IN an attempt at damage control, Oscar Pistorius’s defence team went on the offensive yesterday, portraying the Blade Runner as a broken man desperate to save his dying girlfriend.
“He was crying. Over and over again he was crying. He was saying ‘Oom Johan, please, please come to my house, I shot Reeva. I thought she was an intruder’,” Johan Stander told the court.
Stander is the former security manager of the Silver Woods Estate in Pretoria, where Pistorius shot dead his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day last year.
Pistorius, who has testified to being the victim of multiple crimes, claims he killed Steenkamp after mistaking her for an intruder. The State believes he murdered her after a heated argument.
The damage control follows weeks of Pistorius and his two previous witnesses being grilled by prosecutor Gerrie Nel during their testimony.
Yesterday Stander and his daughter, Carice Viljoen, testified as defence witnesses as the trial entered day 26.
Stander, led by Pistorius’s lawyer, Kenny Oldwadge, said that Pistorius was a “broken young man” when he found him on the morning of the shooting.
“He was crying, screaming. He was praying to God ... pleading with us to help him save his Reeva,” said Stander.
He said that when Pistorius saw them as he came down the stairs of his home, he looked relieved.
“He was in so much pain. We tried to calm him down ... he was torn apart.
“It is difficult to describe his commitment to save a young lady’s life ... how he begged to God to keep her alive.”
Stander, responding to Oldwadge asking about “crime incidents” in the estate, said there had been several.
“In one, a woman was tied up. There was another robbery and, in a separate, later incident, a domestic worker was tied up in the garage.
“Whenever Oscar got back from his business trips, I kept him informed ... to make sure that he knew what was happening in the estate ... . We were friends.”
Nel, questioning Stander on the “crime incidents”, which had taken place in 2009, asked why additional security measures were only done in 2011.
“Surely they should have happened earlier ... a lot earlier? Were the police called to any of these?” asked Nel.
Stander said he could not recall.
“Your daughter that night went to sleep with her balcony door open?” asked Nel.
Stander told him he was correct.
Nel questioned Stander on whether he was 100% sure of what Pistorius had told him when he telephoned him for help.
“Yes, he said ‘Oom Johan, please, please come to my house, I shot Reeva. I thought she was an intruder. Please help’.”
Nel asked Stander when Pistorius told him he had made a mistake, “because it is not in your statement.
“You have told the court you didn’t have any discussions with Pistorius about the incident afterwards, but yet you say Pistorius said the shooting was a mistake. When exactly did he say this? Why say this ... spontaneously?”
Stander said it was a mistake on his part.
“In my mind it is my understanding that is what he was saying.”
Nel asked Stander whether it was a mistake that Pistorius shot Steenkamp or whether he wanted to shoot an intruder.
Stander said Pistorius had not wanted to shoot anyone.
“But, how do you know? ... You have not spoken to him about the incident remember,” said Nel.
Viljoen testified that she was fearful when she was woken by her dogs in her bedroom and on hearing a man scream for help.
“I didn’t know how to help.”
Viljoen said that when she and her father arrived at Pistorius’s home, they found him coming down the stairs.
“He was begging me for help ... to get Reeva to hospital ... there was blood everywhere. Oscar and I tried to tie black bags and tapes around her arm, but it didn’t work. We tied towels. We tried everything we could do to save her.”
Nel asked her whether Pistorius had been clear-minded when she had spoken to him.
“You say he was listening to you ... following your instructions ... was he clear-minded?”
Viljoen said that he was, but frantic.
“He wanted to save Reeva and he was praying for us to do something to help her.”
Oscar ‘broken’ as he tried to save Reeva
“He was crying. Over and over again he was crying. He was saying ‘Oom Johan, please, please come to my house, I shot Reeva. I thought she was an intruder’,” Johan Stander told the court.
Stander is the former security manager of the Silver Woods Estate in Pretoria, where Pistorius shot dead his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day last year.
Pistorius, who has testified to being the victim of multiple crimes, claims he killed Steenkamp after mistaking her for an intruder. The State believes he murdered her after a heated argument.
The damage control follows weeks of Pistorius and his two previous witnesses being grilled by prosecutor Gerrie Nel during their testimony.
Yesterday Stander and his daughter, Carice Viljoen, testified as defence witnesses as the trial entered day 26.
Stander, led by Pistorius’s lawyer, Kenny Oldwadge, said that Pistorius was a “broken young man” when he found him on the morning of the shooting.
“He was crying, screaming. He was praying to God ... pleading with us to help him save his Reeva,” said Stander.
He said that when Pistorius saw them as he came down the stairs of his home, he looked relieved.
“He was in so much pain. We tried to calm him down ... he was torn apart.
“It is difficult to describe his commitment to save a young lady’s life ... how he begged to God to keep her alive.”
Stander, responding to Oldwadge asking about “crime incidents” in the estate, said there had been several.
“In one, a woman was tied up. There was another robbery and, in a separate, later incident, a domestic worker was tied up in the garage.
“Whenever Oscar got back from his business trips, I kept him informed ... to make sure that he knew what was happening in the estate ... . We were friends.”
Nel, questioning Stander on the “crime incidents”, which had taken place in 2009, asked why additional security measures were only done in 2011.
“Surely they should have happened earlier ... a lot earlier? Were the police called to any of these?” asked Nel.
Stander said he could not recall.
“Your daughter that night went to sleep with her balcony door open?” asked Nel.
Stander told him he was correct.
Nel questioned Stander on whether he was 100% sure of what Pistorius had told him when he telephoned him for help.
“Yes, he said ‘Oom Johan, please, please come to my house, I shot Reeva. I thought she was an intruder. Please help’.”
Nel asked Stander when Pistorius told him he had made a mistake, “because it is not in your statement.
“You have told the court you didn’t have any discussions with Pistorius about the incident afterwards, but yet you say Pistorius said the shooting was a mistake. When exactly did he say this? Why say this ... spontaneously?”
Stander said it was a mistake on his part.
“In my mind it is my understanding that is what he was saying.”
Nel asked Stander whether it was a mistake that Pistorius shot Steenkamp or whether he wanted to shoot an intruder.
Stander said Pistorius had not wanted to shoot anyone.
“But, how do you know? ... You have not spoken to him about the incident remember,” said Nel.
Viljoen testified that she was fearful when she was woken by her dogs in her bedroom and on hearing a man scream for help.
“I didn’t know how to help.”
Viljoen said that when she and her father arrived at Pistorius’s home, they found him coming down the stairs.
“He was begging me for help ... to get Reeva to hospital ... there was blood everywhere. Oscar and I tried to tie black bags and tapes around her arm, but it didn’t work. We tied towels. We tried everything we could do to save her.”
Nel asked her whether Pistorius had been clear-minded when she had spoken to him.
“You say he was listening to you ... following your instructions ... was he clear-minded?”
Viljoen said that he was, but frantic.
“He wanted to save Reeva and he was praying for us to do something to help her.”
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