Oscar Pistorius' next-door neighbour has told a court he
heard "very loud" cries from someone "desperate for help"
on the night the athlete's girlfriend was shot dead.
But Michael Nhlengethwa, whose house is just 11 metres
from the bathroom where Reeva Steenkamp was fatally injured, said he did not
hear a woman screaming.
It appears to contradict the claims of an earlier
witness, who said she heard "blood-curdling screams" on Valentine's
Day last year, despite living further away from Pistorius' home.
The trial also heard from Mr Nhlengethwa's wife, Eontle,
who was asked to repeat the noise she heard while her husband was searching
their house for intruders after the couple were awoken by a loud bang.
She made a loud shrieking noise - at which point Pistorius
leant forward, covering his ears with his hands - but insisted the
"vibrating, high-pitched noise" was the sound of a man crying, not a
woman screaming.
During his evidence, Mr Nhlengethwa told the court:
"We went into shock and we knew something was wrong.
"We started panicking, worrying something had
happened to our neighbours or our security guard."
Asked by defence lawyer Barry Roux to elaborate on what
he heard, Mr Nhlengethwa said: "There is a difference between a normal cry
- somebody weeping - and a cry when you are in danger and need help.
Desperate
"The cry we heard was from someone who was desperate
for help. It was very loud."
During cross-examination by Gerrie Nel, the witness was
asked whether he heard the sounds of a woman screaming.
"No, not at all," he replied.
Another neighbour, Rita Motshuane, also imitated the
noises she heard, hunching her shoulders and letting out a series of loud,
painful wails.
She said the sound, which was so haunting she could not
move from her bed, came from a man, not from a woman.
The Nhlengethwas were originally on the State's list of
witnesses but neither were called by the prosecution.
Mr Nhlengethwa said Pistorius always greeted him by
walking over to talk and shake hands.
Engaged
He said the athlete introduced Ms Steenkamp as his
fiancee and said he was moving out of the Silver Woods estate in Pretoria to
Johannesburg in order to be closer to her.
The witness said he expressed regret that his neighbour
was leaving but added: "If it's for her, then it's worth it. That one's
for keeps."
It was the first time the court had heard evidence the
couple were apparently engaged.
Mr Nhlengethwa also spoke about the moment he arrived at
Pistorius' house after the shooting and peered through the front door to find
Pistorius kneeling over Ms Steenkamp.
"What I saw is difficult to explain," he said,
telling the court he chose to wait outside as the scene was so distressing.
Pistorius is on trial in Pretoria, South Africa, accused
of the premeditated murder of Ms Steenkamp.
The 27-year-old denies the charge, claiming he mistook
her for an intruder at his home on the city's Silver Woods estate.
The case was adjourned at lunchtime after Ms Motshuane's
evidence and will resume on Thursday, following a public holiday in South
Africa.
Culled from Skysports
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