Oscar Neighbour Heard 'Bloodcurdling Screams'

A neighbour of Oscar Pistorius has told how she heard screams and four gunshots on the night the star killed Reeva Steenkamp.

Michell Burger - the first witness at the athlete's murder trial - told the court how she woke up at 3am to the sound of "terrible screams" and called security.

She told the court: "(Reeva Steenkamp) screamed terribly and she yelled for help. Then I also heard a man screaming for help. Three times he yelled for help.

"Just after her screams, I heard four shots. It was very traumatic for me. You could hear that it was bloodcurdling screams."

Ms Steenkamp was shot dead at Pistorius' home in February 2013

Pistorius' lawyer Barry Roux suggested to her she had heard the sound of Pistorius hitting the toilet door with a cricket bat after the shooting, rather than the actual shots.

When pressed by Mr Roux whether the shots could have been fired before she woke up, she insisted she had heard gunshots.

During a tense exchange, Mr Roux asked for details about the screams she heard between gunshots, and why details in her court testimony did not appear in her witness statement.

He asked: "Was there continuous screaming?"

Pistorious' lawyer Barry Roux

She replied: "The screaming, it went very fast. I didn't expect that that evening."

Mr Roux said sharply: "What is it that you say to me by mentioning that?"

Ms Burger replied: "I didn't sit there with a stopwatch and take down the timing of each shot, or write when she shouted.

"What I can say is that there were four gunshots, and I heard her petrified screaming."

Pistorius' home pictured after the shooting

Mr Roux said: "You are not sure and what you are now doing is adapting, you're speculating, you're trying to close all the gaps."

Ms Burger said she saw aerial shots on Sky News which showed how close her house was to Pistorius' home. Until then she knew the athlete lived nearby, but not exactly where.

Speaking during the lunch break Sky's Alex Crawford, who is in court, said: "When the trial got under way the first witness was absolutely gripping, very compelling testimony."

The trial started with Pistorius, wearing a dark suit and tie, pleading not guilty to murder and a series of firearms charges.

Pistorius walks past Ms Steenkamp's mother (second from right)

For much of the opening statement by defence counsel Kenny Oldwage, Pistorius had his eyes closed and occasionally sighed.

Since then he has fixed his gaze on his neighbour, who is giving evidence as the trial's first witness.

Mr Oldwage told the court how Pistorius thought an intruder was in his bathroom when he shot Ms Steenkamp. He also said Pistorius denied an allegation the pair had argued before the shooting.

Questions over the investigation into the shooting were also raised, as he said the crime scene had been "contaminated and tampered with". State prosecutor Gerrie Nel denied there had been any tampering.

Large parts of the trial are being televised

Pistorius' defence also said that claims the athlete wanted to kill Ms Steenkamp "couldn't be further from the truth".

Earlier, there was disruption in court as a woman known only as Anna Marie, who has attempted to intervene in previous hearings, turned up at court and was surrounded and asked to leave.

Crawford said the woman told reporters she knew Pistorius' mother, and wanted to see the judge. She also claimed to be the ex-wife of the surgeon who amputated Pistorius' legs as a baby.

In a landmark ruling, large parts of the case are being broadcast live by three remote-controlled cameras in court, but testimony given by Pistorius can not be shown.

The South African judge who made the decision said he had weighed up arguments for a fair trial from the Pistorius camp with principles of open justice and freedom of expression.

The trial, which will hear from more than 100 witnesses, is scheduled to run for three weeks but could go on for longer.

The South African legal system does not have trials by a jury, so a judge is presiding over proceedings who will ultimately pronounce Pistorius innocent or guilty.

The 27-year-old double amputee faces charges of murder, illegal possession of ammunition and two additional counts relating to shooting a gun in public in two separate incidents before shooting Ms Steenkamp at his home in Pretoria on Valentine's Day last year.

The High Court in Pretoria where the trial is taking place

Ms Steenkamp's mother June - who is sitting on the same bench as members of the Pistorius family - is in court for the first time. Earlier she had said she wanted to look Pistorius in the eyes during the trial.

She glared at the star as he walked into court.

He stands accused of fatally shooting the 29-year-old model and reality TV star four times through a toilet door intentionally following a jealous row and then lying extensively about it.

Pistorius acknowledges he killed Ms Steenkamp but denies murder and says he shot her after mistaking her for an intruder.

Pistorius says he was terrified at the mistaken belief that there was a dangerous intruder in his home about to hurt him and the woman he loved dearly - but he had to intervene.

If found guilty of premeditated murder, the Paralympic and Olympic athlete could be jailed for at least 25 years.

More follows...

:: Sky News' live coverage of the trial is under way, and a special highlights programme will be broadcast every weekday at 9.30pm.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

 

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