Possible Fighting Heard in Pistorius` Home; Journalists Warned

(ATR) In day two of Olympian Oscar Pistorius’ trial, a witness testified she heard "loud voices" in the double amputee’s home, possibly contradicting his statement.

According to South Africa’s The Times newspaper, Estelle van der Merwe said she heard what could have been two people fighting. Pistorius said in his statement that it was "unfair" to suggest he had been fighting with his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

Pistorius is charged with pre-meditated murder in the shooting death of Steenkamp. He plead not guilty, denying that it was pre-meditated, instead saying he thought there was an intruder in his home.

Van der Merwe said the noise continued in Pistorius’ house for "about an hour."

Her husband, Charl Johnson, also took the stand, backing up her testimony. The couple lived three houses away from Pistorius, according to media reports.

According to London’s The Telegraph, Johnson said he could hear a "clearly distressed" woman in the house.

"I heard a lady shout 'help' and then a male voice shout 'help, help,help'," he said."We thought people were being attacked in an armed robbery."

"I could hear she was in trouble, it was clearly distress calls... The last scream faded after the last gunshot was fired. I initially said I heard five or six shots."

Defense lawyer Barry Roux spent part of Tuesday’s hearing questioning the credibility of the state witness Michelle Burger.

Judge Thokozile Masipa commanded media to follow court rules. Witnesses’ photographs were used in media reports, a violation of the rules.

He said if other reporters broke the rules, they would not be treated with "kid gloves."

Written by Ed Hula III

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