For those of you who have grown bored or have lost interest in the Oscar Pistorius trial, let me put it to you……. Where have you been in the last three weeks where this Trial has not come up in conversation?
I don’t think any Hollywood writer could script this very tragic story. We have a man who, in the face of serious adversity, rose to fame. Oscar overcame his severe disabilities and the early loss of his mother to become the golden boy of South African Sports.
We have a beautiful, young lady with a wide smile and an innocence about her who happened to fall for South Africa’s Oscar Pistorius. We then have a tragic Valentine’s Day, a loss of a life and the loss of a hero to many around the World.
This Trial has captured the country and the World and I do not think there is one person who can genuinely say that they have no interest in Oscar’s testimony. The Trial started off with Mr. Barry Roux (Oscar’s Attorney) becoming famous for his pit bull style attack of the State’s witnesses. Roux was trending daily on Twitter and Meme’s were dedicated to him on the internet.
Many jumped to the conclusion that Roux would get Oscar off the various, damning charges against him, that perhaps he really did take the life of Reeva by accident, and more so with Oscar’s, well Oscar winning performances in Court. The sobbing, the retching, the vomiting, he definitely gained sympathy from the world.
But on Monday we entered the defense case. Roux spent many hours painting a picture of a saint. A man who rescues puppies, assists people in distress, loves everyone and is an all round amazing man. Again, the sympathy votes kept climbing in Oscar’s favour, many of my own friends changing their opinions.
Enter Mr. Gerrie Nel, the State’s very own Chuck Norris, who with the opening lines of his cross-examination of Oscar made the world sit up in shock and realize that Roux is nothing but one of Oscar’s rescue puppy dogs. Nel went straight for the kill (excuse the choice of words) by comparing Oscar shooting at a watermelon at a testing ground to Oscar’s shooting of Reeva’s head. Insensitive perhaps but with a gasp from the Court when the picture of Reeva’s head appeared on the screen I think suddenly everyone realized that Nel means business.
I have heard people comment that they feel sorry for Oscar; that he is a broken man and he is devastated by what he has done. I don’t doubt that, but I do doubt the nobility of his devastation. I first lost respect for Oscar aka the Blade Runner at the Para-Olympics in London when he lost a race and accused fellow athlete, Alan Oliveira of having superior blades. He threw a tantrum which embarrassed me, and many others, as a South African. That was the first glimpse of the spoilt brat side to Oscar that is now becoming a pertinent part of the State’s case.
By the end of day 2 of Nel’s cross-examination we had a completely different picture of Oscar than that of his own Attorney, Roux. A manipulative, selfish, bad tempered, arrogant man who believes that the world owes him. A man who, as we have seen from the messages exchanged between him and Reeva, portrays such jealousy and control. It is all about Oscar, as Nel himself has said in Court.
I am not here to play Judge and Jury and many of my comments on social media have been either directly quoted from the Trial or I have expressed that it is my personal opinion. I work in Law, my boss is an ex Senior Public Prosecutor, and so much of what I say is not based on emotion but on legal fact and the fact is what Oscar is currently doing to himself on that stand is not boding well for the future of his case.
In saying that I do believe Oscar is guilty. I believe that Oscar and Reeva had a fight, he lost his temper and Reeva ran into the bathroom in a state of fear for her life. A part of me believes that the famous cricket bat was used BEFORE the gun in his attempt to scare her out of the locked bathroom, but that is just me thinking of all the possibilities. Because the bottom line is, in all the speculation and even in whatever comes out at the Trial, there are only two people who will ever know the truth and one of those people are no longer here to tell their side.
And this is what you all need to remember as the Trial enters day 22 on Monday, Nel is Reeva’s voice, Nel is speaking for a woman who lost her life at a very young age and in very very tragic circumstances. Nel is fighting for justice for a lady whose family and friends have been left behind with no answers, so when Oscar starts crying on the stand, remember that if you were facing a jail sentence and you were faced with the cold, stark reality of your actions finally catching up with you, you would be crying too.
Do you agree or disagree with me? Leave a comment and let me know. Feedback is appreciated and welcome here. If you’ve enjoyed reading this piece on Oscar Pistorius, feel free to share this article with your friends on Facebook and Twitter. Remember: Sharing is Caring.
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11 Comments
Well written. I do agree with you. Throughout, his deeds were never punished. he crashed a boat, he fired a gun through a sunroof, he fired a gun in a restaurant. he always got off. No repercussions for his deeds. He killed her and thought that he will get off… Let’s see if he will be using his disability as an excuse to get better treatment in jail. After all did he not fight to compete with able bodied athletes and to be treated as an able bodied person?
Thanks Jaco, it is the whole spoilt brat persona that really irks me. Like you say he has gotten away with this behaviour his whole life and now he has to face the consequences of something much much bigger.
I think that even if the Judge believes Oscar’s version of events he did overstep the bounds of self-defence.
I am also of the opinion that the bat came before the shots.What i find very interesting is two things he has said excactley the same as Griekwastad teen convicted of murder…i am fighting for my life & why can’t you understand during their testominy.
