Pistorius continues to be cross-examined
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E-mail Xinhua, April 11, 2014
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Pistorius arrives at the Pretorias High Court. |
The cross examination of murder-accused Paralympian Oscar Pistorius entered its second day on Thursday at the Pretorias High Court.
Pistorius is on trial for shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp through a locked toilet door at his house on February 14, 2014. Pistorius argues that she shot her by mistake after mistaking her for an intruder, but prosecutors insist that he premeditatedly murdered her following an argument.
State Prosecutor Gerrie Nel spent the better part of the day trying to show the court that Pistorius did not feel sorry for killing Steenkamp because he did not love her as much as she did.
"The words 'I'm sorry I killed your daughter' were never in your apology (to Steenkamp's parents)," Nel challenged Pistorius.
Pistorius then responded: "I'm terribly sorry that I took the life of their daughter."
Nel went on to ask Pistorius why he did not meet the Steenkamp family privately to offer them an apology for what he did instead of doing that in court.
"I don't think they would ever want to meet me. I completely understand where they are coming from," Pistorius replied.
The prosecutor then went through the Whatsapp messages written by Steenkamp to Pistorius complaining about his commitment to their relationship.
Nel read a whatsapp message written by Steenkamp to Pistorius where she said, "I am scared of you sometimes and how you snap at me and how u will react to me." He asked the accused if he sometimes screamed at his late girlfriend.
"No, I never shouted and screamed at her," Pistorius replied.
Nel also portrayed Pistorius as a trigger happy fellow by putting it to him that he pulled the trigger when his gun went off at a restaurant damaging the floor tiles.
"I can't remember having my finger on the trigger," Pistorius told the court. He also denied the other charges of contravening the fire arms control act including that he fired a gun through a sun roof while travelling with friends in a car and that he was found in possession of ammunition without a licence.
The number of shots that Pistorius fired on the night he killed his girlfriend also came under scrutiny. "I fired four shots at the door," Pistorius said. However Nel probed him further, "Did you fire deliberately."
Pistorius denied this, saying: "I didn't mean to pull the trigger so in that sense it was an accident."
Nel rounded up his arguments, pointing out that positions of things in Pistorius's house are in contrast with his version of events. Nel said Pistorius' version was not true.
However, Pistorius argued that either the police or investigators are the ones who shifted the position of certain things in his house including the fan.
Cross examination is expected to continue on Friday.
Pistorius, known as Blade Runner, was born with deformed feet and without fibula bones in his legs. After both legs were amputated below the knee when he was 11 months old, he overcame many obstacles to win a clutch of medals at the Paralympics.
In the 2012 London Olympics Pistorius became the first double- leg amputee to participate in Olympics alongside able-bodied athletes when he competed in the men's 400 metres and 4X400 metres relay races.
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