request that was made was for sound tests.

Roux intervenes to say there were requests for pictures.

Nel wants to know who told Dixon that photographs should be made available.

11:18 am
Nel is continuing to ask why the angles were not measured considering that splintering is so different.

Dixon says that he would have to do many shots at particular angles on a number of pieces of wood.

"The purpose of this test was to replicate the set up and the angle that the gun was fired." He says the angles are different on all the bullet holes.

11:16 am
Nel asks if anybody else was taking photographs during the tests.

He says not to his knowledge. "I doubt it, but I can't rule it out. It's a possibility."

Nel says Captain Mangena used a protractor.

Dixon says no "that was not the purpose" and that it was a test to see what the effect would be on the door.

11:14 am
Nel asks if the splintering would be different.

Dixon says it would because the pressures would be different.

Nel asks why the angle wasn't measured.

Dixon says they replicated the angle and the distance to record how the bullet passed through the door.

He says no individual angle of a specific bullet hole was measured.

11:12 am
Nel asks what distance they used.

Dixon has it in his notes - not with him - but says it was according to the distance in the affidavit.

Nel asks if he used a probe or an angle metre.

Dixon says no "that wasn't the purpose of the test."

11:11 am
Nel repeats his question about the angle.

Dixon finally says the angles were measured.

Nel asks how the angles were measured. Dixon says it was done geometrically using a tape measure.

11:10 am
Nel asks if he measured the angle that the door was fired at.

Dixon says he helped set up the door based on the ballistics report to ensure that all the positions were replicated as accurately as possible.

Nel repeats his question about the angle.

Dixon says the shots were fired at the approximate position to compensate for the spread.

11:09 am
Dixon says he took pictures of tests that were done and has no objection to them being handed over to the court.

A picture is shown of the "tunnel" that a bullet made in the door. It points out that the bullet was fired at an angle.

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

11:29 am
Roux is re-examining Mr Dixon now. He says he will only address a few issues.

The court has adjourned for a couple of minutes to consult about a photograph.
11:27 am

Nel asks him if he is measuring the spread of the splinters, why wouldn't he measure the angles?

Dixon says it is a visual analysis. He took photographs, that is his record. The wood grain is different at different parts, he says.

Nel has no further questions.

11:25 am
Nel says that he told him "I can do even better, I'll make you six copies."

Dixon again apologises to the court.

Nel says that yesterday he didn't know the witness boards would be made available to the court, how does he know it will now.

He said it was an assumption because they were packaged and brought in. He says he was not explicitly told that.

11:24 am
Dixon says he is employed by defence and that they have all the items.

He says he was unaware that he had to personally hand them over. He says he was of the opinion that if the request was made they would be handed over.

Nel says it was not an inference when he said it - it was put as a fact and he wants to know how he knew that.

Dixon says he sat in the court and loaded the files onto a memory stick and gave it to defence. He says he had no discussion with them and gave it to them so he concluded that they would end up in court.

Nel says he is worried by this. He asks why he would hide that?

Dixon apologises for not laying it out step by step.

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

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

11:42 am
Roux now moves back to the pictures of someone at the window on their knees.

Dixon was asked about the 20cm difference in height between Pistorius and the man who stood there for the images.

Dixon says he measured how high a head is on an adult male - about 35cm - and the height of the window sill.

He says he was informed that when he is not on his prosthesis there is a portion below the knee and one leg is shorter than the other.

11:39 am
Dixon was not given any information outside the court about the ballistics tests carried out by the state.

They were carried out, but not submitted as evidence.

Roux asks about the cricket bat.

Dixon says he hit the door four times while equipment was being set up. The range master came through and asked "have you started shooting?" because he thought it was the sound of gunshots.

11:37 am
Dixon says he couldn't see in the pictures from the post mortem that the mark wasn't visible.

He says the mark he saw was only visible on the morning of the 14th.

He adds: "I sat down for a long time last night" in light of yesterday's questions.

11:35 am
Roux asks Dixon to examine a picture not shown in court of Reeva's wounds. He is told to keep it flat so the court can't see it.

It shows the lividity of bruising from the post mortem.

Dixon says that there are contusion spots and all around them the tissue has gone red.

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

11:47 am
Roux says the next evidence in chief would take longer than the amount of time left today.

He suggests trying to make up time by starting half an hour earlier or finishing later.

Nel says he understands the reason for the request. He wants to wait until after Easter to decide the extension of court.

Judge Masipa says it is a reasonable request, as long as they are prepared to work more hours depending on how they request.

The trial is adjourned until May 5.

11:44 am
Roux says that the important factor in Stipp's evidence is that he could only see the top half of the window.

Dixon says that if you added 20cms to the top of the head of the man who stood in the window, they would still not be visible.

That concludes Mr Dixon's evidence.

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

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

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

The State vs Oscar Pretorius (Murder 1)



Trial Day 26

Start 9:30 AM Monday (5-5-14)

9:00AM J/Burg ----> 3:00AM ET ----> 2:00AM CT ---->1:00AM MT ---->12:00AM PT
(Times amended to include US clocks moved one hour forward)





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

Great news.....




It's ......... Show Time!

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

Daily Mirror - Live Blog

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news ... es-3497075

Forensics experts are expected to appear in court along with people who have analysed the sprinter's voice


6:21 am
Already we have heard some of his high-pitched wailing in court when he has become emotional under questioning.

The athlete is accused of intentionally killing Reeva on Valentine's Day last year along with other gun charges and illegal possession of ammunition. He denies all charges and says he mistook Reeva for an intruder.

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

7:00 am
Another expert - a psychologist - may also be called to talk about how vulnerable he feels as a disabled person.

While giving evidence Pistorius told the court that he had been a victim of crime in the past, but did not have confidence in the police to do anything about the crimes so never reported them.

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

I do recall that the lawyers made vague promises about starting earlier (after the first day back) and generally "upping their game" to make up for all the lost time ( on tea breaks and vacations etc)

My guess is that WONT HAPPEN!!!

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

7:35 am
There could be as many as 11 witnesses still to come in the defence, before Judge Thokozile Masipa begins to consider her verdict.

But when she does, there are a number of key questions at the heart of the case which she will have to get to the bottom of.

We've taken a look at the main issues the verdict will depend on.

7:26 am
Journalists in the court room in Pretoria say among the witnesses expected to be called today is Johan Stander, the administrator of the estate where Pistorius lived, and the fatal shooting happened.

Mr Stander was the first person Pistorius called after the shooting, and one of the first people on the scene.

He is expected to say that the athlete told him straight away that he had mistaken Reeva for an intruder.

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

8:17 am
Pistorius is said to have arrived in court this morning, carrying a handful of letters from supporters and well-wishers.

Johan Stander is also in the court room, suggesting he will be the next person in the witness box.

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

First witness... Johan Stander... questioned by Oldwage... no visual of him broadcast

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

8:35 am
Proceedings are beginning in the court room.

Member of the defence team, Kenny Oldwadge, calls Johan Stander to the witness box.

Stander is the estate manager where Pistorius was living at the time of the shooting.

Stander says he first met Pistorius when he moved into his house in 2009.

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