https://www.scmp.com/rss/61124/feed The latest news on Oscar Pistorius, South African former professional sprinter and convicted murderer. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Reuters Reuters South African former Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius was spotted competing in a triathlon last weekend in the coastal city of Durban, 12 years after murdering his girlfriend and a year after his release on parole. Pistorius, 38, was freed from jail in January 2024 after completing more than half his sentence and is on parole until his sentence expires in 2029. Singabakho Nxumalo, spokesperson for South Africa’s Department of Correctional Services, said Pistorius had approval to attend the race,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3313233/oscar-pistorius-competes-triathlon-12-years-after-murdering-girlfriend?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3313233/oscar-pistorius-competes-triathlon-12-years-after-murdering-girlfriend?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Jun 2025 12:16:25 +0000 Ishani Sarkar Ishani Sarkar South African Paralympian Oscar Pistorius, who was convicted for shooting and killing his then girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in his Pretoria home 11 years ago, appears to have a new love in his life. The man known as the “Blade Runner” for the prosthetics he used to compete was initially charged for culpable homicide, but was later found guilty of murder and sentenced to jail. The convicted killer was released on parole on January 5 and South African newspaper Netwerk24 reports that he’s now dating... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3291297/who-oscar-pistorius-reported-new-love-rita-greyling-paralympian-out-parole-11-years-after-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3291297/who-oscar-pistorius-reported-new-love-rita-greyling-paralympian-out-parole-11-years-after-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Dec 2024 22:00:08 +0000 South African former Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius was released on parole on Friday, nearly 11 years after murdering his girlfriend in a crime that shocked a nation long inured to violence against women. Pistorius – dubbed “Blade Runner” for his carbon-fibre prosthetic legs – shot 29-year-old model Reeva Steenkamp dead through a locked bathroom door on Valentine’s Day in 2013. He has repeatedly said he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder when he fired four shots into the bathroom at his Pretoria... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3247393/south-africas-oscar-pistorius-released-parole-11-years-after-murdering-girlfriend-reeva-steenkamp?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3247393/south-africas-oscar-pistorius-released-parole-11-years-after-murdering-girlfriend-reeva-steenkamp?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jan 2024 07:25:37 +0000 Former South Africa Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius, jailed in 2016 for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, has been denied parole, South Africa’s prison authorities and a lawyer for the victim’s family said on Friday. Once the darling of the Paralympic movement for pushing for greater recognition and acceptance of disabled athletes, South African Pistorius shot dead Steenkamp, a model and law student, in his bathroom on Valentine’s Day in 2013. The athlete, known as “Blade Runner” for his... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3215620/paralympic-blade-runner-oscar-pistorius-seeks-parole-decade-after-killing-girlfriend?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3215620/paralympic-blade-runner-oscar-pistorius-seeks-parole-decade-after-killing-girlfriend?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Mar 2023 13:37:26 +0000 South African former track star Oscar Pistorius has met the father of Reeva Steenkamp, the woman he shot to death in 2013, as part of his parole process, the Steenkamp’s family lawyer said on Friday. Lawyer Tania Koen told Associated Press in a text message that Pistorius and Barry Steenkamp met face-to-face on June 22 as part of what’s known in South Africa as a victim-offender dialogue. It gives victims of crimes or their relatives a chance to meet the offenders, if they choose to, before the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3183877/jailed-paralympics-star-oscar-pistorius-meets-murdered?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3183877/jailed-paralympics-star-oscar-pistorius-meets-murdered?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Jul 2022 19:16:07 +0000 Trevor Noah has become a staple in the TV diet of millions of people across the globe. His ability to cleverly articulate political opinions that resonate with his viewers has seen him shoot, in a few short years, from stand-up shows in South Africa to hosting the 2021 Grammys. But his journey to stardom definitely had some bumps in the road. Besides struggling as a mixed-race child growing up in South Africa’s apartheid and taking some dodgy jobs before his TV career, he ruffled a few feathers... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3119566/5-times-daily-shows-trevor-noah-caused-controversy-south?