Oscar Pistorius throws up in the dock as court is shown photographs of Reeva Steenkamp after he shot and killed her

 

• Barry Roux grilled Colonel Vermeulen who analysed bullet-hit toilet door
• Accused him of not having the right qualifications to examine the marks
• Mr Roux said door fragments disappeared after police took it from scene
• Col Vermeulen says Pistorius was 'on his stumps' when he broke door
• But Paralympian claims he put on his prosthetic legs before doing so

By Simon Tomlinson
Oscar Pistorius threw up in the dock today after horrific images of his girlfriend's body were shown in court.
Gasps were heard throughout the Pretoria courtroom when close-up pictures were briefly displayed, apparently by accident, on a computer screen by his defence team.
They showed Reeva Steenkamp's skull, body and her injuries after she was shot dead by the Paralympian at his home.
Pistorius began violently retching at the sight of his girlfriend's corpse before being handed a green bucket which he vomited into repeatedly.

Agony: Pistorius covers his head in despair as he listens to graphic evidence of the moment he killed Miss Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year

Despair: The court was briefly shown, apparently by accident, graphic images of Miss Steenkamp's blood-stained body after he shot her dead

 

Too much to bear: Pistorius covers his face with his hands as he listens to forensic evidence during the trial

Earlier, a photograph of Pistorius's blood-stained prosthetic legs was used by his chief defense lawyer in a bid to show that the athlete was wearing them, as he says, when he broke down the toilet door with a cricket bat.
The image, showing the prosthetic limbs with white socks and stained with Reeva Steenkamp's blood up to the knee, was displayed by lawyer Barry Roux on a TV monitor at Pistorius's murder trial.
The chief defence lawyer at Oscar Pistorius's murder trial today highlighted alleged missteps by police and questioned their treatment of key evidence during the investigation.

More...

• Teen accused of killing Australian baseball player Chris Lane tells cellmate he and his friends tried to shoot several people the day of Lane's murder 'but kept missing'

Lawyer Barry Roux grilled a police forensics expert for a second day, challenging his analysis of a bullet-marked toilet door that was removed from Pistorius's bathroom after he shot Reeva Steenkamp.
In an aggressive start to his cross-examination, Mr Roux questioned whether Colonel Johannes Vermeulen even had the right qualifications to examine marks on the door that offer crucial evidence to what happened the moment the model was killed.
He also forced Col Vermeulen to admit that police may have contaminated the crime scene during their investigation.

Under pressure: Forensics expert Colonel Johannes Vermeulen was questioned by the defence about whether he had the right qualification to examine the marks on the toilet door

Shock: A member of Pistorius's family (pictured, right, next to his aunt Lois) covers her mouth as distressing details of Miss Steenkamp's death are revealed in court

Accused: Pistorius claims he went to the bedroom to put on his prosthetics before smashing down the door

Centre of attention: The athlete is surrounded by security as he makes his way through Pretoria to the court

Mr Roux asked what happened to some fragments from the door that went missing after police investigators took possession of it.
Col Vermeulen said he asked about the missing splinters, but repeatedly said he 'couldn't remember' which colleague he spoke to.
The forensics analyst also conceded that footprints that appeared to be from police boots were seen in evidence photos, but later rubbed off.
Mr Roux argued they could have been made by Pistorius's prosthetic legs - which could have backed up a crucial argument by the sprinter that he was wearing them when he smashed down the door.
Col Vermeulen earlier argued Pistorius would have been on his stumps both when he fired the shots that killed Miss Steenkamp and when he broke down the door.
The lawyer also noted that Col Vermeulen had not read Pistorius's version of events on the night of the killing until after he had completed his forensic study of the door and was therefore leaning toward the prosecution's version of what happened.

Key evidence: Forensic analyst Colonel Johannes Vermeulen stands in front of the toilet door through which Oscar Pistorius shot Reeva Steenkamp while holding the cricket bat the athlete then used to break it down

 

Key moment: The re-enactment is critical to the case as it tests the athlete's assertions about exactly what happened on the night he killed Miss Steenkamp in his bathroom on Valentine's Day last year

Pistorius has said he shot Miss Steenkamp by mistake through the door, fearing there was a dangerous intruder in the house. The prosecution says he intentionally killed her after an argument.
Yesterday, Col Vermeulen argued that Pistorius was on his stumps at the time he broke down the door with the cricket bat, contradicting the Paralympian's assertion that he was wearing his prosthetic legs.
The issue is critical to the case as it tests the athlete's assertions about exactly what happened on the night he killed Miss Steenkamp in his bathroom on Valentine's Day last year.

More...

• Teen accused of killing Australian baseball player Chris Lane tells cellmate he and his friends tried to shoot several people the day of Lane's murder 'but kept missing'

Pistorius says he fearfully approached the bathroom on his stumps and shot Miss Steenkamp by mistake while believing she was an intruder.
According to his account, he then put on his prostheses and tried to kick down the locked toilet door before hitting it with the bat after realising what he had done.
However, Col Vermeulen said the bat was used to hit the door from a low position and knelt and swung Pistorius's cricket bat to demonstrate his point.

