Oscar pistorius

[spiderbabymum]

Heard the news this am

I'm just Devastated for him and his family and partners family

I wonder if she locked herself in the bathroom to get away from him.......

His defence doesn't make any sense to me and sounds like the best his defence team could come up with in the circumstances.

Yup. Although actually I think it's going to backfire on them: he admits to shooting into a tiny room through the door, knowing someone was in there. Four times. While in no imminent danger himself. That looks like an admission of intent to kill, ie murder. Who he thought was in there becomes less relevant then.

Dizzyhoneybee I think he can walk on his stumps without prosthetic legs.

In the statement it does say:

I cannot bear to think of the suffering I have caused her and her family, knowing how much she was loved.

They would avoid the word "sorry" as it carries connotations of guilt. I agree that "mortified" is an odd word to choose. I wonder how many people were involved in putting this statement together.

nicholas i think a statement is a factual account. I dont think its the place for apologies? Again, IMO the relevance depends on if he wrote it himself. Would someone scribbing just leave out sentiments, so as not to confuse the document?

One thing that strikes me (and I see it has others), is that he doesn't sound even slightly remorseful.

The tone is more - how dare this happen to me?

There's an important statement in that affidavit. He says that with the benefit of hindsight, he believes Reeva went to the bathroom when he was on the balcony.

The implication being that she was in bed when he got up and he didn't see her go to the bathroom as he was faffing around with the fan, doors whatever. So he didn't check the bed again on hearing the noises because as far as he was concerned, she was still in it.

There's certainly plenty of doubt at this stage but there's a lot more evidence to come yet.

Cantbelieveitsnotbutter Tue 19-Feb-13 17:38:53

Thank god I live in the uk where its not trial by media.

Do the names Colin Stagg, Christopher Jeffreys or Kate & Gerry McCann not ring any bells?

In that case BigAudio, why does his statement include:-

I cannot bear to think of the suffering I have caused her and her family, knowing how much she was loved.

You cant make any assumptions based on the language. It's a legal document addressing the issue of bail. It's not his memoirs. There's no place for emotional apologies, it's got nothing to do with bail. If he said 'I'm so sorry' you think they would grant him bail? Course not.
Besides it was written by lawyers and they always tend towards wanky formal language.

hells International sports star is more appropriate than 'athlete'. He is putting forward his case for bail. It shows that it would be very difficult for him to evade a trial if he is granted bail as he is instantly recognisable to so many people. Even if he somehow managed to flee abroad somebody somewhere would recognise him and he would be deported back to SA.

Spot on NicholasTeakozy A family member of mine was crucified in the British press over allegations that were made against him. He was cleared in court but the crap that the press wrote has had a profound effect on him as so many people are too willing to believe what they read in the papers. So even though he was innocent it still follows him around.

I was responding to BAD's suggestion that it may have been the answer to 'what is your job'? Find it odd that he's citing his massive wealth as a reason he wouldn't skip bail - money presumably makes it easier to fuck off to a country without an extradition treaty, not harder. And having property in SA isn't exactly going to help him when he's sitting in a cell.

Maryz you speak such sense. I echo everything you have said.

Something else. I've just read she was sitting on the toilet (presumably the forensics show this). If you're running away screaming from a violent man with a gun, why would you sit on the toilet? You'd be standing on it trying to get out of the window.

For that matter, why run to the toilet at all, when you have two other exits (bedroom door and balcony)?

I don't care if "he thought she was still in bed", he should have made damn sure it wasn't her in the loo before firing a gun into it. It was a pretty obvious possibility. Guns kill people.

None of us know what happened - it is just to be hoped that the truth will be established through the proper channels.

Just to add re. fear in SA. We stayed in a flash hotel in J'burg with serious on-site security. In the middle of the night DH and I heard shots, and what we thought was movement in the grounds outside our room. The DC (15/16) were in another room across the corridor, and I was too scared to go across to their room. I really love my kids!

When we returned to the hotel later in the holiday we told the Receptionist what had happened (we had phoned reception on the night), and within minutes a rambo like head of security was at our door, explaining that they have a team on permanent standby in the hotel etc. etc. There is obviously real danger - we're just not used to living like that in the UK.

SA is a fantastic country and we had an amazing holiday despite this interlude.

Hazelnut I doubt that the media are privy :) to the forensics - we don't know if she was standing or sitting.

Where coulld she get to from the balcony easily? And if she ran downstairs, would she be able to get out or were the doors locked (actually doesn't he say somewhere that the bedroom door was locked?). No, the toilet would be the instinctive refuge.

Find it odd that he's citing his massive wealth as a reason he wouldn't skip bail - money presumably makes it easier to fuck off to a country without an extradition treaty, not harder. And having property in SA isn't exactly going to help him when he's sitting in a cell.. I read that as all his money is in property, so he doesn't have massive wealth to fuck off with.

True onlymeee. And I do agree with you about he should have checked. Even if his story is true, he's still an irresponsible, gung-ho idiot.

Going to be an interesting trial and a tragedy whatever the outcome.

Agree - even allowing for the slim possibility that his statement isn't utter bollocks, he's clearly a trigger-happy menace by his own admission. RedPencils - yes I guess so. Although I imagine he probably has a fair bit of ready cash too.

onlymeee yes he did say the bedroom door was locked and he has limited mobile on his stumps so he was scared for his life.

*limited mobility