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3119566/5-times-daily-shows-trevor-noah-caused-controversy-south?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Jan 2021 04:16:14 +0000 South Africa’s highest court has rejected Oscar Pistorius’s request to appeal against his 13-year jail term for killing his girlfriend in 2013, ending the long legal battle. The former Paralympic athlete, 31, had asked the Constitutional Court to review the sentence, which was increased to 13 years in November. But the court ruling released on Monday said that “the application for leave to appeal is dismissed” as it was not a constitutional matter. The ruling was dated March 28. Pistorius shot... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/2140974/top-south-africa-court-ends-final-appeal-former-paralympic-athlete?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/2140974/top-south-africa-court-ends-final-appeal-former-paralympic-athlete?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Apr 2018 16:30:45 +0000 Oscar Pistorius’ prison sentence was increased to 13 years and five months by South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal on Friday, more than doubling the Olympic runner’s jail term for the murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Justice Willie Seriti said the Supreme Court upheld an appeal by prosecutors against Pistorius’ original six-year sentence for shooting Steenkamp several times in his home in 2013. Steenkamp’s parents were “emotional” as they watched the court proceedings on television at... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/2121475/oscar-pistorius-jail-sentence-murder-more-doubled-13-years-five?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/2121475/oscar-pistorius-jail-sentence-murder-more-doubled-13-years-five?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Nov 2017 11:41:38 +0000 South Africa put the release of Paralympian Oscar Pistorius on hold, saying a decision to free him on Friday after serving only 10 months in prison for killing his girlfriend had been premature. Justice Minister Michael Masutha said in a surprise statement on Wednesday that the June decision to allow Pistorius to serve out the remainder of his five-year sentence under house arrest had “no legal basis” and was suspended pending a parole board review. The 28-year-old athlete, known as “Blade... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/1851002/south-africa-suspends-release-blade-runner-oscar-pistorius?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/1851002/south-africa-suspends-release-blade-runner-oscar-pistorius?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Aug 2015 16:50:26 +0000 South African prosecutors on Monday filed an appeal calling for Paralympian star Oscar Pistorius to be convicted of murder for killing his girlfriend – just days before he is due to be released from prison. Pistorius has spent less than a year behind bars since being convicted in a sensational trial on the lesser charge of culpable homicide, and is expected to leave jail on Friday for a form of house arrest. I think the chances are pretty good that the appeals court will rule in favour of the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1850377/prosecutors-file-appeal-seeking-murder-conviction-blade-runner?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1850377/prosecutors-file-appeal-seeking-murder-conviction-blade-runner?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Aug 2015 16:30:00 +0000 South African prosecutors on Wednesday won their bid to appeal the culpable homicide verdict handed down to Olympic and Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp and will now seek a murder conviction. Pistorius, whose lower legs were amputated as a baby, killed Steenkamp on February 14 last year by firing four 9mm rounds into the locked door of a toilet cubicle in what he said was the mistaken belief an intruder was hiding behind it. During the seven-month... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1659367/south-africa-prosecutors-win-bid-appeal-pistorius-conviction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1659367/south-africa-prosecutors-win-bid-appeal-pistorius-conviction?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Dec 2014 09:11:41 +0000 Reeva Steenkamp's mother does not believe Oscar Pistorius accidentally killed her daughter and feels "let down" by South Africa's justice system, according to a memoir published yesterday. In Reeva, a Mother's Story June Steenkamp says she believes Pistorius shot her 29-year-old daughter dead after a fight and that the couple's relationship had been coming to an end. "Oscar's story I don't believe," she wrote in the book, released weeks after the athlete was found not guilty of murder and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1636982/reeva-steenkamps-death-no-accident-writes-grieving-mother-book?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1636982/reeva-steenkamps-death-no-accident-writes-grieving-mother-book?