If I understand correctly the decsion of the judge in this matter, the contents of the victim's cellphone (the photos and text messages in question) are irrelevant because the accused claims that it was the victim's behaviour *in the moments before the fatal shots were fired* that led him to fear for his life. The accused could not have known what photos and texts were on the victim's cellphone at that time, so those materials could not have influenced his interpretation of the victim's behaviour.

The judge's decision to exclude the photos and texts makes the ex-employee's act worse than a breach of discipline; it amounts to contempt of court, definitely a firing offence.