Lawyer Reads Oscar Affidavit in Court


By Ntokozo Sindane    19-Feb-2013 18:02 UTC+02:00
Reeva Steenkamp and Oscar Pistorius pictured attending a sport awards event. It is rumoured that they had met for the first time earlier that night. – image – www.mirror.uk

Reeva Steenkamp and Oscar Pistorius pictured attending a sport awards event. It is rumoured that they had met for the first time earlier that night. – image – www.mirror.uk

After days of speculation and rumours, Oscar Pistorius gave his account of the events of the morning of Valentine’s Day at his expensive and secure home in Pretoria. Oscar’s lawyer laid out the facts according to Oscar in an affidavit that was read out in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. Oscar Pistorius faces a schedule six offence of premeditated murder which has severe consequences for the athlete if he is found guilty.

In the affidavit as shared by News24, the double-amputee athlete who rose to fame when he competed in the Olympics denied the charges against him. The affidavit reads: “Nothing can be further from the truth that I planned the murder of my girlfriend.” Oscar insists that he and Reeva had a happy relationship.

Oscar goes on to explain that he watched television while Reeva did yoga on the evening before the shooting. They went to bed and he was awoken by a noise that came from the nearby bathroom. It was only after firing the deadly shots that he realised that he may have made a horrible mistake. Reeva was not in the bed they shared together when he went to check on her after the shooting.

Concerns have been raised that the intense and international media focus on the case has led to the public making conclusions about Oscar’s guilt or innocence. Despite this, Oscar states in the affidavit that he believes that the forensic evidence will prove his version of events. He is certain that the state will not benefit by keeping him in custody and he should be granted bail.

The media, the public, the sport fraternity and in particular, the Steenkamp family, eagerly await the continuation of the bail hearing on Wednesday. The family was not able to be a part of the court session on Tuesday as Reeva was being cremated in the Eastern Cape just as Oscar’s affidavit was being read to the court.

 


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