Leadership Pistorius Defence Argues He Loved Steenkamp Agency Report — March 25, 2014 The defence of South African athlete Oscar Pistorius on Tuesday downplayed evidence that there were problems in his relationship with Reeva Steenkamp. He said that the vast majority of their text messages show they loved each other. Defence lawyer Barry Roux questioned police cell phone expert Francois Moller, who retrieved more than 1,700 text messages exchanged between the couple. The murder trial of the double-amputee Olympic sprinter in Pretoria entered its 15th day. Moller on Monday presented the court with messages depicting Pistorius as a jealous man with a nasty temper, whom Steenkamp was afraid of. Roux said that only four of the messages were related to arguments, while more than 90 per cent reflected a normal and loving relationship. Some of the messages deal with the couple’s shared interest in motor vehicles, the lawyer said. The court was shown a WhatsApp image of Steenkamp blowing a kiss to Pistorius. Roux said that messages sent in the weeks before Pistorius killed Steenkamp were of a loving nature. Pistorius and Steenkamp exchanged five phone calls the same day he shot her through the bathroom door in his home in February last year, Moller told the court. Pistorius says he mistook the model for a burglar. Immediately after the shooting, Pistorius made phone calls to the manager of the estate where he lived, an ambulance service, security services of the estate. His friend Justin Divaris, his father and his manager, Moller said. Divaris had said Pistorius said to him “God take me away, I have killed my baba,” according to broadcaster eNCA. Prosecution is expected to wrap up its case this week. Defence will then call its own witnesses. Pistorius will be among the first, unless he invokes his constitutional right not to testify. The trial is expected to continue until May 16, with a recess scheduled for the week of April 7. (dpa/NAN)
Posted on: Tue, 25 Mar 2014 14:11:57 +0000
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