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2014 21:00:00 +0000 South African prosecutors are to appeal Oscar Pistorius' acquittal on murder charges and his five-year jail sentence for the conviction of manslaughter of his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. The National Prosecuting Authority will tomorrow file its application to appeal, spokeswoman Bulelwa Makeke said. Prosecutor Gerrie Nel had sought a conviction for premeditated murder in the seven-month trial at the High Court in Pretoria, the capital. "We'll be appealing the verdict and the sentence,"... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1626320/south-african-prosecutors-appeal-oscar-pistorius-verdict-and-sentencing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1626320/south-african-prosecutors-appeal-oscar-pistorius-verdict-and-sentencing?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Oct 2014 21:21:09 +0000 The sentence handed down to fallen South African athlete Oscar Pistorius for the shooting death of his girlfriend was always going to be controversial. Elements of race, sexual inequality, crimes against women and concern for the rule of law ensured that whatever the judge said would be seen by some as either too light, to others, not enough. For the victims' family, the five-year prison term was justice done. But the case involved more than crime, a famous man, suspense and emotion: it was also... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1622385/judge-does-south-africa-proud-pistorius-trial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1622385/judge-does-south-africa-proud-pistorius-trial?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Oct 2014 21:30:45 +0000 It was the kind of test few judges ever have to face: the South African High Court's Thokozile Masipa, former "tea girl" and crime reporter, faced the job of redeeming her widely criticised acquittal of Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius in the full glare of the global media, amid one of the most divisive trials the country has seen. She called it "a delicate balance". She warned that society couldn't expect to have its way on the sentencing, with Pistorius' circumstances having to be taken into... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1622255/judge-who-sentenced-pistorius-five-years-prison-trailblazer-herself?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1622255/judge-who-sentenced-pistorius-five-years-prison-trailblazer-herself?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Oct 2014 12:30:45 +0000 Oscar Pistorius's fall from grace as an international star athlete was complete yesterday as he was driven through the gates of a drab Pretoria prison to begin serving a five-year jail sentence. Pistorius will be just one of nearly 7,000 inmates behind the towering walls of the Kgosi Mampuru prison, where he was taken just hours after being sentenced for killing his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year. Formerly known as Pretoria Central Prison, the facility was... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1621570/after-life-luxury-pistorius-will-be-one-7000-inmates-pretoria-prison?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1621570/after-life-luxury-pistorius-will-be-one-7000-inmates-pretoria-prison?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Oct 2014 21:19:51 +0000 Olympic and Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius started a five-year jail term yesterday for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, following a trial that has gripped South Africans and millions around the world. As Judge Thokozile Masipa gave her decision on the 27-year-old's sentence for culpable homicide, Pistorius, whose downfall has been likened to that of American football star O.J. Simpson, stood resolutely in the dock. His only reaction was to wipe his eyes before two police officers led... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1621316/oscar-pistorius-faces-sentencing-killing-girlfriend-reeva-steenkamp?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1621316/oscar-pistorius-faces-sentencing-killing-girlfriend-reeva-steenkamp?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Oct 2014 08:30:45 +0000 Oscar Pistorius was not a “cold-blooded killer” and should serve a community-based sentence, his defence argued on Friday in a last-ditch attempt to keep the star sprinter out of jail. Pistorius wept in the dock as his lawyer Barry Roux said he had already suffered enough for killing his model girlfriend, describing the Paralympian gold medallist’s devastating fall from disabled icon and sporting stardom to a loathed criminal. “He’s lost everything, he was an icon in the eyes of South Africa,”... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1618581/pistorius-not-cold-blooded-killer-argues-defence-closing-statements?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1618581/pistorius-not-cold-blooded-killer-argues-defence-closing-statements?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Oct 2014 09:54:46 +0000 Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius needs to go to jail for the killing of his 29-year-old girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine’s Day last year, a cousin of the slain model told a South African court on Thursday. “I feel we need to send a message to society that you can’t get away with this,” a tear-choked Kim Martins said in her second day of testimony at Pistorius’ sentencing hearing. Judge Thokokzile Maispa cut short the previous day’s proceedings after Martins broke down... