Pretoria, April 15 – The prosecutor in the Oscar Pistorius murder trial on Monday accused the track star of using emotional breakdowns under cross-examination to evade answering questions about the night he killed his girlfriend.
The Olympic and Paralympic sprinter, who faces life in prison if convicted of murdering Reeva Steenkamp, says he shot the 29-year-old model in a tragic accident, firing at what he thought was an intruder hiding behind a locked toilet door.
The athlete has broken down numerous times during the 22-day trial, including retching into a bucket. He burst into tears again on Monday morning when recounting the moment he screamed at what he thought was a burglar, prompting the judge to call a 30-minute adjournment.
“Get the fuck out of my house! Get the fuck out of my house!” a trembling Pistorius said when asked to state precisely what he screamed at the perceived intruder.
He then burst into tears as family members in the public gallery rushed to comfort him. Towards the end of the day, he again began to cry when answering questions about the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
State prosecutor Gerrie Nel, whose reputation as one of South Africa’s toughest attorneys has earned him the nickname ‘The Pitbull’, said the athlete was just putting on an act to avoid having to answer his questions.
Nel questioned why Pistorius would get upset when being asked about whether he did or did not open doors leading from his bedroom to a balcony to shout for help minutes after the shooting.
“I cannot see how that can cause you to be emotional because you cannot remember how to open a door. We’re not talking about Reeva,” Nel said, referring to previous breakdowns, which have usually been when he describes the shooting. “You’re not using your emotional state as an escape are you?” Nel said, raising his eyebrows and shaking his head.
Earlier on Friday, Gerrie Nel, one of South Africa’s top attorneys, said it was beyond belief that Reeva Steenkamp would have remained silent in the cubicle with an armed Pistorius shouting and screaming in the adjoining bathroom.
The prosecution alleges the 29-year-old model took refuge in the toilet during an angry row with the athlete, and he then shot her through the door. Pistorius, who says he fired at what he thought was an intruder, has testified that Steenkamp did not cry out during the incident in the early hours of Feb. 14, 2013.
However, under withering cross-examination from Nel – known in South Africa as “The Pitbull” – the 27-year-old track star was forced to concede he could not have heard whether she screamed or not because his ears were ringing from the sound of gunfire.
People living nearby have testified to hearing a woman’s terrified screams before and during a volley of shots. “She’s awake. She’s in the toilet. You’re shouting. You’re screaming. You’re three metres from her. She would have responded. She would not have been quiet, Mr Pistorius,” Nel said.
“She didn’t respond, my Lady,” an apparently distressed Pistorius replied, addressing judge Thokozile Masipa. “Did she scream at all whilst you shot her 
four times?” Nel continued.
“No, my Lady.”
“Are you sure? Are you sure, Mr Pistorius, that Reeva did not scream after the first shot?” Nel continued. “Are you, Mr Pistorius?”
After a brief silence, Pistorius said: “My Lady, I wish she had let me know she was there.”
“After you fired the first shot, did she scream?” Nel asked.
“No, my Lady.”
“Are you sure? Would you have heard her?”
“I don’t think I would have heard her.”
“Exactly,” Nel said.
“A gunshot went off. My ears were ringing,” Pistorius said.
“How can you exclude the fact she was screaming if you couldn’t hear?” Nel asked.
Pistorius then conceded: “My Lady, the sound of that gunshot in the bathroom, you wouldn’t have heard anyone scream. The decibels of the gunshot, I don’t believe you would have heard anyone scream. When I had finished firing the gunshots, I was screaming and I couldn’t hear my own voice.”
ARGUMENT:
Nels followed up with his central accusation – that the couple had an argument and Steenkamp fled to the toilet pursued by Pistorius, who shot her through the locked door.
Steenkamp was hit by three of the four 9 mm hollow-point rounds Pistorius fired. A police ballistics expert has testified that the first round hit her hip and the final one her head, killing her almost instantly.
“You knew that Reeva went behind the door and you shot at her,” Nel said.
“You shot at her knowing she was behind the door.”
Pistorius, who faces life in prison if convicted of murder, denied it, his voice wavering with emotion, before the court adjourned until Monday.
The murder trial has captivated South Africa and millions of athletics fans around the world who viewed Pistorius, known as the ‘Blade Runner’ because of the carbon-fibre prosthetics he uses on the track, as a symbol of triumph over adversity.
His disabled lower legs were amputated as a baby but he went on to achieve global fame, winning Paralympic gold medals and reaching the semi-finals of the 400 metres in the 2012 London Olympics against able-bodied athletes.
-INDIA TODAY
