Prosecutor Gerrie Nel gave murder accused Oscar Pistorius five minutes of respite from a grueling cross-examination when he asked for an early adjournment to day 22 of the Blade Runner's trial for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
In the High Court in Pretoria, Nel told Judge Thokozile Masipa that he intended focusing on what Pistorius found once he had broken down the toilet door through which he had shot and killed Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day last year.
Noting the emotional state of the Paralympian throughout Monday’s cross-examination, Nel said it would be fairer both to Pistorius, and himself, if he began this line of questioning when court resumes on Tuesday.
In the last session of the day Nel had continued to probe apparent inconsistencies and irrational responses in Pistorius's version of events on that fatal morning.
Nel told the court that it was too big a leap of logic to accept that, after firing shots at the toilet door, returning to the bedroom and realising that Steenkamp was not in the bed, Pistorius went from thinking he had shot an intruder to thinking he may have shot his model girlfriend.
Nel asked why Pistorius had not thought to check the bedroom door to see if Steenkamp had escaped to safety.
He also questioned why, if Pistorius had thought an intruder may have entered his bathroom using a ladder propped up against the wall outside, he did not check to see if the ladder was there before trying to break down the door.
Nel told the court it was highly improbable that, for the entire time after the shooting - while Pistorius was searching for Steenkamp, running onto the balcony and calling for help, and then putting his prosthetic legs on - he continued to carry his cocked gun in his right hand.
Pistorius said he understood how this could appear irrational but he had not had time to think and it had not been a rational night.
Nel put it to Pistorius that his version of events was untrue and that he had, in fact, dropped his gun on the bathroom floor immediately after - and knowingly - firing through the toilet door at Steenkamp.
The trial will resume tomorrow morning at 9.30am.
OSCAR TRIAL: Day 22
"I fired in the direction of where I thought the attack was coming from," Oscar Pistorius told the High Court in Pretoria during day 22 of his trial for the murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel argued that this was untrue, and that the Blade Runner, "fired at Reeva."
Once again overwhelmed by emotion, Pistorius disputed Nel’s allegation, and said that he "never fired at Reeva." A short adjournment was then called to allow Pistorius time to compose himself.
While the state is attempting to prove premeditated murder on Pistorius’s part, the athlete has disputed this saying that the killing of Steenkamp – who was in the toilet of Pistorius’s en-suite bathroom that fatal Valentine’s Day morning last year – was a tragic case of mistaken identity.
Pistorius has stated that he had mistaken Steenkamp for an intruder.
Determined to point out contradictions in Pistorius's testimony, Nel asked the Paralympian if had had any idea who was behind the door when he fired.
"It could have been a child in there, a burglar unarmed. But you gave them no chance. You just fired," said Nel. "That's correct, Mi’lady," replied Pistorius.
In reference to the testimony of Silver Woods Estate residents Dr Johan Stipp and his wife, Nel asked Pistorius about screams the couple had testified to hearing: "So the screams they heard were not a woman, that was you?"
Pistorius told the court that this was correct.
An increasingly distressed and sometimes confused Pistorius struggled to comprehend the difference between putative self-defense and what Nel referred to as "involuntary action".
Pistorius admitted that his finger had pulled the trigger of his gun but claimed he had not intended to fire.
Nel also asked Pistorius if he had initially fired through the door towards the toilet, and then, upon hearing Steenkamp fall against the magazine rack, had adjusted his aim accordingly.
Pistorius maintained he did not aim, but had merely pointed the gun towards the toilet door before firing in the belief that he was about to be attacked by an intruder from inside the toilet cubicle.
When Nel asked Pistorius if had just been "lucky" to have hit his target, and emotional Pistorius responded that it was not luck: "She lost her life," he said.
Oscar Trial: Day 22 summary
In the High Court in Pretoria, Nel told Judge Thokozile Masipa that he intended focusing on what Pistorius found once he had broken down the toilet door through which he had shot and killed Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day last year.
Noting the emotional state of the Paralympian throughout Monday’s cross-examination, Nel said it would be fairer both to Pistorius, and himself, if he began this line of questioning when court resumes on Tuesday.
In the last session of the day Nel had continued to probe apparent inconsistencies and irrational responses in Pistorius's version of events on that fatal morning.
Nel told the court that it was too big a leap of logic to accept that, after firing shots at the toilet door, returning to the bedroom and realising that Steenkamp was not in the bed, Pistorius went from thinking he had shot an intruder to thinking he may have shot his model girlfriend.
Nel asked why Pistorius had not thought to check the bedroom door to see if Steenkamp had escaped to safety.
He also questioned why, if Pistorius had thought an intruder may have entered his bathroom using a ladder propped up against the wall outside, he did not check to see if the ladder was there before trying to break down the door.
Nel told the court it was highly improbable that, for the entire time after the shooting - while Pistorius was searching for Steenkamp, running onto the balcony and calling for help, and then putting his prosthetic legs on - he continued to carry his cocked gun in his right hand.
Pistorius said he understood how this could appear irrational but he had not had time to think and it had not been a rational night.
Nel put it to Pistorius that his version of events was untrue and that he had, in fact, dropped his gun on the bathroom floor immediately after - and knowingly - firing through the toilet door at Steenkamp.
The trial will resume tomorrow morning at 9.30am.
OSCAR TRIAL: Day 22
"I fired in the direction of where I thought the attack was coming from," Oscar Pistorius told the High Court in Pretoria during day 22 of his trial for the murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel argued that this was untrue, and that the Blade Runner, "fired at Reeva."
Once again overwhelmed by emotion, Pistorius disputed Nel’s allegation, and said that he "never fired at Reeva." A short adjournment was then called to allow Pistorius time to compose himself.
While the state is attempting to prove premeditated murder on Pistorius’s part, the athlete has disputed this saying that the killing of Steenkamp – who was in the toilet of Pistorius’s en-suite bathroom that fatal Valentine’s Day morning last year – was a tragic case of mistaken identity.
Pistorius has stated that he had mistaken Steenkamp for an intruder.
Determined to point out contradictions in Pistorius's testimony, Nel asked the Paralympian if had had any idea who was behind the door when he fired.
"It could have been a child in there, a burglar unarmed. But you gave them no chance. You just fired," said Nel. "That's correct, Mi’lady," replied Pistorius.
In reference to the testimony of Silver Woods Estate residents Dr Johan Stipp and his wife, Nel asked Pistorius about screams the couple had testified to hearing: "So the screams they heard were not a woman, that was you?"
Pistorius told the court that this was correct.
An increasingly distressed and sometimes confused Pistorius struggled to comprehend the difference between putative self-defense and what Nel referred to as "involuntary action".
Pistorius admitted that his finger had pulled the trigger of his gun but claimed he had not intended to fire.
Nel also asked Pistorius if he had initially fired through the door towards the toilet, and then, upon hearing Steenkamp fall against the magazine rack, had adjusted his aim accordingly.
Pistorius maintained he did not aim, but had merely pointed the gun towards the toilet door before firing in the belief that he was about to be attacked by an intruder from inside the toilet cubicle.
When Nel asked Pistorius if had just been "lucky" to have hit his target, and emotional Pistorius responded that it was not luck: "She lost her life," he said.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos