If I was facing life in a South African prison I'm fairly sure I'd be crying my eyes out too!
I used to live quite close to Pollsmoor prison in Cape Town, and i had a friend who was thrown into Pollsmoor for a weekend when he re-entered the country from abroad for supposedly not paying his child maintenance (they take ttaht very seriously)- this was subsequently revoked when it was established that 1 ) he had paid his maintenance and 2) His ex had wanted to 'punish' him.
He told me stories similar to the what is in the article below - and said that it was a 'hell' that you cannot imagine.It affected him so much that he decided to leave the country permanently and go live in Oz.
One of the odd things about Pollsmoor is that it is slap bang in the middle of one of the most affluient areas of Cape Town, with posh houses with swimming pools, a brand new shopping centre,championship golf course,Steenberg Wine Estate,Top private school (Reddam) and even the US Embassy - all literally right on its doorstep.
If I was facing life in a South African prison I'm fairly sure I'd be crying my eyes out too!
I used to live quite close to Pollsmoor prison in Cape Town, and i had a friend who was thrown into Pollsmoor for a weekend when he re-entered the country from abroad for supposedly not paying his child maintenance (they take ttaht very seriously)- this was subsequently revoked when it was established that 1 ) he had paid his maintenance and 2) His ex had wanted to 'punish' him.
He told me stories similar to the what is in the article below - and said that it was a 'hell' that you cannot imagine.It affected him so much that he decided to leave the country permanently and go live in Oz.
One of the odd things about Pollsmoor is that it is slap bang in the middle of one of the most affluient areas of Cape Town, with posh houses with swimming pools, a brand new shopping centre,championship golf course,Steenberg Wine Estate,Top private school (Reddam) and even the US Embassy - all literally right on its doorstep.
Following are the central extracts of the court affidavit of Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius, who is accused of murdering girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp last week. The affidavit was read out in Pretoria magistrates court by the head of Pistorius's defence team, Barry Roux.
- By about 2200 on February 13 we were in our bedroom. She was doing yoga exercises and I was in bed watching television. My prosthetic legs were off. We were deeply in love and I could not be happier. - I have received death threats before. I have also been a victim of violence and 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 someone was in the bathroom. - I felt a sense of terror rushing over me. There were no burglar bars across the bathroom window and I knew contractors who worked at my house had left the ladders outside. Although I did not have my prosthetics legs on, I have mobility on my stumps. - I believed someone had entered my house. I was too scared to switch a light on. I grabbed my 9 mm pistol from underneath my bed. - On my way to the bathroom I screamed words to the effect for him/them to get out of my house and for Reeva to phone the police. It was pitch dark in the bedroom and I thought Reeva was in bed. - 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. The toilet is inside the bathroom and has a separate door. - 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. - As I did not have my prosthetic legs on and felt extremely vulnerable, I knew I had to protect Reeva and myself. - I believed that when the intruder/s came out of the toilet, we would be in grave danger. I felt trapped as my bedroom door was locked and I have limited mobility on my stumps. - I fired shots at the toilet door and shouted to Reeva to call 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 the light. Reeva was not responding. - When I reached the bed, I realized that Reeva was not in the 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 rushed back into the bedroom and opened the sliding door exiting on to the balcony and screamed for help. - I put on my prosthetic legs, ran back to the bathroom and tried to kick the toilet door open. I think I must have then turned on the light. 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 battled to get her out of the toilet and pulled her into the bathroom. I phoned Johan Stander, who was involved in the administration of the estate and asked him to phone the ambulance. I phoned Netcare and asked for help. I went downstairs to open the front door. - I returned to the bathroom and picked Reeva up as I had been told not to wait for the paramedics, but to take her to the hospital. I carried her downstairs in order to take her to the hospital. On my way down, Stander arrived. A doctor who lives in the complex also arrived. 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 that 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 had described them and that in due course I have no doubt the police and the expert investigators will bear this out. - I fail to understand how I could be charged with murder, let alone premeditated murder because I had no intention to kill my girlfriend.
So after reading that, a couple of things don't make sense to me:
1. He hears a noise in the bathroom and automatically assumes it's an intruder. Surely the first thing you would do would be to check the person in the toilet was your girlfriend. He fires shots, shouts for the police to be called, and only after that does he check the bed and turn the light on.
2. Even if it was true and she had gone to the toilet, why would she lock the door?
3. His defence appears to be based on the premise that it would have been acceptable/excusable to shoot an intruder dead.
1 is the main flaw in his story. 2 & 3 are not big questions, many (most ?) lock the door when they go to the toilet and in many countries, SA included I'd imagine, it is plausible that one would use deadly force if their home is invaded.
It's not beyond reasonable doubt that one might do that is it ?
Perhaps not but i find it hard to believe that she could find her way to the toilet and he could go and get the fan in, close the sliding doors, blinds and curtains, find his gun, put his legs on and find his way to the bathroom in the supposed pitch black, yet it was too dark for him to even notice that she wasn't in the bed next to him.
Also for someone who was supposedly extremely paranoid about intruders, it seems a bit odd he'd go to sleep with the sliding doors open and leave a contractors ladder by an unguarded bathroom window.
You don't open fire simply because you hear a noise. If i fired a gun every time i heard a noise in my house i'd have no walls left.
It doesn't make sense and you don't need to be a rocket scientist to come to that conclusion. The issues are so overwhelming at 1 that considering 2 or 3 doesn't even come into play.
All of the above is of course on the premise of what we know now... there is a whole lot more to come.
Are we seriously supposed to believe that someone that is so courageous & brave in his professional life, is a terrified indivdual when it comes to his personal life ?
Also, I know it's immaterial, but he did show a less than pleasant side at The Paralympics, when he was beaten & started bleating about unfairness over the other guys' blades.
Very disrespectful & left a bad taste in the mouth.
Are we seriously supposed to believe that someone that is so courageous & brave in his professional life, is a terrified indivdual when it comes to his personal life ?
Also, I know it's immaterial, but he did show a less than pleasant side at The Paralympics, when he was beaten & started bleating about unfairness over the other guys' blades.Very disrespectful & left a bad taste in the mouth.
I remember that and was talking about it last night.
Comments
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woolwich,_New_South_Wales
I think it will be granted, as I can't see him skipping.
How many intruder's would break into a house and lock themselves in the bathroom!
The affidavit was read out in Pretoria magistrates court by the head of Pistorius's defence team, Barry Roux.
- By about 2200 on February 13 we were in our bedroom. She was doing yoga exercises and I was in bed watching television. My prosthetic legs were off. We were deeply in love and I could not be happier.
- I have received death threats before. I have also been a victim of violence and 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 someone was in the bathroom.
- I felt a sense of terror rushing over me. There were no burglar bars across the bathroom window and I knew contractors who worked at my house had left the ladders outside. Although I did not have my prosthetics legs on, I have mobility on my stumps.
- I believed someone had entered my house. I was too scared to switch a light on. I grabbed my 9 mm pistol from underneath my bed.
- On my way to the bathroom I screamed words to the effect for him/them to get out of my house and for Reeva to phone the police. It was pitch dark in the bedroom and I thought Reeva was in bed.
- 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. The toilet is inside the bathroom and has a separate door.
- 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.
- As I did not have my prosthetic legs on and felt extremely vulnerable, I knew I had to protect Reeva and myself.
- I believed that when the intruder/s came out of the toilet, we would be in grave danger. I felt trapped as my bedroom door was locked and I have limited mobility on my stumps.
- I fired shots at the toilet door and shouted to Reeva to call 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 the light. Reeva was not responding.
- When I reached the bed, I realized that Reeva was not in the 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 rushed back into the bedroom and opened the sliding door exiting on to the balcony and screamed for help.
- I put on my prosthetic legs, ran back to the bathroom and tried to kick the toilet door open. I think I must have then turned on the light. 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 battled to get her out of the toilet and pulled her into the bathroom. I phoned Johan Stander, who was involved in the administration of the estate and asked him to phone the ambulance. I phoned Netcare and asked for help. I went downstairs to open the front door.
- I returned to the bathroom and picked Reeva up as I had been told not to wait for the paramedics, but to take her to the hospital. I carried her downstairs in order to take her to the hospital. On my way down, Stander arrived. A doctor who lives in the complex also arrived. 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 that 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 had described them and that in due course I have no doubt the police and the expert investigators will bear this out.
- I fail to understand how I could be charged with murder, let alone premeditated murder because I had no intention to kill my girlfriend.
So after reading that, a couple of things don't make sense to me:
1. He hears a noise in the bathroom and automatically assumes it's an intruder. Surely the first thing you would do would be to check the person in the toilet was your girlfriend. He fires shots, shouts for the police to be called, and only after that does he check the bed and turn the light on.
2. Even if it was true and she had gone to the toilet, why would she lock the door?
3. His defence appears to be based on the premise that it would have been acceptable/excusable to shoot an intruder dead.
Perhaps not but i find it hard to believe that she could find her way to the toilet and he could go and get the fan in, close the sliding doors, blinds and curtains, find his gun, put his legs on and find his way to the bathroom in the supposed pitch black, yet it was too dark for him to even notice that she wasn't in the bed next to him.
Also for someone who was supposedly extremely paranoid about intruders, it seems a bit odd he'd go to sleep with the sliding doors open and leave a contractors ladder by an unguarded bathroom window.
You don't open fire simply because you hear a noise. If i fired a gun every time i heard a noise in my house i'd have no walls left.
All of the above is of course on the premise of what we know now... there is a whole lot more to come.
Also, I know it's immaterial, but he did show a less than pleasant side at The Paralympics, when he was beaten & started bleating about unfairness over the other guys' blades.
Very disrespectful & left a bad taste in the mouth.