Oscar Pistorius - Discussion Thread #65~ the appeal~

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http://www.news.com.au/world/africa...o-home-detention/story-fnh81gzi-1227580548021

The unanswered questions about the release of Oscar Pistorius from jail to home detention
OCTOBER 23, 2015

According to legal expert Dr Llewellyn Curlewis, a criminal barrister and former president of the South African Law Society, there is no case of “rock star” treatment for the one-time national sporting hero. In fact, his sentence is being served to the letter of the law...

... Dr Curlewis believes the appeal will fail.“The appeal judges have to rule that the decision was palpably wrong,” he said. “This is a very politically sensitive case and the appeal judges come from the same background as Judge Masipa. There is no new evidence produced. It is all done by going through the evidence presented in the trial. They will have already done their reading. The decision will only take a few hours, and I think they will give her the benefit of the doubt...

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Oscar Pistorius - Discussion Thread #64 ~ the appeal~

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Wow, imagine coming here first. Where is everyone - fast asleep I guess.

Mr Fossil and I look forward to hearing all your comments and questions. We're still working hard, looking at things, researching and discussing in order to get as much out as quickly as we can. Things will be updated from time to time but Mr Fossil will let you know.

Let me assure you that a great deal of research has been and is still being done. We decided to take a forensic approach rather than theorize on what may or may not have happened. We're letting the evidence speak for itself as much as possible but ultimately it's your decision as to whether or not you agree with our conclusions. We hope you're enjoying our blog.
 
Marking my spot......[emoji215] [emoji215]
 
Pool feeds for the Oscar Pistorius matter

Pursuant to the invitation on 19 October 2015 to a meeting to discuss pool video feeds, a meeting was held on 21 October 2015 at the Supreme Court of Appeal. The meeting resolved as follows:

The SABC will provide the pool video signal feed for all members of the media at no cost.
The SABC will have three, HD 16:9 resolution cameras positioned inside the courtroom.
Microphones and any other equipment placed specifically inside the courtroom should as far as possible not be branded.

The proceedings can be broadcast live.

http://www.judiciary.org.za/doc/MED...OR-THE-OSCAR-PISTORIUS-MATTER_23-Oct-2015.pdf
 
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

Mandy Wiener ‏@MandyWiener · 1h1 hour ago
Innovative. But unsuccessful. Phones smuggled to #Krejcir in frying pan, kettle and shoes. Pics @Solomon_Makgale
 
JJ& Fossil is this of any use? ie. Some SA names in forensics who might give you an opinion on your meticulous research? Piet Byleveld and David Klatzow?

Piet Byleveld and David Klatzow Comment on the Police’s Investigation of the Murder Case Against Pistoriius

http://bookslive.co.za/blog/2013/02...igation-of-the-murder-case-against-pistorius/

In an interview for eNCA, Klatzow, an independent forensic investigator and co-author of*Steeped in Blood*said that it is a pity that more care was not put into choosing the investigating office and analysing the crime scene, as he believes this case will come down to forensic evidence.
Retired detective Piet Byleveld, know for his high murder conviction rate, told News24 that he would have spent at least two days investigating the crime scene, while the police on the Pistorius case were only there for a day. “I wouldn’t even have allowed the commissioner in before I was satisfied that my investigation was complete. A day would’ve been too short for me to ascertain all the facts and to prepare properly,” he said.
 
And from this article

http://insp.ngo/whats-wrong-with-crime-scene-investigation-in-south-africa/

Klatzow’s response is simple: “Police don’t discriminate. They screw up equally on every case.” (D.Klatzow, a private forensic scientist who’s been operating in South Africa for over 25 years)

Professor Lorna Martin, head of the Forensic Pathology Department at UCT
Professor Martin believes the answer lies in a new forensic pathology facility, for which she is currently raising funds. Once established, it will be a one-stop forensic shop, including molecular diagnostics (currently done by the SAPS) and toxicology (currently handed over to National Health), on top of offering forensic education and general forensic pathology services.Having to deal with the byproducts of such a violent society for so many years, Prof Martin doesn’t dream anymore. Literally. “I think it’s a coping mechanism,” she says wryly. “[But] if I can get this facility built, I could retire. I would have made a small difference.”

facility manager Dr Marise Heyns’s office. According to Dr Heyns, the biggest issue in forensic science is the management of a crime scene and the translation of the science in court. Building on her experience in forensics at Queens University in Belfast, where she specialised in the social justice trend of kneecapping, Heyns now runs a seven-module forensic science programme at UCT
 
Wow, imagine coming here first. Where is everyone - fast asleep I guess.