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1617744/pistorius-cant-get-away-steenkamps-cousin-tells-court?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1617744/pistorius-cant-get-away-steenkamps-cousin-tells-court?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Oct 2014 11:09:37 +0000 Lawyers for Reeva Steenkamp’s family on Wednesday expressed shock that Oscar Pistorius’ defence team revealed details of secret “blood money” payments during a heated courtroom arguments over his sentencing. In a statement on behalf of the slain model’s parents, lawyers said they had “honoured” a request from the athlete not to reveal payments of US$540 made each month after Pistorius killed her on Valentine’s Day last year. “We were therefore quite surprised yesterday when this fact was... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1617059/pistorius-blood-money-row-deepens-steenkamp-family-drops-civil-claim?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1617059/pistorius-blood-money-row-deepens-steenkamp-family-drops-civil-claim?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Oct 2014 11:00:06 +0000 Oscar Pistorius offered $US34,000 to the family of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp after he killed her, but the family rejected the funds because they did not want "blood money," it emerged yesterday. The revelation was made at the sentencing hearing for the South African double-amputee athlete, while prosecutors also referred to separate monthly payments of $US550 that the Pistorius camp apparently made to Steenkamp's family, but said those would be paid back in full. It came as prosecutors fiercely... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1616483/oscar-pistorius-offered-cash-victim-reeva-steenkamps-family-court-told?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1616483/oscar-pistorius-offered-cash-victim-reeva-steenkamps-family-court-told?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Oct 2014 21:12:51 +0000 Oscar Pistorius tried to show he is the ideal candidate for house arrest on Tuesday, as the judge heard the final defence witnesses in the Paralympic gold medallist’s sentencing hearing. The star sprinter’s longtime manager Peet van Zyl took the witness stand for the second day to outline Pistorius’s charity work, an important component of the athlete’s strategy to avoid serving time behind bars. On Monday, prison official Joel Maringa recommended that 27-year-old Pistorius should receive three... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1616258/oscar-pistorius-presses-bid-avoid-jail-sentencing-hearing-murder-trial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1616258/oscar-pistorius-presses-bid-avoid-jail-sentencing-hearing-murder-trial?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Oct 2014 09:12:56 +0000 Oscar Pistorius' therapist told a sentencing hearing yesterday that the star sprinter was a "broken man" who experienced genuine remorse after shooting dead his girlfriend. As Pistorius' lawyers fought to keep him out of jail, his therapist Lore Hartzenberg told a South African court that Pistorius was virtually inconsolable during initial counselling sessions after he killed Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day 2013. The 27-year-old double amputee was last month found guilty of negligently... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1615870/oscar-pistorius-hopes-avoid-prison-sentencing-hearing-begins?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1615870/oscar-pistorius-hopes-avoid-prison-sentencing-hearing-begins?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Oct 2014 20:30:00 +0000 Disgraced South African track star Oscar Pistorius arrived at the Pretoria High Court on Monday for a sentencing hearing that will determine whether he serves jail time for the negligent killing of his girlfriend, or walks out a free man. A stony-faced Pistorius stared straight ahead as police officers escorted him into the court building. He declined to answer questions from the scrum of reporters but greeted his family inside the court with smiles and hugs. After a six-month, on-off trial that... https://www.scmp.com/article/1615771/pistorius-faces-sentencing-over-girlfriends-death-after-divisive-trial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1615771/pistorius-faces-sentencing-over-girlfriends-death-after-divisive-trial?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Oct 2014 08:57:50 +0000 In the most shocking moment of the trial, the state prosecutor confronted Oscar Pistorius with a close-up photo of Reeva Steenkamp, her hair matted dark with blood. The athlete recoiled in horror and his defence lawyer jumped to his feet to object: "That is uncalled for." There was no complaint, however, from the woman sitting on the front row of the public gallery. June Steenkamp, mother of the late model and law graduate, had been warned in advance that the image would be used. Her lawyer... