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Original poster

Oscar Pistorius trial part 3

999 replies

JillJ72 · 12/04/2014 19:08

Hiya,

Thread 1 here - www.mumsnet.com/Talk/in_the_news/2022610-Oscar-Pistorius-trial

Thread 2 here - www.mumsnet.com/Talk/in_the_news/2049921-Oscar-Pistorius-trial-part-2

To continue our respectful, open, interesting discussion.

OP posts:
Roussette · 13/04/2014 09:48
  • shooting at the lock to me would be 'don't you dare walk away from me and lock yourself in' so him 'unlocking' the door by firing at it
  • the texts - yes agree but we just don't know do we. 'My' experience was different - everything I gently tried to bring up with him, he brickwalled and it incensed him that I had dare challenge him but that is what happened to me and not Reeva/OP.
  • is this him screaming or her? (sorry, I've got lost on who screamed when so not sure)
  • didn't know about two phones.

Can anyone tell me if Nell has now finished and on Monday it's the defence?

SabrinaMulhollandJjones · 13/04/2014 09:50

I don't think he shot at the lock - iirc the first shot was shot A and that was in the centre of the door.

ExcuseTypos · 13/04/2014 09:58

No Nell hasn't finished.he got the court adjourned until Monday, but I'm now sure why.

NightCircus · 13/04/2014 09:59

I have wondered if maybe he had assaulted her in bed and then worried she wouldn't keep quiet/tarnish his reputation so shot her in a rage.
The burglar story was a cover up and if believed he would retain 'hero' status in the eyes of some.

Not necessarily rape but something disrespectful that she wouldn't put up with.

Madcatgirl · 13/04/2014 10:05

The adjournment is a tactic of nels according to reports I've read, keeps the witness hanging and gives them time to think. I suspect we've seen nothing yet.

AnyaKnowIt · 13/04/2014 10:08

Yy sauce.

I don't understand people who think he is innocent. She shot and killed her.

onedev · 13/04/2014 10:10

Totally agree with you Sauce - he shot & killed her, the only question is whether he knew it was her (which given his testimony so far, I firmly believe he did). His guilt at murdering another person is not in doubt, just whether he knew it was Reeva - but he meant to kill whoever was on the other side of that door.

Original poster
JillJ72 · 13/04/2014 10:18

Who is saying he is innocent? He isn't, it's the circs that are to be clarified. Is his story true or is the surmising about an argument true? I hope Nel gets to the bottom of this this week.

OP posts:
Roussette · 13/04/2014 10:18

Reeva's family are opening a DV unit in her memory in SA, I wonder if they know deep down. Apparently she has always been happy for her previous boyfriends and it's always been amicable endings. This relationship must have been totally out of her comfort zone.

Bonnielangbird · 13/04/2014 10:20

I don't think he is 'innocent', I think he is telling the truth that he didn't think Reeva was behind the door and I am open to being wrong given that the trial still has some way to go, as I think others should be.

Original poster
JillJ72 · 13/04/2014 10:21

It doesn't sound like it was on an even keel or happy. Even though I have ? The background to that, the text message exchanges indicated there were ? To be honest I wondered why they were together if it was like that. But that's easy to question when it's not happening to you.

OP posts:
Roussette · 13/04/2014 10:22

Yes indeed Jill but it had only been 3 months and if this hadn't happened, maybe it was on it's way to finishing anyway. Perhaps he sensed that.

Bonnielangbird · 13/04/2014 10:25

To clarify the shooting around the lock discussion from earlier - the bullets were from the middle of the door and towards the lock, so not around it. Didn't look like an attempt to break the lock assuming an accurate aim.

Original poster
JillJ72 · 13/04/2014 10:26

I don't disagree! Like everyone else I want to use the wet fish and tell him to bloomin' well ensure he's telling the truth from the bottom of his heart, without thought for himself or what people will think of him (because they already are thinking very dubious thoughts), because he owes that to Reeva's family, and to his own.

OP posts:
Roussette · 13/04/2014 10:35

Yes and whatever the motive (if there was one), he needs to be punished. He was trigger happy, he shot out with no thought for human life whether that be Reeva's or a burglar. I think he totally lost it in a moment of madness and he needs to regret that for the rest of his life. Whether he intended to kill Reeva or just frighten her, I don't know OR whether he really did think she was in bed, I don't know that either, but he has committed a terrible crime and there is no getting away from that.

JackyDanny · 13/04/2014 10:48

All my sympathies are for Reeva and her family.

If it looks like a duck....

Classic case of DV.

Animation · 13/04/2014 10:54

Classic case of DV.

Yes Jacky it does to me too - and whether he meant to scare her or kill her I don't know. He must have been fuming though. How dare she walk away from him and lock herself in the toilet.

PD6966 · 13/04/2014 10:55

PD6996 I don't think either of those decisions need necessarily be conscious in the sense of 'thought through'and I don't think it necessarily makes him guilty.
lougle Firstly, I am still open to all evidence presented, but it is clear that OP made several conscious decisions, that had a purpose and that involved a thought process, with or without RS in the scenario: he retrieved his loaded firearm from under the bed, prepared it by removing the safety and finally, pressed the trigger not once (ONCE, then I could imagine this could be an 'accident') but four times... As an aside, he doesn't even possess the humility to accept that he was responsible for firing the bullet in the restaurant, which makes him look at best like a stubborn fool.

SabrinaMulhollandJjones · 13/04/2014 11:03

Roadkillbunny - I think your post is spot on.

PD6966 · 13/04/2014 11:09

RoadKillBunny You mentioned the alarm in your post, what are the thoughts on when/how this was de-activated? Clean fingerprints on the control pad or bloody ones?

RonaldMcDonald · 13/04/2014 11:17

I am completely confused by the bed.

He slept on the side beside the balcony as his shoulder was sore.
She slept on the side near the bathroom.
His gun was under her side of the bed ( bathroom)
The spare mag and rounds were in the bedside drawer on the side of the balcony. ( usually the two will be together if the spares aren't in a cabinet)

The iPad she was using, when he fell asleep, ended up on his side ( fair enough, she could have used and then plugged in to charge)

But. It is a bed. Not a tennis court.

He was picking up her jeans when he heard a noise. He went to her side of the bed and grabbed the gun from underneath ( whilst unstable on his stumps )
He must have used his hands to steady himself
Is it not reasonable to suggest that if he came to her side to get the gun it would have been clear she wasn't there.
Very clear.

The bedroom isn't actually very large.

RonaldMcDonald · 13/04/2014 11:19

Also the deactivating the alarm thing....why did he care if the alarm went of at that point?
The worst had happened

Was his alarm on a key fob ( many are )?

I guess he did what he normally did?

Smitten1981 · 13/04/2014 11:22

I saw a short film about Reeva on YouTube and it pointed out that she was quite heavily involved in supporting DV charities and spoke about them on a number of occasions. I think, like a few of you have said, that she would have put him in his place if she thought he was behaving out of order towards her (as she did via the What's App messages) and he was possibly more used to having more amiable girlfriends where he felt in control so was unsure how to handle Reeva and something happened that night where he lost his temper in a situation that he will regret for the rest of his life.

AmIthatSpringy · 13/04/2014 11:35

I was puzzled by the interview that Reeva's sister gave.

She had said that Reeva's previous relationships had been amicable splits and she had never encountered DV

Yet Reeva was due to give a talk to a school the day after she was killed about her escaping from an abusive relationship and how she survived and went on to better things.

Allthreerolledintoone · 13/04/2014 11:36

If he is unstable on his stumps how did he manage to bring in the larger fan??? Surely he would of struggled :-/

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