Mr Fossil and I look forward to hearing all your comments and questions. We're still working hard, looking at things, researching and discussing in order to get as much out as quickly as we can. Things will be updated from time to time but Mr Fossil will let you know.

Let me assure you that a great deal of research has been and is still being done. We decided to take a forensic approach rather than theorize on what may or may not have happened. We're letting the evidence speak for itself as much as possible but ultimately it's your decision as to whether or not you agree with our conclusions. We hope you're enjoying our blog.

....an excellent job you're both doing with the blog......i really don't want to let it to get lost the idea that if it was the gun (which i believe it was) that hit her on the back, then it was done when she had no vest on, whereas the vest was on when she was in the WC.....if this is correct it could mean that a certain amount of time had passed between being hit and going into the WC...plus the fact that she would of had to put the vest on (possibly in front of him if he was awake)....i know it may be a small thing but it could be an indicater to a long and violent dispute beforehand leading up to the shooting and something Frank would have had a hard time ignoring.....
 
I posted this back in 2013 and in view of the current discussions it's still valid IMOOscar_Pistorius_Zapiro.jpg
 
Wow, imagine coming here first. Where is everyone - fast asleep I guess.

Mr Fossil and I look forward to hearing all your comments and questions. We're still working hard, looking at things, researching and discussing in order to get as much out as quickly as we can. Things will be updated from time to time but Mr Fossil will let you know.

Let me assure you that a great deal of research has been and is still being done. We decided to take a forensic approach rather than theorize on what may or may not have happened. We're letting the evidence speak for itself as much as possible but ultimately it's your decision as to whether or not you agree with our conclusions. We hope you're enjoying our blog.

Morning Mr Fossil and JJ (well in the UK it is :) ). I do hope you both did not feel I was making any criticism of your theories at the end of the last thread. My mind was working overtime and I was putting thoughts down on paper (having just watched Mangena), so to speak. I am definitely enjoying your blog very much and it is really making me stir the "grey matter". The time you are taking to research all the points is exemplary. Is the NPA also spending time researching and if they are I imagine it will be very useful if there is a retrial? There is so much more information with which to work.

My position with respect to the gun is unchanged. It is still a possibility. The striations certainly fit well. The only problem I have is fitting it into the overall picture. Where is the bruise that would have been caused by a thrown object hitting her hard enough to imprint a pattern in her flesh whilst she was still alive? She was very thin so I would not expect a huge bruise but I would expect one. Bruising tends to be greater if the body has a layer of fat (ie fat people bruise more easily) but she was very thin. Perhaps there would not have been any. The problem I have is I need to work through the possible injury causing process as well as the purely forensic findings. That can often "throw a spanner in the works" LOL.

Keep up the good work. It really is very interesting and thought provoking.
 
pre-verdict, Aug 2014, Professor James Grant giving legal opinion on trial , obviously this opinion proved to be incorrect but there are still a few points of interest as it goes into the SCA.

"In my view, Oscar Pistorius could be found guilty of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on February 14 last year primarily because of his own poor testimony but ultimately because any doubts that his defence may have raised might well be dismissed as unreasonable"....Without meaning to pre-empt the court, which has a better view of all the evidence and is eminently better qualified, Pistorius's defence does not seem to have done well."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...ing-convicted-of-Reeva-Steenkamps-murder.html
 
Morning Mr Fossil and JJ (well in the UK it is :) ). I do hope you both did not feel I was making any criticism of your theories at the end of the last thread. My mind was working overtime and I was putting thoughts down on paper (having just watched Mangena), so to speak. I am definitely enjoying your blog very much and it is really making me stir the "grey matter".

Keep up the good work. It really is very interesting and thought provoking.

I think they really welcome the debate and feedback IB and I have been very interested in your contributions on this. :)
 
An American view on the sentence and preferential treatment ( somewhat sloppy article but hey -ho...)

