Oscar Pistorious trial: Athlete’s version of events on tragic night

Published on 20/02/2013 00:00

I fail to understand how I could be charged with murder, let alone premeditated murder, as I had no intention to kill my girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. I deny the aforesaid allegation in the strongest terms.

“By about 22h00 on 13 February 2013 we were in our bedroom. She was doing her 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.

“She got into bed and we both fell asleep. I am acutely aware of violent crime being committed by intruders entering homes. I have received death threats before. I have also been a victim of violence and of burglaries before. For that reason I kept my firearm, a 9mm Parabellum, underneath my bed when I went to bed at night. During the early morning hours of 14 February, I woke up, went on to 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 that someone was in the bathroom. I felt a sense of terror rushing over me. I believed that someone had entered my house. I was too scared to switch a light on.

“I grabbed my 9mm 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. 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 fired shots at the toilet door and shouted to Reeva to phone the police. She did not respond. When I reached the bed, I realised that Reeva was not in bed. That is when it dawned on me that it could have been Reeva who was in the toilet.

“I put on my prosthetic legs, ran back to the bathroom and tried to kick the toilet door open. I went back into the bedroom and grabbed my cricket bat to bash open the toilet door. Reeva was slumped over but alive.

“I battled to get her out of the toilet and pulled her into the bathroom. I carried her downstairs in order to take her to the hospital. She died in my arms.

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