Tracey Stretton highlights the power of electronic evidence
Somewhere between conviction and appeal in the widely publicised Oscar Pistorius trial, I find myself thinking not only about the tragedy that occurred two years ago but also about justice and about the power that electronic evidence has to shape it. I am going to perhaps disappoint you now by expressing no opinion on the case, even though I am a South African lawyer, mainly because I do not feel equipped to do so and because we are somewhere between a conviction and an appeal.
Watching a trial played out in the media is no match for reading the actual transcripts of the trial, studying the legal concepts and working with forensic experts to form a proper view of the evidence. Many of us have felt for some time, however, that there were silent witnesses in the room on the fateful night that Reeva Steenkamp was shot. These took the shape of iPhones and iPads which might have revealed what happened. I thought it would be instructive therefore, for lawyers to think about the importance of digital
