Oscar Pistorius - The Trial Begins
Guilty or Not..?
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The family of Oscar Pistorius have called for an end to "public commentary" on his murder trial as he prepares for his biggest and most nerve-racking day in the world spotlight, dwarfing any of his star turns on the track.
Competition for gold, silver or bronze medals will be rendered trivial when the double-amputee athlete known as the blade runner enters court to a barrage of clicking cameras tomorrow. Pistorius will stand trial for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, 29, at his luxury home in Pretoria, South Africa, on Valentine's Day last year. He claims her death was an accident.
Along with the intense legal tussle, Pistorius also faces the pressure of a trial in the court of public opinion, thanks to intense scrutiny by newspapers and live television and radio broadcasts of proceedings. South Africa will even have a 24-hour TV channel devoted to coverage of, and commentary on, the trial.
Even if the Paralympic champion is found not guilty, his reputation will never be the same again as no stone in his personal life is left unturned. A foretaste came on Saturday when Britain's Sun newspaper reported that Pistorius, 27, had a new girlfriend, Leah Skye, a 19-year-old student paramedic, labelled "blade stunner" by the paper. A source close to the story told the Observer that the couple had in fact already separated‚ coincidentally, on Valentine's Day.
On Saturday his uncle, Arnold Pistorius, said: "With less than two days before the start of Oscar's criminal trial, the family as well as the legal team will not be distracted by extraneous issues that have no bearing on, or relevance to, the legal process that must now be allowed to unfold.
"We will not be commenting on any media reports, nor will we be engaging the press on any issues that belong in court. The time for public commentary is over. The focus is now entirely on a very serious trial that is set to start this Monday. We love Oscar, and believe in him, and will be standing by him throughout the coming trial."
The state has 107 witnesses for the trial, including Pistorius's ex-girlfriends Melissa Rom and Samantha Taylor, whose mother welcomed the end of their relationship, posting on Facebook that she was grateful Taylor was no longer in Pistorius's "claws". Erin Stear, who has denied reports she had an affair with Pistorius, will also take the stand. In addition the court will hear from former footballer Mark Batchelor, who has claimed that Pistorius threatened to "break my legs" because he was a close friend of Steenkamp, a law graduate, model and reality TV star.
Prosecutors are expected to paint an unflattering portrait of the accused as reckless, hot-headed and obsessed with guns, every detail of which will be broadcast to the world and lapped up by pundits. Sky News has shown footage of Pistorius at a firing range, shooting at a watermelon target that explodes on impact and draws delighted yells and laughter.
Police have said they found unlicensed .38 calibre ammunition in his house, while his Twitter account revealed he had boasted of going into "full attack recon mode in the pantry" after thinking an intruder was in his home.
The court will hear how, in one incident, Pistorius accidentally discharged a pistol under the table in a Johannesburg restaurant. In another he put a bullet through the sunroof of a girlfriend's car in a fit of rage. Shortly after Steenkamp's death, Nike had to scrap an advert that showed Pistorius bursting out of the starting blocks beneath the slogan: "I am the bullet in the chamber."
On Monday he will face Steenkamp's mother June for the first time. She has already made her feelings clear in a TV interview last year, recalling an incident in which Steenkamp phoned her from Pistorius's car. "She was afraid," June said. "She was so afraid. She said, mummy, I'm in the car with Oscar and he's driving like a lunatic. Like a lunatic. So I said, will you just give him the phone? She gave the phone to Oscar straight away. And I said if you hurt my baby, I will have you wiped out."
Last month Pistorius reached an out-of-court settlement over an assault case in which he was accused of injuring a female guest at a party in his house. In 2009 he crashed his speedboat into a pier, breaking his jaw and several ribs and damaging an eye socket. When he came out of a three-day coma, he had 180 stitches in his face.
The prosecution is likely to state that Pistorius and Steenkamp argued on the night that he fired four rounds from a 9mm pistol through a locked toilet door, hitting her in the head, arm and hip. They will call on the testimony of neighbours who claim to have heard shouts and screams coming from the house.
