One Tragic Night by Mandy Wiener

Author:Mandy Wiener
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: 2014-09-16T16:00:00+00:00

The Bat

On the morning the state’s second expert witness was expected to testify, word reached the court’s corridors that the prosecution team had a little surprise planned for the day. Once the courtroom doors were opened, it immediately became clear what this was: a 1:1 scale model of the toilet cubicle where Reeva was shot had been constructed inside the courtroom. The claustrophobic 1.14x1.4 metre dimensions accurately demonstrated how she had no place to hide. White chipboard frames made up the walls, which extended around the doorframe – the actual door from the crime scene had been erected in the frame. A light-coloured wooden brace on the inside of the door held in place the shattered panels, smashed out a year earlier by the accused. A toilet, similar to the one at Oscar’s house, had been placed inside the cubicle, as well as a magazine rack.

The exhibit certainly caught Oscar’s attention – he spent some time before proceedings started inspecting it closely, leaning forward with his head close to the bullet holes, peering on the inside and then outside as if he were tracking the projectile’s trajectories.

The cricket bat also made its first appearance in the courtroom several days before it was formally submitted as an exhibit. Usually carried by the investigating officer Mike van Aardt, it was wrapped in a large clear, blue-printed police forensics bag. It caused whispers in the gallery amongst journalists who for the first time got sight of the object they’d all heard about.

The sporting implement emerged in some reports after the shooting, with allegations that Oscar had apparently used the bat not only to bash down the toilet door, but also to beat Reeva. Some British tabloid press reported that Reeva’s family had been told her skull had been fractured after being struck by the bat. But pathologist Gert Saayman confirmed during his testimony that it had been the bullet that struck her head that had caused the skull fracturing, and there were no signs of blunt force trauma, rubbishing these initial speculative reports.

The English willow Lazer cricket bat was found face down in the bathroom with drops of blood and spatter across its spine. It was positioned to the right of where Reeva would have been lying – if one entered the bathroom – and was close to the basins and cupboards. While crime scene photos showed it had a perished yellow rubber handle fitted to it, in police investigation photos and in court, this grip was no longer present. The wooden face displayed the signatures of 12 cricketers – when it was presented in court, former Proteas batsman Herschelle Gibbs remarked on Twitter that he’d identified his own signature:

Just saw my signature on the bat used by the accused on oscar trial … lol #neveradullmoment

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