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1592479/oscar-pistorius-gets-little-sympathy-steenkamp-family-and-friends?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1592479/oscar-pistorius-gets-little-sympathy-steenkamp-family-and-friends?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Sep 2014 21:00:15 +0000 Oscar Pistorius was yesterday found guilty of culpable homicide for shooting dead his girlfriend and could face a lengthy jail term, in a case that has brought the Paralympian's career to a shuddering halt. Pistorius, known as Blade Runner for the prosthetic legs that powered him to fame, was acquitted of murder, but South African judge Thokozile Masipa said he had acted "negligently" in killing Reeva Steenkamp. The judge agreed to release Pistorius on bail pending a sentencing hearing, which... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1590943/oscar-pistorius-found-guilty-culpable-homicide?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1590943/oscar-pistorius-found-guilty-culpable-homicide?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Sep 2014 08:29:36 +0000 The judge in Oscar Pistorius' murder trial yesterday ruled out both premeditated murder and murder verdicts in the shooting death of the double-amputee Olympic athlete's girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Judge Thokozile Masipa said prosecutors had not proved beyond reasonable doubt that Pistorius, 27, was guilty of premeditated murder. However, she left open the possibility of a verdict of culpable homicide, saying it would be a "competent" verdict. Masipa did not deliver any formal verdict in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1590216/south-african-track-star-oscar-pistorius-faces-judgment-day-murder-trial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1590216/south-african-track-star-oscar-pistorius-faces-judgment-day-murder-trial?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Sep 2014 09:16:10 +0000 The murder trial of Oscar Pistorius wrapped up yesterday with the prosecution making a final call for the South African Paralympian to "face the consequences" of shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Judge Thokozile Masipa will now analyse more than 4,000 pages of evidence before delivering her verdict on September 11. Double amputee Pistorius, 27, once a national icon, is accused of murdering Steenkamp, a law graduate and model, at his home in Pretoria on Valentine's Day last year. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1569368/pistorius-shot-using-primal-instincts-defence-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1569368/pistorius-shot-using-primal-instincts-defence-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Aug 2014 11:19:31 +0000 South African state prosecutor Gerrie Nel asked the judge in Oscar Pistorius' murder trial yesterday to reject the Olympic and Paralympic track star's defence as "devoid of any truth". Double amputee Pistorius is accused of murdering his law graduate and model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at his Pretoria home on Valentine's Day last year. If found guilty of premeditated murder, he could face life in prison. A potential lesser charge of culpable homicide could carry a sentence of 15 years. Since... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1568568/pistorius-told-snowball-lies-prosecutor-claims-closing-arguments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1568568/pistorius-told-snowball-lies-prosecutor-claims-closing-arguments?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Aug 2014 14:07:55 +0000 South African Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius was involved in an argument at a night club over the weekend, his spokeswoman said on Tuesday, days after his lawyers wrapped up their defence in his murder trial. The Star newspaper said Pistorius had an altercation with businessman Jared Mortimer at a club in Johannesburg’s upmarket Sandton business district after the athlete made disparaging comments about Mortimer’s friends. But Pistorius’ spokeswoman Anneliese Burgess said the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1554870/oscar-pistorius-night-club-altercation-days-after-his-lawyers-wrap?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1554870/oscar-pistorius-night-club-altercation-days-after-his-lawyers-wrap?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Jul 2014 11:13:17 +0000 Oscar Pistorius’ defence team wrapped up its case in the murder trial of the Olympic and Paralympic athlete on Tuesday and the court adjourned for a month to allow the legal teams to prepare and submit their closing arguments. Final arguments are scheduled for August 7-8. Lawyer Barry Roux said he had finished calling witnesses to testify in the trial of Pistorius, who killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp by firing through a closed toilet door in his home. “We close the case for the defence,” said... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1549674/defence-team-wraps-case-pistorius-murder-trial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1549674/defence-team-wraps-case-pistorius-murder-trial?