The trial of Oscar Pistorius is far from the first murder trial to be broadcast live; the name OJ Simpson springs to mind. Unlike Simpson, Pistorius being white is not in a position to play the race card, which could be unfortunate, because things are not looking good for him at the moment.
This morning, the BBC screened the cross-examination of a former girlfriend, Samantha Taylor. Her face has not been shown, but she is said to be very young. At one point she broke down on the stand. Her testimony included evidence to the effect that on one occasion he discharged a gun through the sun roof of his car, the second such incident involving guns, the first being under a restaurant table.
The judge, Mrs Justice Masipa, is also a no-nonsense type, and has warned not only the press and the public but Defence Counsel that if they don&i#8217;t behave, they will be ejected from the courtroom; the latter could prove embarrassing indeed for the man himself. According to the BBC, the three weeks allotted for the trial will be woefully inadequate, and with a hundred or so witnesses lined up, it could run for months, by which time it is likely the public worldwide will be thoroughly bored with it. This could be bad news for Pistorius too, especially as there is no jury, and the frosty lady on the bench will be the sole arbiter of his fate.
[The above article was first published March 7, 2014.]
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