Mobile phone records could also offer evidence of a fight. Steenkamp is said to have had her phone with her in the toilet when she was shot‚ unusual in the early hours of the morning. Police have been trying to get access to Pistorius's iPhone, which might contain evidence of a fight in the form of text messages. South Africa's Times newspaper recently reported that Pistorius was looking at pornography on the night of Steenkamp's death.
Less than two years ago Pistorius graced the semi-final of the 400m at the London Olympics, earning a bouquet of international sponsorship deals. If the state succeeds in convincing judge Thokozile Masipa of intent to kill, the athlete will receive a life sentence with a minimum of 25 years in South Africa's notoriously unforgiving prisons.
Re: Oscar Pistorius - The Trial Begins
Last night heard on the news the cops were trying to get his password to his iphone (as if he'd forget that :rolleyes:) first thing that came to mind was ''Spring bok'. Bet thats it. ;D
Re: Oscar Pistorius - The Trial Begins
Seems really cut and dry, is there any chance he didn't kill her? Hope he gets the maximum sentence assuming not.
Re: Oscar Pistorius - The Trial Begins
OJ wasn't guilty. If the glove doesn't fit...
It's not about whether or not he's guilty, it's about whether or not his team can sell the story they've concocted
Re: Oscar Pistorius - The Trial Begins
Sadly that's it, isn't his story that he thought she was an intruder to:rolleyes:? What a joke.
Re: Oscar Pistorius - The Trial Begins
Re: Oscar Pistorius - The Trial Begins
Quote:
Originally Posted by
imp
Guy makes me sick.
Guilty as oj.
Gun nut.
Sounds like jealousy played a part,but that's circumstantial, hopefully he hasnt a leg to stand on.
Re: Oscar Pistorius - The Trial Begins
If (like he claims) he just went to sleep with his girlfriend but was woken by the sound of an intruder then surely the first thing you would do would be to make sure your girlfriend stays in the bed safe while you search the house with a gun?
I can't wait to his his logic on that fact.
"Oh i thought she was still in the bed disguised as a duvet"
"Yeah i've thought she was a crumpled up duvet before at a glance"
I think he'll get the lesser manslaughter charge though which ranges from a suspended sentence to 15 years.
There's new evidence now anyway.... they found a blood stained cricket bat at the scene
And a pair of stumps;D
Re: Oscar Pistorius - The Trial Begins
The dude killed her
Yeah I always get up in the middle of the night, if I hear a noise get my gun and just start randomly shooting, even though I know my girlfriend is out the room,
Re: Oscar Pistorius - The Trial Begins
Quote:
Originally Posted by
smashup
If (like he claims) he just went to sleep with his girlfriend but was woken by the sound of an intruder then surely the first thing you would do would be to make sure your girlfriend stays in the bed safe while you search the house with a gun?
I can't wait to his his logic on that fact.
"Oh i thought she was still in the bed disguised as a duvet"
"Yeah i've thought she was a crumpled up duvet before at a glance"
I think he'll get the lesser manslaughter charge though which ranges from a suspended sentence to 15 years.
There's new evidence now anyway.... they found a blood stained cricket bat at the scene
And a pair of stumps;D
Haha, yeah man I don't see how he could possibly skate on this one. You wake up and think there's an intruder? Ok, fair enough. That doesn't give you cause to discharge your weapon through a closed door.
This guy is clearly a psychopath who needs to be behind bars. He murdered that girl, no two ways about it. There's only two scenarios:
1) He murdered her on purpose, and the "intruder" story was just a cover-up, in which case he is a bonafide murderer.
2) He's telling the truth and he really did discharge a weapon without investingating or having a clear line of sight at the target, or any cause whatsoever to use deadly force... in which case he is a bonafide murderer.
Throw this idiot in jail.
Re: Oscar Pistorius - The Trial Begins
I'd hate to be in his shoes.
Re: Oscar Pistorius - The Trial Begins
I believe he is innocent.