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Jul 2014 09:30:11 +0000 South African prosecutors yesterday sought to show Oscar Pistorius' sports doctor overstated his immobility without prostheses, as a leaked video shows the star sprinter re-enacting the shooting of his girlfriend. State prosecutor Gerrie Nel took Wayne Derman to task about his claim the athlete was mentally vulnerable and had limited mobility on his stumps. Pistorius' defence team says both factors led the Olympian to shoot Reeva Steenkamp in the early morning hours of Valentine's Day 2013... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1548866/prosecutor-questions-pistorius-immobility-re-enactment-footage-emerges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1548866/prosecutor-questions-pistorius-immobility-re-enactment-footage-emerges?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Jul 2014 13:37:20 +0000 The murder trial of Paralympian Oscar Pistorius resumed yesterday with experts saying they had found no sign of mental illness after a month of psychiatric tests. "Mr Pistorius did not suffer from a mental illness or defect that would have rendered him criminally not responsible for the offence charged," said state prosecutor Gerrie Nel.   He was reading from one of two psychologist reports prepared during four weeks of examination by a psychiatric panel and a psychologist. Both said Pistorius... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1543626/pistorius-had-no-mental-disorder-time-shooting-say-psychiatrists?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1543626/pistorius-had-no-mental-disorder-time-shooting-say-psychiatrists?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Jun 2014 09:14:43 +0000 Oscar Pistorius was accused of making a "sinister" remark to a friend of Reeva Steenkamp in the courtroom during a break at his murder trial. Pistorius denied the allegation that he said on Tuesday to the close friend of the girlfriend he killed: "How can you sleep at night?" The accusation by Kim Myers provided a bizarre twist during the trial of the double-amputee Olympian, who is facing 25 years to life in prison if convicted of premeditated murder for shooting dead Steenkamp, a 29-year-old... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1506724/pistorius-accused-making-sinister-remark-friend-steenkamp?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1506724/pistorius-accused-making-sinister-remark-friend-steenkamp?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 May 2014 13:04:14 +0000 Oscar Pistorius introduced Reeva Steenkamp as his fiancee just a week before he shot her, a close neighbour of the runner testified in his defence yesterday. Michael Nhlengethwa, who describes himself as Pistorius' "closest neighbour", said the athlete introduced the 29-year-old model to him shortly before her death early on Valentine's Day morning last year. Pistorius said, "Please meet my fiancee, Reeva," Nhlengethwa said. Pistorius claims he and his girlfriend of three months were in a loving... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1506126/pistorius-introduced-reeva-steenkamp-fiancee-week-shooting-murder-trial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1506126/pistorius-introduced-reeva-steenkamp-fiancee-week-shooting-murder-trial?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 May 2014 13:47:09 +0000 Oscar Pistorius murder trial resumed on Monday after a two-week recess, with the defence team calling its fourth witness in an attempt to bolster the double-amputee athlete’s case that he killed his girlfriend by mistake last year. The trial moved into its seventh week with testimony from Johan Stander, the first person Pistorius says he phoned after he shot Reeva Steenkamp at his home in the early hours of February 14, last year. Stander lived at the same gated community as Pistorius. Pistorius... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1505057/pistorius-trial-resumes-pretoria-trial-moves-7th-week?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1505057/pistorius-trial-resumes-pretoria-trial-moves-7th-week?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 May 2014 09:37:03 +0000 Prosecutor Gerrie Nel fired another tough question at murder suspect Oscar Pistorius. "Are you sure, Mr Pistorius, that Reeva did not scream after you fired the first shot?" asked Nel. The athlete, who earlier said he was tired and struggling under the relentless interrogation, leaned back in the witness box and remained silent. The wood-lined courtroom in South Africa was hushed and expectant. Was Pistorius thinking through an answer, or was he on the verge of an emotional outburst, or was he... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1489539/gerrie-nels-relentless-interrogation-oscar-pistorius-symbolic-his-career?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1489539/gerrie-nels-relentless-interrogation-oscar-pistorius-symbolic-his-career?