Oscar Pistorius’ Legal Team Final Argument Filed


By Robert    04-Aug-2014 20:06 UTC+02:00
Photocred: Time

Photocred: Time

Oscar Pistorius’s legal defence team filed their final arguments defending the murder-accused Paralympian athlete at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Monday.

The state, who are prosecuting the athlete, filed their final argument on the 30th of July.

“We have filed our argument and are ready,” said lawyer, Brian Webber, a member of Oscar’s legal defence team. Pistorius’s legal team explained that they are ready and confident ahead of the final court appearance, scheduled for August 7 2014.

Oscar Pistorius is currently on trial for the alleged murder of his girlfriend at the time, Reeva Steenkamp. He shot and killed her in the early hours of the morning on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2013. Steenkamp was apparently on the other side of the bathroom door in their house in Pretoria when Pistorius fired multiple shots into it, killing her. Pistorius has testified that he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder and fired through the door due to the fear of imminent attack. The case is currently adjourned until August 7, when closing statements and a verdict will supposedly be heard.

The judge residing over the trial, Judge Thokozile Masipa ruled last month that arguments would strictly not be allowed to be published in the press prior to their appearances in court. Media who fail to comply with this ruling will face charges of theft and the matter will be pursued criminally.

Prosecutor for the state, Gerrie Nel, was in charge of making the original application for denying access to this information.

Pistorius is currently allegedly at risk of suicide as he is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, as diagnosed by a team of psychiatrists following his mandatory assessment to determine whether or not the athlete suffers from a general anxiety disorder. A disorder of such a nature could allegedly have caused paranoia in the athlete, according to his legal team, resulting in him shooting Steenkamp due to fever. This, however, was proven incorrect by the psychiatrists who evaluated Pistorius.


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