Pistorius on defensive over alarm

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 11 April 2014 | 18.19

11 April 2014 Last updated at 11:15

Prosecutors have pressed South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius to clarify his claim that his home alarm was switched off the night he shot his girlfriend.

Mr Pistorius initially said his alarm "must have been switched off", but in court was more certain, saying: "I turned the alarm off."

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel accused him of lying, but the Olympic athlete blamed tiredness for the discrepancies.

Mr Pistorius, 27, admits killing Reeva Steenkamp but says it was an accident.

The sprinter has insisted in court in Pretoria that he shot Ms Steenkamp on 14 February last year after mistaking her for an intruder.

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During the first set of questions on Friday, Mr Nel repeatedly pressed Mr Pistorius as to why his testimony in court did not match his earlier statement, asking him: "Are you too tired to continue?"

"I don't need time. I'm tired. That's not going to change," Mr Pistorius replied.

Mr Nel then said: "I think you're trying to cover up for lies. I'm not convinced by your answers."

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  • One of South Africa's most prominent lawyers
  • More than 30 years' experience
  • Prosecuted former police boss Jackie Selebi on corruption charges, calling him an "arrogant liar" during cross-examination

The judge intervened and asked Mr Pistorius to clarify that he was not too tired to carry on.

The prosecutor moved on to a discussion of events in the athlete's past, before returning to Mr Pistorius' account of the night Ms Steenkamp was killed.

'Fixated' on intruder

Mr Nel repeated a line of attack he had used on Thursday, testing Mr Pistorius' version of events, and accusing him of lying.

Mr Pistorius told the court he had heard a window opening and closing, and had immediately got out of bed and grabbed his gun.

"I told Reeva to get down and phone the police," he said.

Mr Nel asked if he had not looked at Ms Steenkamp, or asked if she had heard the noise.

"On the morning of the 14th I was sure of what I heard," he said.

"My whole being was fixated on this person that I thought was in the bathroom."

Mr Nel went on to show the court photographs from the bedroom that he said contradicted Mr Pistorius' account of where various items were.

In a similar line of questioning on Thursday, Mr Nel had raised items including electric cooling fans and a duvet. On Friday, the prosecutor focused on a pair of jeans that were on top of a duvet.

The prosecution says Mr Pistorius shot his girlfriend after they had an argument in the bedroom.

Clockwise from top left - South Africa State Prosecutor Gerrie Nel, Oscar Pistorius, and Reeva Steenkamp's mother June

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Oscar Pistorius trial day 19 - in 60 seconds

The double amputee faces life imprisonment if convicted of murdering the 29-year-old model.

If he is acquitted of murder, the court must consider an alternative charge of culpable homicide, for which he could receive up to 15 years in prison.

Mr Pistorius also faces charges of illegally firing a gun in public and of illegally possessing ammunition, both of which he denies.

There are no juries at trials in South Africa, and his fate will ultimately be decided by the judge, assisted by two assessors.

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    Mr Pistorius said in his statement at the start of the trial that he woke in the early hours and walked on his stumps to the balcony, pulled in two fans, closed the sliding door and drew curtains. He said that shortly before he had spoken to Reeva, who was in bed beside him.

    He said he rejected prosecution claims that a witness heard arguing coming from the house before the shooting.

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    Mr Pistorius said he heard the bathroom window sliding open and believed that an intruder, or intruders, had entered the bathroom through a window which was not fitted with burglar bars.

    "Unbeknown to me, Reeva must have gone to the toilet in the bathroom at the time I brought in the fans," he said.

    Mr Pistorius said he approached the bathroom armed with his firearm, to defend himself and his girlfriend, believing Ms Steenkamp was still in bed.

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    Both sides agree four bullets were fired. Ms Steenkamp was hit three times.

    Mr Pistorius said he fired his weapon after hearing a noise in the toilet which he thought was the intruder coming out of the toilet to attack him and Ms Steenkamp.

    He said he was in a fearful state, knowing he was on his stumps and unable to run away or properly defend himself.

    Mr Pistorius said he rejected claims that he was on his prostheses when he shot at the door.

    A witness told the trial she woke to hear a woman screaming and a man shouting for help. She said that after the screams she heard four shots.

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    Mr Pistorius said he went back to the bedroom after shooting at the toilet door, still shouting for Reeva. Lifting himself up onto the bed, he felt over to the right hand side of it and noticed Ms Steenkamp was not there.

    Mr Pistorius said this was when he realised she could have been in the toilet.

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    Mr Pistorius said he went back to the bathroom but the toilet was locked, so he returned to the bedroom, pulled on his prosthetic legs, turned on the lights before bashing in the toilet door with a cricket bat.

    Forensics expert Johannes Vermeulen told the court that the height of the marks on the door caused by the cricket bat suggest Mr Pistorius was on his stumps at the time.

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    Mr Pistorius's defence team say he then called security at the gated housing complex and a private paramedic service before carrying Ms Steenkamp downstairs.

    A security guard claimed it was the other way round, and he had called Mr Pistorius first after reports of gunfire. However, phone records shown to the court revealed Mr Pistorius called the estate manager at 3:19am, a minute later he called the ambulance service and at 3:21am he called estate security.

    A minute later he received an incoming call - estate security calling him back.

    According to police phone expert Francois Moller, Mr Pistorius called his friend Justin Divaris a short time later and just after 4:00am he called his brother Carl.


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