Judge wants answers on missing cord at Oscar's home
Judge Thokozile Masipa ordered in the High Court in Pretoria on Monday (30/06/2014) that police officers explain how an extension cord went missing from murder-accused Oscar Pistorius's house.
The cord disappeared from the house where Pistorius shot dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on February 14 last year. It appears on police photos of the crime scene. Pistorius is on trial, charged with murdering Steenkamp.
"The house was locked and there was no burglary. It cannot walk. It may not assist Mr Barry Roux, but it will certainly assist me because I am very unhappy about it," Masipa said.
Roux, for Pistorius, had told the court the defence's efforts to get the cable from the State had been in vain.
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel said after intensive searches the cable was not found. He said it would be impossible to go and search the house because it had been sold.
He said the cord was not on the inventory of items police seized from Pistorius's house.
"Yes it was in the house as seen on the photographs. It was not in the same position on the 14th and 15th [of February 2013]. Where it is, did somebody take it? I cannot answer," said Nel.
"I am answering on behalf of the police. I am standing here with the investigating officer."
Masipa ordered that police officers who sealed the crime scene depose affidavits about the cord.
Moving on, Roux called Ivan Lin, an acoustics and electro-acoustics engineer to testify for the defence.
He said his technical testimony would focus on whether someone could accurately determine whether a scream was from a man or woman.
Witnesses have testified for the State they heard a woman scream from Pistorius's house in the early hours of February 14.
Pistorius's defence has argued that when Pistorius is anxious, he screams like a woman.
The paralympian shot Steenkamp through the locked door of his toilet, apparently thinking she was an intruder about to open the door and attack him.
She was struck in the hip, arm, and head. After firing the shots, Pistorius used a cricket bat to break open the door to get to a dying Steenkamp.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charge of the murder as well as not guilty to various ifrearm-related charges. - Sapa
