Door, bat analyst recalled at Oscar trial

A police forensic analyst came under fire when he was recalled for more questioning over his examination of the door Oscar Pistorius said he broke through to free his dying girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Colonel Johannes Vermeulen was quizzed by Barry Roux, SC, for Pistorius, on Tuesday (25/03/2014) over why he did not mention an extra mark on the door - which is always on display in the High Court in Pretoria during Pistorius's murder trial.

Roux also wanted to know why there were no photos of the mark in the albums of photographs taken at the crime scene after Pistorius shot Steenkamp on February 14, 2013.

"There was no reason for me to deny that that mark was caused by that bat," said Vermeulen.

Roux said the reason he had left it out of his evidence was that if Pistorius, a double amputee, stood on his stumps, he would not be able to match the height of the mark.

Vermeulen previously said in his opinion, Pistorius was on his stumps when he bashed the door.

This contradicted the athlete's bail statement that he had put on his prosthetic legs once he realised he had shot Steenkamp to break the door down and free her.

Vermeulen said he did not know where the photographs of the bat against the mark on the door came from.

He also conceded that he had not analysed wood indentations before.

He said he did not investigate a shoe mark on the door because he was not asked to. - Sapa