After days of intense worldwide media speculation as to how Reeva Steenkamp died and possible motives for her murder, Oscar Pistorius has given his extensive account of events during an application for bail. In an affidavit read by his lawyer, Pistorius asserted that he was not guilty of murder, having acted in self-defence against a suspected intruder.
I fail to understand how I could be charged with murder, let alone
premeditated murder, as I had no intention to kill my girlfriend, Reeva
Steenkamp (“Reeva”).
I have been informed that I am accused of having committed the offence
of murder. I deny the aforesaid allegation in the strongest terms.
Pistorius’ assertion of innocence comes in the wake of reports that steroids were found at his home which doesn’t bode well for the track star given his reputed explosive temper. There has also been reports of alleged tension surrounding Steenkamp’s relationship with Springbok scrum-half Francois Hougaard, with a series of text messages between the pair speculated as a possible motive for the shooting.
Despite the prosecution emphatically ruling out self-defence, Pistorius’ account of events is a relatively simple it could happen to anyone plea of innocence. With no mention of the alleged domestic disturbances prior to the shooting, Pistorius tells of a tragic accident that has torn a loving couple apart.
On the 13th of February 2013 Reeva would have gone out with her friends
and I with my friends. Reeva then called me and asked that we rather
spend the evening at home. I agreed and we were content to have a quiet
dinner together at home. By about 22h00 on 13 February 2013 we were in
our bedroom. She was doing her yoga exercises and I was in bed watching
television.
After Reeva finished her yoga exercises she got into bed and we both fell asleep.
I am acutely aware of violent crime being committed by intruders
entering homes with a view to commit crime, including violent crime. I
have received death threats before. I have also been a victim of
violence and of burglaries before. For that reason I kept my firearm, a 9
mm Parabellum, underneath my bed when I went to bed at night.
During the early morning hours of 14 February 2013, I woke up, went
onto the balcony to bring the fan in and closed the sliding doors, the
blinds and the curtains. I heard a noise in the bathroom and realised
that someone was in the bathroom.
I felt a sense of terror rushing over me. There are no burglar bars
across the bathroom window and I knew that contractors who worked at my
house had left the ladders outside.
I believed that someone had entered my house. I was too scared to switch a light on.
I noticed that the bathroom window was open. I realised that the
intruder/s was/were in the toilet because the toilet door was closed and
I did not see anyone in the bathroom. I heard movement inside the
toilet.
It filled me with horror and fear of an intruder or intruders being
inside the toilet. I thought he or they must have entered through the
unprotected window.
I fired shots at the toilet door and shouted to Reeva to phone the
police. She did not respond and I moved backwards out of the bathroom,
keeping my eyes on the bathroom entrance. Everything was pitch dark in
the bedroom and I was still too scared to switch on a light. Reeva was
not responding.
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 put on my prosthetic legs, ran back to the bathroom and tried to
kick the toilet door open.
I went back into the bedroom and grabbed my cricket bat to
bash open the toilet door. A panel or panels broke off and I found the
key on the floor and unlocked and opened the door. Reeva was slumped
over but alive.
I carried her downstairs in order to take her to the hospital. Downstairs, I tried to render the assistance to Reeva that I
could, but she died in my arms
I am absolutely mortified by the events and the devastating loss of my
beloved Reeva. With the benefit of hindsight I believe that Reeva went
to the toilet when I went out on the balcony to bring the fan in. I
cannot bear to think of the suffering I have caused her and her family,
knowing how much she was loved. I also know that the events of that
tragic night were as I have described them and that in due course I have
no doubt the police and expert investigators will bear this out.
There are several events in Pistorius’ statement that don’t make sense or at least beg deeper questioning. For a start, why did he not warn Steenkamp of the possible danger when returning to the bed to retrieve his gun? And why did he need to shoot four times? Pistorius’ cavalier shoot first, ask questions later attitude cost a life and surely qualifies for some kind of criminal negligence at the very least. Guilty or not, it’s another tragic incident that proves guns are fucked.
For the entire statement, click here.
