DAY 38: WATERMELON VIDEO BROUGHT UP IN COURT AGAIN On Day 38 of the Oscar Pistorius Trial, Advocate Gerrie Nel referred defence witness Professor Wayne Derman to the video of Oscar Pistorius shooting at a watermelon presented to court when the state first began its case. He asked whether Oscar had exhibited signs of anxiety in the video in light of the sounds of gun fire that were heard in that situation. Derman could not recall the video in great detail. Nel also pressed Derman on Oscar’s startle response, asking why Oscar had reacted so drastically to a noise in the toilet when this was a noise that he was already expecting – the implication being that one’s fright response is lessened if one is expecting the sound ahead of hearing. Nel raised the point that Oscar had not been anxious on the night of 13 February either. Derman maintained that due to the sound being sudden and the context of being in a fearful situation, his reaction would have been exaggerated even if he wasn’t anxious to start with on the night of the 13th. Derman could not recall what Oscar had said he had heard on the night, except that he had said he had heard the magazine rack in the toilet. Nel has requested 10 minutes adjournment before he wraps up cross-examination.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Jul 2014 10:30:39 +0000
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