I keep coming back to the locked bathroom door. In the first flush of new love or lust..you don’t lock the bathroom door – the fact that the bathroom door was locked tells the whole sorry story – a terrified woman hiding in what she believed was a safe space, and a brat of a person not having power over takes a gun in his rage and fires, this is his only power. A sad narcissistic man who now needs to do the time…
I agree. She sought sanctuary from his jealous rage in the the toilet, locking the door. He shot her in cold blood before she could use her mobile phone. His fake sorrow/retching is pathetic. He looked drained during the prosecution cross examination because it’s very hard to maintain a lie. When yet another inconsistency was pointed out, he fell back on I don’t know, I was confused rubbish. And why didn’t he or her press the panic buttons beside their bed? The defense relies on painting him the hero nice guy. But even with his advantage of being only one of the two people there who is still alive, his simpering excuses fail to hide his guilt.
I totally agree and here’s my 2 cents: (This is my own opinion and the views are my own) Some of the questions I’d love for Oscar to answer/explain…but we already know his answer/s: I don’t know why! I can’t remember! I’m not sure! Ask my council! I didn’t have time to think! The police did it!
1. Why was it so important for Barry Roux to constantly make note that OP slept on a different side of the bed? What’s so important about that?
2. You never saw yourself as disabled, fought to compete in the Olympic Games for the able-bodied, yet your defense team tries to portray you being vulnerable on your stumps…and shy of your stumps?
3. You wake up at night…afraid…smelling blood…having terrible nightmares and sooo scared that you hide in your closet and call your younger sister to come sit by you and calm you…yet…that tragic night…you weren’t afraid to get out of bed…on your stumps and move towards the “danger” that lurked in the bathroom? Why didn’t you go and hide in the closet that night? Why didn’t you press the panic button…set off your alarm…call security? Why didn’t you stay in the room, focus on the passage? Why didn’t you go out the door downstairs and take Reeva with you? Why didn’t you go onto the balcony?
4. You claim in your evidence in chief that the boating accident which almost killed you had a great impact on your life and that it made you more aware of your mortality, yet you love driving fast cars at high speeds?
5. Why would anyone lock themselves in the toilet at 3am in the morning…or take their cellphone to the loo with them?
6. Please explain the blood-curdling screams of a female heard by so many witnesses…oh and by the way…I don’t buy it for a second that you sound like a woman when screaming/crying…
7. Would it be acceptable to say that you, as a man…on stumps would feel as vulnerable as me – a woman…on legs? I believe that our feelings of vulnerability would be equal…
I have so many more questions for MR OP after yesterdays cross-examination, but I don’t have enough time to focus on those now. The following though are most important to me…
8.So…let me put your version to you…You think you hear an intruder in the bathroom…you feel vulnerable yet you move in the direction of the danger…and shoot through a closed door without knowing who’s behind it…4 times…without checking (making sure where she is) on your loved-one first…??? Oh ok…I get it…your excuse…you were afraid, felt vulnerable and wanted to protect Reeva…OR perhaps you didn’t have enough time to think…you forgot…or you don’t know?
9.You see Mr Pistorius…I have a problem with this…and let me explain using myself as an example…
-Have I been a victim of crime in the past? Yes – many times.
-Have any of my friends or family been victims of violent crimes in the past? Yes – a friend of mine was shot and killed by 5 intruders in his home 2 years ago. (The case has still not been solved and no suspects arrested – by the way)
-Have I recently been a victim of crime? Yes – I actually had intruders come into my house after breaking a window and entering in the early morning hours a few weeks ago…I still can’t sleep at night after the incident…
What was my first reaction? I froze…
What were my first thoughts???…Where’s my son?!?!…Is he safe?!?!..Panic button!!! Alarm!!! Police!!! Security!!! Gun!!!(Actually Security’s position should be swapped with Police as the Security company is more likely to answer the phone and respond)
Was I scared? Hell Yes!
Did I feel vulnerable? Hell Yes – especially because I’m a woman…
Did I shoot and kill them? NO…
Could I have shot and killed them if I wanted to? YES!!!
– I’m very sorry Mr. Pistorius…I do believe in “Innocent until proven Guilty”, but having experienced crime and the same or similar fear and vulnerability as you did that fateful night…I just can’t help questioning your actions taken and decisions made…
Well done. Excellent summary of the situation, but as you so rightly put it, Nel is Reeva’s advocate. OP has put on quite a show but his performance should not cloud anyone’s ability to evaluate the facts. For instance, pulling the trigger of a gun 4 times is NOT and “accident”. Pistorius should find another word to describe that particular action because the word does not describe the behavior. I don’t know anyone who would open fire with a gun on a bathroom in the early morning hours without first ensuring the people who are known to be in the house are accounted for. I came home today to what I thought was an empty house. Heard voices. I called out to see if anyone in my family was home – they were not. Just the TV. But I called out to my family first – and waited for a response. I didn’t go blasting through the house with a gun. But then again I’m not some arrogant, gun-crazed, insecure and jealous, idiot.
Thanks so much for the feedback and comments everyone. Today is day 22, let’s see what Mr. Nel brings to Oscar today.
Was there gun shot residue on the cricket bat. If not it means he use Ethernet bat first and then the gun.
That is a very good question Dereck, wondered that myself but I am not sure if it has come out at the Trial yet.