Daily Mirror - Live Blog

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news ... ve-3501189


6:36 am
Yesterday, the court heard from Johan Stander - the administrator of the housing estate in Pretoria where Pistorius lived.

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

7:15 am
Johan Stander also told the court yesterday about the sort of state Pistorius was in when he and his daughter arrived at the athlete's house shortly after the shooting.

He described how, as they arrived, Pistorius was coming down the stairs with Reeva in his arms.

Mr Stander said the defendant was a "broken" man, adding: "He was really crying, he was in pain, he asked us to please assist him to put Reeva in the car and take her to hospital."

"[I could see] his commitment to save the young lady's life. He begged her to stay with him, begged God to keep her alive."

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

8:00 am
Today's proceedings are due to get underway at 8.30am.

There are thought to be around 10 witnesses still waiting to give evidence as part of the defence case, but it is not yet known who will be called to the stand today.

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

OP's next door neighbour (on right) since 2009

Michael Nhlengethwa.

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

8:33 am
Also in court yesterday, Mr Stander's daughter Carice Viljoen referred to Pistorius' housekeeper, Frank Chiziweni - the first time he has been mentioned in the case.

It is believed Mr Chiziweni was in the athlete's house at the time of the shooting, but was asleep in his own quarters.

He has not been called by the prosecution or the defence, with his police statement providing nothing useful as he says he did not see or hear anything.

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

8:35 am
Today's hearing has begun. The first witness is another of Pistorius' neighbours, Michael Nhlengethwa.

He says Pistorius was the first person to welcome him to the estate when he moved in, but they did not see one another socially.

He said he would see Pistorius around the estate.

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

8:40 am
The witness says Pistorius introduced Reeva as "my fiancée".

Nhlengethwa told Pistorius: "This one is for keeps."

He says Pistorius told him he would be moving to Johannesburg in March, because he wanted to be closer to Reeva.

8:38 am
Nhlengethwa says he and Pistorius shared a passion for cars.

He says he only met Reeva once, the week before her death.

He says: "I won't forget that moment. When she came towards me I raised my hand to greet her. She just opened her arms, she just came and hugged me. I could see the person she was."

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

9:07 am
He saw the ambulance arrive, and when he saw the stretcher coming out, "I knew she [Reeva] was no more".

He says he was first approached by police on the morning of February 14, but did not think they way the police approached him was "respectful", and told them they could make a proper appointment.

He was approached by two police women the next day, but he still was not happy with how they conducted themsevlves. Again, he said they should arrange a meeting,

9:00 am
Nhlengethwa says he went over to Pistorius' house when he saw security at the athlete's house.

He could still hear crying, but "a bit lower".

Nhlengethwa says he asked Mr Stander if Oscar was ok, and the two of them went towards the house.

The witness says he then saw Pistorius kneeling over a lady.

"I could see the situation was quite bad," he says.

Pistorius was pleading with Dr Stipp to help.

8:52 am
He says he heard the crying person saying: "Please, please, no, please."

He then phoned security - phone records show this was at 3.16am.

He said he told security he'd heard someone crying and could they check the neighbours around him.

The crying continued all this time, he tells the court.

8:47 am
He says the crying he heard in the early hours of the morning suggested the person was very desperate for help and probably in danger.

"It was a very high pitched voice," Nhlengethwa says.

8:46 am
We move on to the early hours of Valentine's Day 2013.

Nhlengethwa says he was woken by his wife, who said she heard a bang. She wasn't sure whether it was inside the house or outside.

After checking his daughter's room and other areas of the house he decided that the noise was not coming from inside.

He says he then heard a "man crying very loud", and were not sure what had happened.

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

9:30 am
Nhlengethwa says repeatedly he heard a man crying, not screaming - which goes against the evidence of some other neighbours.

The court takes a short break.

9:19 am
Nhlengethwa says his wife heard a person screaming for help three times, but he did not hear this.

Barry Roux finishes his questions, and Gerrie Nel begins cross-examination.

