Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Oscar Pistorius murder case hearing begins


Back in court: Oscar Pistorius on second day of bail hearing

Non-stop' shouting heard from Pistorius' home before shooting

  • Court hears Reeva was shot on right side of head, in right hip and right elbow
  • Pistorius is a flight risk and shouldn't be granted bail, says detective
  • Unlicensed ammunition was found at the property
  • Police say testosterone, needles found in Pistorius' bedroom
  • Pistorius has said he had been a victim of crime and received death threats


  • 'Non-stop shouting' was heard coming from Blade Runner Oscar Pistorius' home before his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was shot dead, his bail hearing was told today.
    Prosecutor Gerrie Nel said the prosecution team has a witness who heard the shouting between 2am and 3am.
    Steenkamp, aged 29, was shot three times in her arm, hip and head.

    Two containers of testosterone and needles were also found in the bedroom of Pistorius.
    The details were revealed as the second day of the 26-year-old athlete's bail hearing began at Pretoria Magistrates' Court.

    In an affidavit, Paralympic star Pistorius has denied murdering the model Reeva Steenkamp, 29, at his home in the early hours of Thursday.
    He has said the couple were in love and he fired through his closed bathroom door, hitting the victim, thinking a burglar or burglars were inside.
    Steenkamp was hit three times and today the court heard the bullets hit her arm, hip and head.
    Pistorius has said he shot her with a 9mm pistol.

    Investigating officer Hilton Botha said he wanted the Olympian charged additionally with a weapons violation after unlicensed .38 calibre ammunition was found at the property on the exclusive Silver Lakes Golf Estate.
    Today's proceedings were delayed as more than 100 journalists squeezed into court to report the hearing.
    There were chaotic scenes as one reporter fainted, an overflow room was set up to provide more space and courtroom screens had technical problems.
    Mr Botha said he arrived at Pistorius' house at 4.15am when the victim was already dead.
    She was wearing white shorts, a black top and was covered in towels, the court was told.


    Mr Botha said he believed Pistorius, who won two gold medals and a silver at London's 2012 Paralympic Games, was a flight risk and he was opposing bail.
    He also told court Pistorius has offshore accounts and a property in Italy.
    The court heard that two mobile phones were seized at the property and neither had been used to call the police or paramedics.
    Pistorius has said he had been a victim of crime and received death threats, but today the court heard there were no records of this.
    Police told the presiding magistrate that testosterone and needles were found in Pistorius' bedroom.
    The athlete - who was sobbing this morning in court - made notes with a silver pen as the case progressed.
    It was claimed the track star was involved in another shooting at a restaurant in Johannesburg in January and asked the gun owner to take responsibility for the incident.

    Mr Botha also told the court of an incident at Kyalami racetrack where Pistorius allegedly threatened to 'f*** up' a man during a row over a girl.
    Pistorius, who underwent below-the-knee amputations when he was 11 months old, has said he was too frightened to turn the bedroom lights on.
    But today Mr Botha said the prosecution have a witness who says the lights were on after hearing gunshots.
    It was reported that a female's screams were heard then more gunshots.
    Lawyers and police studied plans of the bedroom and bathroom as the bail hearing proceeded.
    A projector was used to beam the plans up for the public and press to see.
    Mr Botha said there was "no way" he believed Pistorius' version of events.
    The runner has said he shot through the door while on his stumps but the court heard the bullets' trajectory was through the top of the door.
    Mr Botha said he believed the bullets were fired down, suggesting that Pistorius was wearing his prosthetic legs when the shots were discharged.

    Pistorius' attorney read out an emotional statement on Tuesday in which the athlete denied murder.
    In the statement, which Pistorius was too upset to read out himself, the athlete said the couple were 'deeply in love', adding: 'I am absolutely mortified by the events and the devastating loss of my beloved Reeva.'
    In his statement, the 26-year-old claimed he mistook Steenkamp for a burglar after hearing a noise in his bathroom. Believing Steenkamp to be still in bed, he grabbed his 9mm pistol and shouted a warning before firing shots at the toilet door.
    Pistorius added: 'When I reached the bed, I realised that Reeva was not in bed. That is when it dawned on me that it could have been Reeva who was in the toilet.
    'I returned to the bathroom calling her name. I tried to open the toilet door but it was locked. I rushed back to the bedroom and opened the sliding door exiting on to the balcony and screamed for help.'
    According to Pistorius he then smashed his way into the toilet using a cricket bat, finding her 'slumped over but alive'. He then phoned for an ambulance and carried her downstairs, but she died in his arms.
    Magistrate Desmond Nair ruled that the case was a schedule six offence - meaning premeditated murder - for the purpose of the bail hearing in Pretoria.

    Prosecutor Gerrie Nel told the court the victim arrived at the house between 5pm and 6pm on Wednesday, and went to the bathroom after an argument between the pair. He said that at 3am Pistorius got up from his bed, walked to the bathroom door and fired four shots through the closed door, hitting her three times.
    Nel said: 'She couldn't go anywhere. You can run nowhere.' He told the court Pistorius later told a friend he thought she was a burglar. Nel added: 'It was all part of the pre-planning. Why would a burglar lock himself inside the bathroom?'
    The bail hearing came as Steenkamp's funeral was held in her home town of Port Elizabeth. Steenkamp was cremated at a memorial service attended by family and friends who had travelled from around the world. Six pallbearers carried her coffin, draped with a white cloth and covered in white flowers.

    Earlier, French fashion house Thierry Mugler became the latest high-profile sponsor to distance itself from Pistorius.
    The company has announced the immediate and complete withdrawal of all products featuring Pistorius, including its 'A*men Pure Shot' fragrance featuring Pistorius, which was launched as a special edition to mark last year's London Paralympics.
    In addition, Thierry Mugler has removed all point-of-sale advertising featuring Pistorius, and deleted all references to the athlete from its website. Two other major sponsors, Oakley and Nike, also distanced themselves from the athlete this week. Oakley has suspended its contract with Pistorius while Nike said it has no plans to use him in future campaigns.
    follow link for pictures and more Pistorus accused of having testosterone and needles at his home as court hears of "non- stop shouting" before gunshot fired
    culled from dailymail.co.uk

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