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Pistorius Trial Focuses on Police Handling of Crime Scene


Week two of the Oscar Pistorius murder trial wrapped up Friday with testimony on whether police mishandled evidence during the initial stages of their probe.

The first police officer on the scene after Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, said an expensive watch disappeared from the athlete's home during the early stages of the investigation.

The former police station commander, Colonel G.S. van Rensburg, also said Friday that a firearms expert handled the gun that Pistorius used with no gloves.



"So I stopped immediately talking and asked him 'what are you doing?' And then he turned his head to me and he was looking and then he realized there was no hand gloves and then he said 'sorry' and he put the magazine back in the firearm and he put it back on the carpet, on the bathroom carpet."



The South African Press Association says Rensburg also told the court that he had destroyed the notes he made during his investigation.

Earlier this week, an attorney for Pistorius tried to cast doubt on the initial police investigation by saying there was evidence of a police officer's footprint on the bathroom door.

Pistorius shot Steenkamp through the bathroom door, saying he thought she was an intruder. Prosecutors accuse Pistorius of murdering Steenkamp after an argument.

Pistorius has pleaded not guilty to charges that include murder and recklessly discharging a firearm.



Also Friday, prosecutors displayed photos of a bloodied Pistorius standing on his prosthetic legs shortly after the shooting. The athlete says he carried Steenkamp downstairs in an attempt to save her life.

Pistorius is known as the "Blade Runner" for his carbon-fiber prosthetic legs. In 2012, he became the first double-amputee to compete in the Olympics.
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