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Apr 2014 21:39:02 +0000 The prosecutor in the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius ended his five-day cross-examination of the double amputee track star on Tuesday with a stark summary of how he shot his girlfriend, insisting he killed her deliberately after an argument. “You fired four shots through the door whilst knowing that she was standing behind the door,” said prosecutor Gerrie Nel, known in South Africa as “The Pitbull” for his hectoring and relentless style of questioning. You fired four shots through the door... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1482984/prosecutor-wraps-five-day-pistorius-grilling-stark-summary?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1482984/prosecutor-wraps-five-day-pistorius-grilling-stark-summary?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Apr 2014 11:08:46 +0000 A South African prosecutor accused Oscar Pistorius on Thursday of lying and altering his story when the Olympic and Paralympic athlete described the night he shot dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day last year. The double amputee sprinter, once revered across the world for his triumph over physical adversity, faces life in prison if convicted in the Pretoria High Court of the murder of Steenkamp, a 29-year-old law graduate and model. Pistorius, known as ‘Blade Runner’ due to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1476316/prosecutor-tells-oscar-pistorius-your-version-lie?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1476316/prosecutor-tells-oscar-pistorius-your-version-lie?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Apr 2014 09:30:34 +0000 The chief prosecutor in the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius on Thursday accused the Olympic athlete of egotistical behaviour in his relationship with Reeva Steenkamp before he killed her, and described Pistorius’ courtroom apology to his girlfriend’s family as an insincere “spectacle” that ignored the feelings of her relatives. “Your life is just about you,” prosecutor Gerrie Nel said on a second day of cross-examination of Pistorius, who fatally shot Steenkamp through a closed toilet cubicle of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1473839/prosecutor-challenges-egotist-pistorius-tough-day-questioning?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1473839/prosecutor-challenges-egotist-pistorius-tough-day-questioning?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Apr 2014 09:20:18 +0000 The chief prosecutor in Oscar Pistorius' murder trial yesterday urged the athlete to "take responsibility" for fatally shooting his girlfriend, telling him to look at a police photograph of a dead Reeva Steenkamp's bloodied head that was displayed in court. Prosecutor Gerrie Nel said Steenkamp's head "exploded" when it was struck by one of four hollow-point bullets that the double-amputee runner fired through a closed toilet door in his home last year. The photograph showed a side view of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1471623/south-african-prosecutor-urges-pistorius-take-responsibility-killing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1471623/south-african-prosecutor-urges-pistorius-take-responsibility-killing?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Apr 2014 10:04:06 +0000 Johan Gerber is a shy, neat man with iron-grey hair, a ready smile and a quiet voice. But on the streets, he has taken to carrying an open pocket knife with a mean 10cm blade, concealed in an envelope and ready to use. Last month, three men accosted him in broad daylight, one of whom hit him in the stomach and grabbed his mobile phone. A few years back, eight men surrounded him, held a knife to his throat and stole his wallet. His car and two trailers have also been stolen. Gerber is afraid. In... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1467237/fear-crime-inequality-race-subtexts-oscar-pistorius-trial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1467237/fear-crime-inequality-race-subtexts-oscar-pistorius-trial?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Apr 2014 13:45:17 +0000 Oscar Pistorius took the witness stand yesterday in his murder trial and stifled sobs as he apologised to the family of the girlfriend he shot dead. He described himself as traumatised and said he was now on antidepressant medication. He also said he sometimes awakes from nightmares to the "smell of blood". Watch: Distraught Pistorius apologises from the witness stand The South African Paralympic track star apologised to the mother of model Reeva Steenkamp, saying he had fired four times... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1467000/im-scared-sleep-emotional-pistorius-tells-court-pretoria?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1467000/im-scared-sleep-emotional-pistorius-tells-court-pretoria?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Apr 2014 07:30:15 +0000 The murder trail of Oscar Pistorius was adjourned on Friday until April 7, when the South African Paralympic and Olympic track star is expected to take the stand in his own defence in a high-stakes bid to prove his innocence and avoid life in prison. Judge Thokozile Masipa postponed proceedings for more than a week due to the illness of one of the legal assistants who has been sitting at her side throughout the trial, one of the most high-profile in South African history. Prosecutors took 15... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1459362/murder-trail-oscar-pistorius-adjourned-until-april-7?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1459362/murder-trail-oscar-pistorius-adjourned-until-april-7?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Mar 2014 10:01:41 +0000 A South African forensic analyst has said at the Oscar Pistorius murder trial that a cricket bat was used to strike the toilet door at the athlete’s home, in testimony focusing on the events of the night when Pistorius fatally shot his girlfriend. Police Colonel J. G. Vermeulen on Wednesday lifted the bat in court and showed where it hit the wooden, bullet-marked door, another key piece of evidence that was erected in the courtroom. Pistorius has said he shot Steenkamp by mistake, fearing she... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1447187/south-african-prosecutors-recreate-fatal-shooting-oscar-pistorius-trial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1447187/south-african-prosecutors-recreate-fatal-shooting-oscar-pistorius-trial?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Mar 2014 10:37:06 +0000 The bullets that killed Paralympian Oscar Pistorius's girlfriend were of a type that has been the subject of repeated, though largely unsuccessful, bans since the 19th century. A pathologist who performed an autopsy on Reeva Steenkamp the day after she died told the court that the fatal gunshot wounds were inflicted by a type of expanding ammunition once known as "Black Talon". The American-manufactured bullets, fired by Pistorius from a 9mm pistol, were banned in the 1990s in South Africa,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1446508/oscar-pistorius-trial-told-deadly-history-bullets-killed-reeva?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1446508/oscar-pistorius-trial-told-deadly-history-bullets-killed-reeva?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Mar 2014 13:00:45 +0000 Oscar Pistorius vomited in the dock and retched repeatedly and loudly at his murder trial yesterday as he heard graphic details of the injuries sustained by the girlfriend he shot. Reeva Steenkamp was shot with bullets designed to expand on impact and cause maximum damage, the pathologist who performed her autopsy testified after he identified the type of bullet from fragments in Steenkamp's skull. Twitter is not allowed. Blogging is not allowed JUDGE THOKOZILE MASIPA Oscar Pistorius’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1445350/pistorius-vomits-when-hearing-details-girlfriends-bullet-wounds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1445350/pistorius-vomits-when-hearing-details-girlfriends-bullet-wounds?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Mar 2014 09:38:54 +0000 The mother of Reeva Steenkamp, the woman shot dead by Oscar Pistorius, has told how the Paralympic athlete failed to acknowledge her outside his murder trial. June Steenkamp, whose model daughter died at Pistorius' home on Valentine's Day last year, had never met the sportsman before but attended court on the trial's first day on Monday in the hope of looking him in the eye. "I wanted to see him and him to see me," Steenkamp - who travelled to Pretoria from her Port Elizabeth home - told ITV... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1441223/blade-runner-didnt-look-me-eye-mother-oscar-pistorius-victim?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1441223/blade-runner-didnt-look-me-eye-mother-oscar-pistorius-victim?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Mar 2014 12:53:49 +0000 The first witness in the Oscar Pistorius murder trial testified on Monday to hearing “blood-curdling” screams before the sound of four gunshots on the night the double-amputee Olympian killed his girlfriend. Michell Burger, a woman who lives on an estate next to Pistorius’ gated community, said she and her husband were awoken by the screams in the pre-dawn hours of February 14 last year, when Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp by shooting four times through a door in his bathroom. Watch: 'I heard... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1439339/oscar-pistorius-murder-trial-begin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1439339/oscar-pistorius-murder-trial-begin?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Mar 2014 07:50:18 +0000 An out-of-court settlement following months of negotiations between Oscar Pistorius' lawyers and representatives of the parents of his slain girlfriend could work against the Olympic athlete at his March murder trial, a legal expert said. The two sides have been in talks since August, a lawyer for Reeva Steenkamp's family said, and a settlement could involve Pistorius paying Steenkamp's family about US$275,000. Steenkamp lawyer Dup de Bruyn first said in August that the parties were negotiating,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1412712/deal-dead-girlfriends-parents-could-go-against-pistorius-trial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1412712/deal-dead-girlfriends-parents-could-go-against-pistorius-trial?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Jan 2014 14:30:15 +0000