Nhlengethwa admits he has been following the case throughout the trial, and Nel suggests this could make his job of testing the evidence difficult because he knows all off the issues.

The witness says he did not hear any shots of sounds that might have been Pistorius breaking down the door with the bat.

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

Nel wants a damned break

He is....."sure there is nothing else"..... but that does not stop him asking for a break!!

_________________
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

next witness.... the wife No pictures... using translator

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

9:40 am
Nel finishes his cross-examination, and Roux asks if Nhlengethwa would have heard a woman screaming over the man's crying he described.

He says that he would. The witness is excused.

The next witness to be called is Nhlengethwa’s's wife, Eontle.

_________________
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

10:02 am
Mrs Nhlengethwa says she stayed inside while her husband went to Pistorius' house after seeing security arrive there.

Her husband came back and told her someone had died, but he did not know what had happened.

Roux finishes his questions - Nel is now on his feet.

Mrs Nhlengethwa confirms to him that the first noise she heard was a bang, followed by someone calling for help three times.

Nel says it is "interesting" that other witnesses have said they heard "help, help, help" after the second set of bangs.

But the witness says she only heard one bang. She adds that she never heard a woman scream.

The court takes a half-hour adjournement.

9:50 am
Mrs Nhlengethwa says she knew Pistorius as a neighbour, and they would greet one another when they met.

She never met Reeva.

Mrs Nhlengethwa says she was woken in the early hours of February 14 by a "very loud sound", but did not know where it was coming from.

She says she woke her husband, and when he left the bedroom to check the rest of the house, she heard someone crying "help, help, help".

She says the cries were "very loud", and it was a man's voice.

Mrs Nhlengethwa says she then heard a man crying, and Roux asks her to make the noise.

She does so - a high-pitched wail - but adds: "But it was a man."

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

OMFG.. Nel wants ANOTHER break

Roux just as bad... suggests they make it an "early tea break".... Nellie jumps at that suggestion!


tea-break - Half hour, smoke if you've got 'em!

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

Roux has only one more witness today!!!!!! And they are not there yet

And so now we have ANOTHER half hour break and still today will be an early close too.

Roux is "sure" he will be finished by next Tuesday... but not promising.

This is ludicrous



It's a holiday tomorrow as well..... the judge should have told Roux to consider this as an early lunch. Tell him he has to get more witnesses to come to court during that hour... then put in a FULL afternoon... work as late as it takes to get through them!!

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

10:40 am
Roux tells the court that he thinks they may end the defence case by Tuesday next week.

The third and final witness for today is on her way, but the court adjourns again for another 30 minutes while they wait for her to arrive.

10:38 am
The session resumes.

Nel continues to cross-examine Mrs Nhlengethwa about the bang she heard, before she heard the cries.

Nel says Dr Stipp's evidence suggests Mrs Nhlengethwa heard the second set of bangs - which would be the cricket bat being hit against the toilet door.

Roux objects, but the judge allows it.

Mrs Nhlengethwa's evidence is finished.

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

11:40 am
Motshuane confirms she did not hear gunshots that, and both the prosecution and defence are finished with the witness.

Tomorrow is election day in South Africa, and so the case is adjourned until Thursday morning at 8.30am BST.

11:37 am
Motshuane says she saw a Mini Cooper park in front of Oscar's house - belonging to the Standers - then went back to bed.

But while they were wondering what had happened, she heard another car and decided to call security. They told her husband they were taking care of the situation.

Motshuane reiterates she only heard a man crying very loud - not screaming.

Gerrie Nel now begins his cross-examination.

11:28 am
She says that in the early hours of February 14, she heard a man crying.

"To me it was a cry of pain," she says.

She woke her husband, who could hear it too.

"The crying was very loud and very close."

Motshuane replicated the cry for the court - a piercing wail.

11:25 am
The next witness is beginning her evidence for the defence.

She is Ria Motshuane, another neighbour.

She says she met Pistorius once in 2008, when they first moved to Silverwoods estate,

He went round to their house to welcome them, but they were not in. They returned his call the next day.

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

That's it?

What a WASTE of a day.

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