‘Blade Runner’ Oscar Pistorius, charged with murder for shooting dead his girlfriend, returned to the dock today hoping to secure bail after three days of hearings saw the prosecution’s case seriously undermined.
Prosecutors accuse the star sprinter of premeditated murder over the Valentine’s Day killing of his model law graduate girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at his upscale home.
Pistorius denies the charge, saying that he shot 29-year-old Steenkamp repeatedly through a locked bathroom door in the dead of night by accident, having mistaken her for a burglar.
Today, the prosecution began wrapping up its closing arguments to Magistrate Desmond Nair, who will have to decide whether to make a decision on bail or delay his finding until after the weekend.
Lead prosecutor Gerrie Nel argued Pistorius’s affidavit showed he did not recognise the enormity of what has happened and should not be given bail.
“I have not seen anywhere... I haven’t heard that ‘I admit I’ve caused a death unlawfully.’”
“The way I read his affidavit: ‘I’ve done nothing wrong.’ .... What we read is: ‘Give me my passport. Let me go out, carry on with my career.’ That’s business as usual.”
“To find his version probable, one must stretch.”
“That is why we say it increases the flight risk of releasing this person on bail.”
The prosecution has seen its evidence repeatedly picked apart during the week’s proceedings, giving what observers say is a good chance for Pistorius to be released on bail as he awaits trial for the killing.