The Pistorius problem

Mike, dear chap, you know only what has been reported in the bits of the press that you've read. You don't have a gut reaction about this unless it's from a bad curry.I really don't like the idea of a single judge - that's not right.

Yeah, that makes things more singular. Although frankly, I have seen so many idiotic juries in my country acquit people that I have lost faith in that system.I think a trio of judges would probably be best.

I don't know much about the law, but just relay what I've read about it in the press.In a murder trial the presiding officer has to be a High Court Judge (Judge Thokozile Masipa in the Pistorius case).This judge has to appoint two legal experts to assist her (assessors). Usually they have backgrounds in forensic science or psychology. They can overrule the desicions of the judge by simple majority.The two assessors for this case have been appointed some time ago, but have not been publicly identified.Judgement therefore is not the decision of one person alone. Thankfully.It seems as if this is going to be a difficult he said/she said case. Time will tell.Edited by Pressie, : Spelling

I doubt that. Not in Pretoria. The chances are better at finding a golf ball in the toilet on the second floor. Maybe she screamed at a golf ball.Look where he lived and where she was shot. Silver Lakes Golf EstatePistorius's home on estate voted most secure in South AfricaEdited by Pressie, : No reason given.Edited by Pressie, : Changed referencesEdited by Pressie, : One link did not work.

Diomedes writes: In my experience, limited as it is, I got selected and then somehow was made Foreman of the Jury. The trial was awful. The accused was probably guilty of conspiring with his friend. BUT - the prosecution fucked things up and we were deadlocked. Ordinary people in room trying to agree. Why was I the foreman here?? Eeeek. So I took it and listened and argued this & that. What I kept in my head was "beyond a shadow of doubt" and I had doubt. We eventually had 1 guy left and eventually he went with our decision to acquit. This really hurt me hard to make it happen. A woman had been cut on her face with a knife, a clear case of bodily harm. But we had to acquit the accused attacker for lack of direct evidence that HE was the perpetrator. We had oodles of evidence that she had been assaulted and seriously injured. This was never in doubt. The problem was that she accused a friend of the man who probably did the damage. There is no way I was happy with whatever we decided to do. All the witnesses were hiding what really happened, including the victim herself. It was sad.Now, does this mean I lose faith in the jury system? NO. NO. & NO.It is the best we have to date. Not perfect, but better than the others.

Legally, the two assessors can overturn the findings of the judge if they don't agree with it. Then the trial will go to a higher court.Edited by Pressie, : No reason given.Edited by Pressie, : No reason given.Edited by Pressie, : No reason given.

Well, that puts a bit of a dent in the "burglar" defense. Was everyone on break when this happened?
If so... wouldn't that point to an "inside" job?

Nah, it could of been one of them blokes with the keys stirring around. Creeping in the room in the dark, Reeva sees the dark shadow, screams and runs in the bathroom at the same time the real perp slips out. Mean while blade runner dons his legs grabs his gun in a half sleep stupor barrel rolls off the bed into a defensive crouch unloads his clip into the bathroom on the would be burgler, only to find in his horror his lady is not in bed.

Under what circumstances would you fire a gun through a closed door in your own house without knowing where the rest of your family was?The guy is guilty in the first degree or suffering from paranoid delusions or steroid rage.

Yes, it does put a dent in the 'burglar' defense. The Estate employs more than one armed security guard, and I don't think they will all go on a break simultaneously.However, it could be an inside job. That's possible.In complexes such as the security complex I live in (normal people live in complexes; the rich in 'Estates' ), crimes are often committed by criminals who rent properties inside the complex with the aim of breaking into other properties. That's possible in the Pistorius case, too.Edited by Pressie, : No reason given.

If you look at the floor plan of the bedroom; you'll see that he had to move from the bed, around a corner or two to get to the door she was behind. Something doesn't add up in his story.Edited by Pressie, : No reason given.

I agree. It doesn't look good for ol' Oscar. What a horrible crime to such a pretty lady.

Here a man shoots his brother while his bro was tryin to climp into the house. No charges were filed. He definately seems to have a trigger happy way of dealing with his anger.

The idea of shoot first, investigate more later seems strange to you only because you are not a serious gun advocate. Guns are a good way to probe for friend or foe, and you don't in any circumstances want to expose yourself to the tiniest risk. Just boom, boom, away. Killed your own? That's just tragic.Otherwise, you would never shoot through a closed door in your house or even leading to the outside. Even when you know where your family is.

Sad really. It must be quite a burden to lug all that fear around all the time.