Highlights of a court drama that became part of our lives
A world-famous athlete, his model girlfriend, two of the best legal minds in the country, and courtroom battles that had millions around the world on the edge of their seats. Werner Swart and Tymon Smith look at the defining moments in the trial that got
REEVA’S MOM FINALLY SEES OSCAR IN THE FLESH
Reeva Steenkamp’s mom, June, had a determined look on her face when she arrived inside courtroom GD in the High Court in Pretoria on March 3. When the man who took her daughter’s life finally arrived through a side door, she looked straight at him as he brushed past the front row to take up his seat in the dock. As Oscar Pistorius put down his briefcase and went to speak to his legal team, June’s head followed his every move around court, unperturbed by the sound of journalists punching away on their keyboards to capture the moment.
BARRY ROUX SHOWS HE MEANS BUSINESS
The world knew exactly what to expect from advocate Barry Roux, the man leading the Blade Runner’s defence. His performance at the bail hearing a year before, when he ripped into investigator Hilton Botha, resulted in words like “ruthless” and “deadly” being thrown around to describe his style of crossexamination. During the trial, he showed skill within seconds of starting his cross-examination of the state’s first witness, Michelle Burger, and continued that thread throughout. He has been immortalised in parodies and has earned near cult-like status.
OSCAR LOSES HIS LUNCH
Pathologist Gert Saayman did not want all parts of his testimony to be broadcast. The evidence of the man who performed the autopsy on Steenkampwas going to be scientific and graphic. Too graphic, it soon transpired, for Pistorius, who blocked his ears, bent over and vomited on hearing about Steenkamp’s horrific injuries. After the initial shock in the public gallery — nobody had expected Pistorius to react so badly — everyone became accustomed to turning their heads towards him during graphic testimony to see whether he had assumed the position.
PISTORIUS APOLOGISES TO THE STEENKAMPS
It was the moment the world had been waiting for when Pistorius was called to the stand to testify in his own defence. As a murmuring, packed gallery watched him make his way to the stand, Pistorius, before starting his evidence-in-chief, turned to look at June and offered an apology. A steely-eyed June tried her best not to show any emotion, and social media buzzed about whether his apology was sincere or not.
PIT BULL TERRIER
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel began his cross-examination of Pistorius with a fairly innocuous question: “Mr Pistorius, you were and still are one of the most recognised faces in the world. You are a model for disabled and able-bodied sportsmen all over the world.” Pistorius replied that he used to be until he made “a mistake”. Nel morphed into beast mode: “You made a mistake? You killed a person. You shot and killed Reeva.” From then, Nel hammered the athlete, showing him a picture of Steenkamp’s head wound, accusing him of lying and tearing him apart, resulting in Pistorius requiring many breaks to compose himself. Nel’s hard-hitting cross-examination is something legal scholars will be studying for years.
EXPERTS LOOKED LESS THAN EXPERT
Under a ferocious Nel, a long line of seemingly respectable professionals were reduced to stammering incredulity. Geologist Roger Dixon became the butt of the nation’s mirth when his testimony on ballistics was shredded. Likewise, gruff ballistics expertWollie Wolmarans melted under Nel’s persistent attacks. Many tears were probably shed into many beer glasses at the end of it all.
LOONY BIN, FORGET IT!
Defence witness psychiatrist Merryl Vorster diagnosed Pistorius with a generalised anxiety disorder. Because this could imply the accused had diminished criminal responsibility for his actions on the night of the shooting, Nel took no chances and immediately applied for the court to send Pistorius for psychiatric evaluation. The athlete looked shell-shocked at the prospect of a month in the loony bin. He furiously scribbled notes and passed them to his legal team, who opposed the application. When the judge ruled in favour of Nel, Pistorius looked relieved on hearing he would be treated as an outpatient.
OSCAR ON HIS STUMPS
For many, he was the epitome of disability-meets-perseverance-meets-technology. Images of him on the athletics track with those futuristic blades faded when he was asked by his defence to show the court his mobility while on his stumps. He disappeared from the court for a short while and returned wearing a vest and shorts, sitting on a bench to show the court how he took off his prostheses. After hearing of his dislike of showing his stumps in public, this was a difficult moment for the Blade Runner and one that elicited empathy from even his most ardent critics.
FRIENDS TURN INTO FOES
The athlete’s former girlfriend, Samantha Taylor, testified about an alleged incident in which Pistorius fired a shot through the sunroof of a car. But it is her claims that he “cheated on me with Reeva” that will be best remembered. Former pal Darren Fresco also turned on him. Pistorius showed a mixture of emotions when the two testified, from trying to stare a hole through them to frenetically passing notes to his lawyers.
VOICE FROM THE GRAVE
Two people were inside Pistorius’s home in the early hours on that fated Valentine’s Day. Steenkamp is no longer with us to give her side of the story. But when Nel introduced WhatsApp messages between the two as evidence, it was eerie to finally hear how she perceived their relationship. Although the defence made much of the fact that the majority of messages were loving, the one message from Reeva that will stick in our minds is: “I’m scared of you sometimes and how you snap at me and how you react to me.”