Reconstruction: Colonel Johannes Vermeulen of the South African Police Service stands in court in front of the toilet door through which Pistorius shot Reeva Steenkamp

Evidence: Colonel Vermeulen kneels down to show that Pistorius was not wearing his prostheses at the time

Analysis: The height at which the bat struck the door is measured in court in an attempt by the prosecution to determine whether Pistorius was on his prosthetic legs at the time

Demonstration: The forensic expert shows the point where the bat struck the door, causing it to splinter

He also believed Pistorius was on his stumps when he fired through the toilet door, based on the angle of the bullet marks in the door, which was on display in the courtroom alongside a recreation of the cubicle.
He told the court: 'The marks on the door are actually consistent with him not having his legs on and I suspect they must be similar to the height that he was when he fired the shots.'
And in a dramatic climbdown, lead prosecutor Gerrie Nel also said that it was no longer part of the state's case that Pistorius was wearing his prosthetics at the time.
That mistaken claim by prosecutors in the early part of the investigation was used by them to argue there was premeditation in the killing.
They asserted that by taking the time to put on his legs before going to the bathroom, Pistorius showed premeditation before killing the 29-year-old model

Evidence: The bullet holes and shattered wood where Pistorius struck the door are clearly seen here

Clues: Based on the angle and height of the four bullet holes seen here, Pistorius fired his gun on his stumps, according to forensic analyst Colonel Johannes Vermeulen

Measurements: The court is shown a picture which Col Vermeulen took at the time of his initial investigation a few weeks after Miss Steenkamp was shot on Valentine's Day last year

Detail: This image shows where the bat broke through the door in the weakest part of the panel

I SIGNED OSCAR'S BAT, TWEETS STAR AFTER SEEING IT IN TRIAL

Former South African cricketer Herschelle Gibbs, right, has claimed the bat Oscar Pistorius used to smash down the toilet door after shooting Reeva Steenkamp had been signed by him.
Police Colonel Johannes Vermeulen presented the bat as a key piece of evidence about exactly what happened on the night Miss Steenkamp died.
Shortly after the bat was shown on TV, Gibbs - @hershybru on Twitter - posted: 'Just saw my signature on the bat used by the accused in oscar trial... lol #neveradullmoment'

The prosecution now says Pistorius first hit the door with a bat in an effort to get to Miss Steenkamp, then shot through the door.
But in another crucial endorsement of the defence's case, Col Vermeulen testified that the athlete broke down the door only after he fired his weapon.
'I would say the door was hit after the shots,' he told the court.
Col Vermeulen earlier demonstrated that height measurements showed that Pistorius was not wearing his prostheses at the time.
'It's quite low down on the door,' he testified about one of the marks he said were made by the bat. 
He said it was 'not the normal position that I would expect from a mark from a cricket bat'.
He said marks on the door were consistent with Pistorius 'being in a natural position without his prostheses'.
Defence lawyer Barry Roux countered that Pistorius hit the door with a 'bent back' and that the low marks were consistent with such a body position.
Mr Vermeulen also said a steel plate in the main bathroom in Pistorius's home had been damaged by being hit with a 'hard' object, or after the object fell against it.

Overcome: Pistorius shows the strain as he listens to events surrounding the moment he shot his girlfriend

 

Tough to hear: The athlete - known as Blade Runner - reacts in the dock while listening to the forensic evidence

Emotional: Pistorius reacts while listening to evidence about the moment he shot his girlfriend

Stress: The 27-year-old runner rubs his eyes while taking notes in the dock during the trial

Deliberation: The Olympic athlete confers with a member of his legal team at the North Gauteng High Court

Doubt cast: According to the athlete's account, he put on his prosthetic legs in an effort to kick down the door before using the cricket bat

The steel plate was new evidence. A photo of the damaged plate was shown.
Prosecutors say Pistorius intentionally shot 29-year-old Steenkamp after a fight.
Those prosecutors used Mr Vermeulen to show what they say are more inconsistencies in Pistorius's version of events by erecting the door in court and, behind it, an exact replica of the cubicle in his house. There was also a replica toilet.
The bullet-marked door also had what appeared to be white tags to indicate the bullet holes.

Concern: The athlete's uncle Arnold (far left), aunt Lois (second left) and sister Aimee (centre) watch the re-enactment from the public gallery

There for him: The Paralympian's sister Aimee has been in court every day of the trial so far

Pistorius shot at MIss Steenkamp four times through the door, hitting her in the hip, arm and head. One shot missed, the court has heard.
Led by questions from prosecutor Gerrie Nel, Mr Vermeulen removed his blazer and walked down from the witness stand and over to the door to demonstrate to the judge how he believes the door was hit in the pre-dawn hours of Valentine's Day last year.
He said he was particularly interested in two specific marks on the door that he concluded were made by the bat.
With the use of court photos and by kneeling down in court, Mr Vermeulen showed the low position that the person could have been in when striking the door with the bat.
The trial continues.

Doubt: Pathologist Gert Saayman said the partially digested vegetables he found in the model's stomach suggested Miss Steenkamp (pictured) had food less than two hours before her death at around 3am

Scene: Pistorius shot Miss Steenkamp through the bathroom door at his home (above) in Pretoria in the early hours of Valentine's Day last year