South Africa prosecutors await key evidence ahead of Pistorius trial

The South African prosecutors of Oscar Pistorius murder trial said on Tuesday in Cape Town that “with less than three weeks before a global television audience a vital piece of evidence was yet to be analysed”.
He said the cell phone that was recovered from Pistorius, the South African paralympian, shortly after he shot dead his model girlfriend, is in the possession of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.
PANA reports that the prosecutor believed the iPhone contains vital evidence, but Pistorius claims he has forgotten the password.
It said the South African investigators want phone manufacturer Apple to help analyse encrypted data on the phone.
It said the FBI, which was acting as the facilitator, said it was waiting for the original court documents requesting the encryption before it contacts the California-based company.
PANA recalled that on February 14 last year, Pistorius shot dead 29-year-old Steenkamp through a locked bathroom door at his Pretoria home in a case that has generated worldwide interest.
He denies the charge of murder and says he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder.
At least 107 witnesses are expected to testify during the trial.
They include residents of the Silver Woods Estate in Pretoria, where Pistorius lived, medical experts, a weather forecaster, paramedics and ballistic and forensic experts.
PANA/NAN.