On the tenth day of Oscar Pistorius trial in Pretoria, former police officer Col. Schoombie van Rensburg has said he was “furious” when two of the athlete’s watches went missing from the crime scene.

Col Schoombie van Rensburg told the murder trial he ordered his officers to be body-searched for the “expensive” watches, but they were not found.

He also said an officer had handled Oscar Pistorius’ gun without wearing gloves.

Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius denies murder, saying he mistook Reeva Steenkamp for an intruder.

The prosecution says he shot Reeva Steenkamp after an argument at his house on February 14, 2013.

Schoombie van Rensburg, who was initially in charge of the crime scene, said that when he first saw the watches he was worried about them and ordered them to be photographed because they “looked expensive”.

After returning to the main bedroom where a team of forensic experts was gathering evidence, he realized one watch, said to be worth as much as $10,000 was missing. He said he was told Oscar Pistorius’ sister Aimee had come into the room and removed it.

After leaving the room again, another watch went missing, so he gave instructions for the police officers and their cars to be searched.

Schoombie van Rensburg said that after that, everyone entering and leaving the scene was thoroughly searched and entered into a log, presented in court.

He described his stunned reaction to the watches’ disappearance: “I said, <<I can’t believe it. We were just there. How can this watch be gone?>>”.

He said he told Oscar Pistorius he should file a complaint, while he opened a case of theft.

The former officer, who retired last year, also told the court he was angry when he saw a ballistics expert handling Oscar Pistorius’ 9mm pistol without any gloves, and told him to put some on.

The admissions call into question the police’s handling of the crime scene, in a case that is likely to hinge on sensitive forensic evidence.

Col. Schoombie van Rensburg also said he saw Oscar Pistorius with blood on his arm, while the court was shown a photograph of the athlete with blood on his shorts.

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A retired officer has told Oscar Pistorius’ murder trial that police followed a “trail of blood” up the stairs after being called to the athlete’s house in Pretoria.

Col Schoombie van Rensburg said he found Oscar Pistorius in a “very emotional state”.

Earlier, a forensics expert defended police handling of evidence.

Oscar Pistorius denies murder, saying he shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on February 14, 2013, after mistaking her for an intruder.

The prosecution says he tried to beat down the door and then fired the gun following an argument.

Col Schoombie van Rensburg, who was initially in charge of the crime scene, said he immediately gave orders for it to be secured.

Defense lawyer Barry Roux has said that evidence from the scene subsequently went missing.

When Schoombie van Rensburg arrived, he found Oscar Pistorius in the kitchen, pacing up and down.

The former officer asked the athlete what happened, but “he was very emotional. He didn’t understand”, Col. Schoombie van Rensburg said.

He described a “trail of blood” leading up the stairs and spots of blood on chairs in the living room.

The court was shown photographs of the crime scene, which showed blood on the stair walls.

Schoombie van Rensburg said there was a spatter of blood on the first floor landing, with some blood on the wall next to his trophies.

He said he found the toilet door, through which Reeva Steenkamp had been shot, locked.

Schoombie van Rensburg resigned from the police force in December after nearly 30 years of service.

He said when he entered Oscar Pistorius’ house, he found Reeva Steenkamp’s body lying in a pool of blood covered in white towels and black plastic bags.

There was another woman there, Carise, the daughter of estate manager Johan Stander.

She told him Oscar Pistorius had phoned, saying he needed their help.

Johan Stander also told him that she and Oscar Pistorius used the plastic bags and a towel to stop the bleeding after Reeva Steenkamp had been shot.

The prosecution has been attempting to cast doubt on parts of Oscar Pistorius’ story, including his claim that he was wearing his legs at the time of the shooting.

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