Oscar pistorius

[spiderbabymum]

Heard the news this am

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

There are no degrees of murder. There is an alternate charge of culpable homicide, if the killing was accidental but negligent.

God, poor Reeva , she seemed like a lovely, lovely woman. They seemed like the perfectly matched couple. So lovely together.

This is awful all round.

I am a twitter follower and am totally stunned

nothing more I can say

He has arrived in court.

I have no long how a first hearing is likely to take, but there might be further information about the charges shortly.

The media deliberately obfuscated about this when they chose to go with the "mistook her for a burglar" angle.

The most likely explanation in terms of statistics, is that he is a violent abuser and this is a clear cut case of domestic violence. But the media choose not to speculate on that, preferring to speculate instead on something that whitewashes the prevalence of DV.

I'm really that there seems to be more sympathy for him, than her!

That's not a normal reaction when a man shoots his girlfriend in the head, is it??

Why is that?

Sheer misogyny.

She doesn't matter. He does.

I read that he had previously ( a while ago) been accused of assaulting a 19-year old woman, but it didn't go to court. So to me, it just feels like the usual story of women not being believed, and public not wanting to hear bad things about their heroes... but my guess is that he is quick to violence. Either it is DV, or, it is an accident, but one which would not have happened if he had not been essentially violent - shoot-first-think-later. Poor poor Reeva Steenkamp (and also I am cross that news reports (eg on TV) say "his girlfriend" rather than name her, even now she does not get recognition. Isn't it something like 100 women who will be killed by their partners this year, in the UK? It makes me sick, people excusing his behaviour in any way.

So sad for all involved

I agree. All this nonsense about him crying in court. I don't care.

I also gt very annoyed when that family was sht by the road in France. The father was named constantly, but the mother in law, mother and daughter were just referred to as his 'and his family'.

It sucks.

But she's dead, she's not suffering. Her family are, fair enough.

If he killed her by accident then he's going thru a complete nightmare. I'm sympathetic about that small possibility.

I wish that it were possible to think of something good coming out of this.

All are sympathies ought to be with the victim not the person responsible for taking her life. If she had shot him she would be treated much more harshly. Double standards all around.

I agree. I've been shocked at how much sympathy there is for him. A young woman has been brutally killed and all some people can say is how terrible he must be feeling. It's just horrible. Think what her last moments must have been like. Some people have a very skewed moral perspective.

He'll get all the love and attention he needs in a SA prison.

Well to most people, particularly to those outside SA, they know him but not her. So "kills girlfriend" is a much more succinct, to the point headline. Not nice, but there you go.

His response to that Brazilian dude beating him at the Paralympics last summer was almost like a mask slipping. Very unsporting and surprising to many. Seems strange though that a man who seems so control in certain areas of his life can just lose it suddenly, leading to such a tragic and pointless act.

I don't think we'll ever know what actually happened, although it's not looking too good for him at the moment.

Abuse is about control though

I am really at a bit of a loss to understand peoples suprise. Being a successful sports person doesnt make a man any less likely to be abusive. I can see that people are feeling disappointed that this inspirational figure isnt what they thought he was...but is that because it interferes with how people like to think of 'abusive men'. Is it safer to think they are all 'losers'/not like us/identifiable?

has anyone read on Yahoo about this case? The baseball bat?

It becomes more peculiar. i always knew I didn't trust him.

I see the op has done a runner.

Folk in UK are always saying that if an intruder breaks into their house they should have the right to use extreme force. That would include, for instance, chasing an already severely injured intruder thru the house (indeed out of the house and down the street) with another weapon to make sure they were punished for their transgression. And they should have the right to use it again on that already injured intruder.

Yes, I'm following this case .. and the baseball bat!

He's going for bail today - why should he get that when he shot her??

And it's Reeva's funeral today - poor love.

"Folk in UK are always saying that if an intruder breaks into their house they should have the right to use extreme force."

The prosecution are saying that Ms Steenkamp had locked herself into a small bathroom. I'm trying to keep an open mind but the 'intruder' story is looking more flimsy by the minute.

apparently it is of some surprise that he put on his Legs and walked 7 metres to the bathroom,
well how else would he Walk to the bathroom ?

about this whole case