"What should come as a shock is that Pistorius was held in the hospital section of the jail, rather than in the cells with the other 7,000 inmates who are not celebrities or well-known athletes. As past Law Street articles have stated, it is problematic when a celebrity uses his or her status to acquire special treatment while incarcerated. Yes, it is true that Pistorius would have needed additional medical support as an imprisoned double-amputee in jail. However, he received preferential treatment as a celebrity athlete, which unjustly separated him from the rest of the prison community"

http://lawstreetmedia.com/blogs/spo...aves-prison-chills-uncles-house-south-africa/
 
Morning Mr Fossil and JJ (well in the UK it is :) ). I do hope you both did not feel I was making any criticism of your theories at the end of the last thread.
RSBM

Absolutely not. We welcome all constructive criticism and consider everything being suggested, especially when it challenges or offers a different take on our interpretation of the evidence.

We have a working theory as to what happened that night but have made it a rule to avoid speculating beyond the interpretation of the evidence in each article we post. When enough pieces of the puzzle have been posted we'll share how we think they fit together: if others haven't already got there before us!

Please also bear in mind that one or more of our interpretations stands a good chance of being wrong. I'm looking to add a section to the end of each piece (rather like a 'suggested reading list') which details questions and evidence which might challenge our findings. It's answers to these points which will help either make or break each individual theory.
 
Another one of my finds? This is only one small section from an interesting article. I posted (g) on its own as it seemed pertinent to the appearance of RS's back injury. Was it a Bullet Graze or Slap injury or something else?


(g) Bullet Graze or Slap : If it strikes skin at so acute anangle that it does not perforate the skin, a grazing or slap wound isproduced. It usually appears asreddish-brown, elongated, elliptical or triangular furrow or abrasion. The underlying dermis may or may not beinvolved, but the adjacent intact skin may be ecchymosed.


http://healthdrip.com/firearm-wounds-and-its-types/
 
Another of my many finds. Perhaps not quite so interesting.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricochet


The angle of departure, both vertically and horizontally, is difficult to calculate or predict due to the many variables involved, not the least of which is the deformation of the bullet caused by its impact with the surface it strikes.[SUP][6][/SUP]Ricochets will almost always continue on a somewhat diagonal trajectory to their original trajectory, unless the impact is against a flat surface perpendicular to the angle of incidence (or approach), in which case the angle of reflection depends on the other variables involved.
 
....is it possible blood got onto the bat by it being used to push "stuff" down the toilet...?
 
Last item for today as I need to show some interest in my housewifely duties :)

The following is from pages of a book that one can read on-line before purchase. I read from page 285 and it is worth a read though not specifically about the type of injury that RS had other than the bullet slap or graze element. I have noticed a lot of my links have been lifted from this book. It is entitled


APC Textbook of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology - Avichal Publishing Company
By Anil Aggrawal

I am unable to give you a proper link because of the nature of the article. The ‘code’ for the link was half a page long. If you search for the book and then use the arrows to find page 285 there is a long and interesting section that is well worth reading though not all of it is appropriate. The following excerpt is only the beginning of the piece of interest. My earlier post re bullet slap or graze was lifted from this book, methinks.


2. Atypical Entrance Wounds
a. Ricochet Bullet
A ricochet bullet is one which before striking an object ‘Ob’, strikes some intervening object ‘IO’ first,and then after ricocheting and rebounding from the intervening object, hits the object. Salient features: (1)Types of ricochet – (a) External ricochet – Bullet rebounds off some external object (eg roof) (b) Internal ricochet – Bullet rebounds off some internal body surface (eg inside of skull, chest)
(2)Occurs rarely – Most of the times the bullet either breaks up on striking intervening object or penetrate it. (3) Occurs with inferior firearms and low velocity bullets (4) Critical angle – 10-30 degrees.
 
Any engagement with the Steenkamp family has to be handled with the necessary care and respect, away from the media spotlight," Annelise Burgess said on Monday.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/N...mps-will-be-private-Pistorius-family-20151026

-----------------

I think that's quite amusing considering OP ensured his 'apology' to the Steenkamps was as public as it could possibly be - right at the beginning of the trial. Did Reeva's family even have any warning of this? Any 'necessary care and respect' was not afforded to her family when they needed it most, when millions of eyes were watching the trial and when everyone had to listen to what should have been a very private apology. I guess maybe it was meant for Masipa, to show his 'remorse'. We all know now that crying and remorse means you're not guilty.
 
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