He said the graphic nature of the autopsy report may infringe on Steenkamp’s dignity and harm unsuspecting members of the public who saw or heard the testimony.
“I think that it goes against the good morals of society for us to make information of this nature available in a manner that vulnerable or unsuspecting people in society may be exposed,” Saayman told the court.
Media houses earlier won unprecedented rights to broadcast on television large chunks of the court proceedings, while audio of the whole trial was initially allowed throughout.
The defence is expected to argue that the first shots were fatal, making it impossible for witnesses to have heard her scream as they claim.
The prosecution is expected to argue the last shot was the one that killed her.
In early proceedings on Monday Pistorius’s defence sought to undermine the state’s assertion that the sprinter told a security guard “everything was fine” after he shot his girlfriend.
Pistorius’s lawyer Barry Roux attempted to show a statement made by security guard Pieter Baba proved the Paralympic sprinter phoned security and said “I’m okay.”
Last week, in testimony that cast doubt on the Paralympian’s claims of a “tragic accident,” Baba told the court that after he was informed that gunshots were heard coming from the runner’s house, he phoned Pistorius, who told him “everything is fine.”
Roux pointed out that in the first statement Baba made, he said Pistorius told him “I’m okay.”
Roux also said that phone records showed the sprinter phoned Baba first.
“I prove to you the fact was Pistorius phoned first and you returned that call very shortly,” said Roux.
But Baba, wearing an orange plaid shirt, dug in his heels. “My lady, it is obvious that our times are not the same,” he said, insisting that “Mr Pistorius told me that everything is fine.”
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