Pistorius Witness 'Too Close' To Be Credible
Updated: 2:01pm UK, Monday 07 July 2014
Prosecutors have claimed the evidence of a key defence witness in the Oscar Pistorius murder trial is not credible.
The trial resumed with the questioning of Professor Wayne Derman, the doctor for the South African Paralympic team.
Professor Derman testified last week that Pistorius was vulnerable, stressed and would have been unable to flee because of his disability.
But prosecutor Gerrie Nel put it to the court on Monday that Professor Derman was close to Pistorius, travelled the world with him and therefore could not be objective.
"You don't want to give an answer that will not benefit the accused," said Mr Nel.
The witness responded: "I have attempted to come to court to give as objective evidence as I can - I do not think I am biased."
The prosecutor argued that even if the physician's analysis was correct, and "hyper vigilance" caused Pistorius to shoot Reeva Steenkamp, the Paralympian was a "danger to society".
Mr Nel did not mention explicitly the video broadcast on Australian TV that shows Pistorius re-enacting the night he shot his girlfriend.
The defence commissioned the video but chose not to use it as part of their case - and they are furious it has been broadcast.
The footage shows Pistorius running on his stumps and miming shooting - and though Mr Nel did not refer to it in court, he suggested Professor Derman's claims about the defendant's lack of mobility were not accurate.
The physician maintained that Pistorius could not flee "as you or I" could - but conceded under questioning that fleeing to another room would have been an "option".
Professor Derman also admitted that having a gun made the athlete "less vulnerable" on the night.
Sky's Emma Hurd was in court and said the video broadcast in Australia was an "elephant in the room".
"Gerrie Nel has asked Professor Derman about the level of movement Pistorius would have had," she said.
"The video has not been mentioned explicitly but has been hinted at, so we're not expecting it to be introduced as evidence."
Pistorius, who is on trial for premeditated murder, denies deliberately killing his girlfriend, claiming he mistook her for an intruder.
He faces between 25 years and life in prison if found guilty.
The trial has been adjourned until Tuesday morning, when the defence is expected to close its case.
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