Oscar Pistorius Breaks Down In Court As His Lawyer Argues That Reeva Steenkamp Was So Badly Brain Damaged By Gunshot That She Couldn't Have Screamed

Oscar Pistorius broke down in court today as his defence lawyer argued that Reeva Steenkamp was so badly brain damaged by the gunshot to her head she couldn't have screamed.

Advocate Barry Roux made the claims in response to a neighbour's testimony that she heard a woman's 'blood-curdling' screams before and after shots were fired the night the model died.
He told the court: 'We will debate the sequence of the bullets.
'We will have experts state that there was serious brain damage after the shot to the head, that it would not have been possible for her to scream at all.'

The Paralympian was seen bent double in the dock, with his hands behind his head as Mr Roux said Miss Steenkamp would have lost 'cognitive function'.
A relative then handed him a handkerchief which he used to wipes tears from his eyes.
Earlier the second day of the murder trial was dramatically adjourned over claims a television station breached a court order by broadcasting a picture of a witness.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel interrupted the cross-examination of Michell Burger less than 30 minutes into proceedings, saying he had been informed that her image was being shown.
Judge Thokozile Masipa ordered an immediate investigation into allegations, adding: 'I must say this is very disturbing. This may just be the tip of the iceberg.

'I must warn the media that you are not going to be treated with soft gloves.'
Ms Burger, a university lecturer who lives near the Paralympian's home, yesterday told the court she heard 'blood-curdling' screams followed by four gunshots on the night Reeva Steenkamp was killed.

Pistorius's brother Carl and sister Aimee listen to evidence on the second day of the trial

South African television station eNCA was broadcasting a live audio feed of her second day of testimony when it used a still photograph of her, Mr Nel said in court.
He said the photo was captioned: 'On the stand: Michell Burger, Pistorius neighbour.'
Mr Nel said eNCA contacted the court clerk to ask if it could run a photograph of the witness that it had obtained from outside the court.

Carl Pistorius listens proceedings at the High Court in Pretoria where his brother is accused of murder

The court said no, Mr Nel said, adding: 'They still went ahead and did it.' He said the outlet found the photo 'somewhere else'.
eNCA has denied breaching the order by showing footage of a witness.
According to its Twitter account, it used a still image of Ms Burger from her university website.

Another judge ruled last week that parts of Pistorius's trial could be broadcast on live TV - in South Africa and around the world - but witnesses who request privacy, like Ms Burger, would not be shown.

An audio only feed of their evidence would then be broadcast.
The evidence of expert witnesses for the state and police officers can be broadcast on television, but witnesses for the state who request privacy as well as Pistorius and his defence witnesses will not be seen on television or in still images - unless they give their permission.
Ms Burger, who lives about 180m from Pistorius's house, is the first witness to give evidence at the trial and has testified to a sequence of events on the night of February 14 last year which contradicts the athlete's story.

She testified yesterday that she heard 'blood-curdling' screams from a woman at the home less than 200 metres away from her own, before shots rang out in the early hours of Valentine's Day last year.

The sequence of events, if accurate, would undermine the Paralympic gold medallist's claim that he shot Steenkamp after mistaking her for an intruder.
Pistorius, 27, a double amputee known as the Blade Runner for his carbon-fibre running blades, pleaded not guilty to murder and three unrelated gun charges on the opening day of the trial.
Ms Burger said she heard a woman scream and a man shouting for help before the sound of gunshots on the night a year ago.

A police officer stands guard outside Pistorius's luxury home in Pretoria in the hours after he shot Miss Steenkamp on February 14 last year

She had earlier told how she and her husband had been woken at around 3am that morning by a woman screaming and shouting for help.
'I was still sitting in the bed and I heard her screams. She screamed terribly and she yelled for help,' she said, her voice cracking with emotion.
'Then I also heard a man screaming for help. Three times he yelled for help. Just after her screams, I heard four shots. Four gunshots ... "Bang ...bang, bang, bang"
'It was very traumatic for me. You could hear that it was bloodcurdling screams.'
Asked to describe the successive shots, she said there was a pause between the first and second which was longer between the second and third shots and the third and fourth.

Ms Burger, who lives in the Silver Stream Estate, a neighbouring estate to Pistorius's Silverwoods Estate, said: 'I told my husband that I do not hope that that woman saw her husband being shot in front of her because after he screamed for help we didn't hear him again.'
The court heard she had assumed it was a house break-in that had happened.



Source: Daily Mail