Pistorius accused of tailoring evidence
AFP
April 12, 2014, 12:48 am
The prosecution has angrily accused Oscar Pistorius of tailoring evidence while rubbishing his account of why he shot dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp as a fabrication.
During a third day of intense cross-examination, prosecutor Gerrie Nel accused the 27-year-old of having a selective memory on incriminating details of the night he killed Steenkamp in the bathroom.
The prosecutor nicknamed "the bulldog" also ripped apart the Paralympian's claim that he had rushed to the bathroom with a gun "out of instinct" that danger was lurking behind the door.
"I find your instinct strange," said Nel.
"Instinct would have made sure Reeva was safe. That was never your instinct: to make sure she was safe."
Pistorius has been charged with murdering his 29-year-old model girlfriend and faces a life sentence if convicted.
He has said he fired the shots accidentally and did not mean to kill anyone.
As Nel unleashed volley after volley of questions on the details of what happened that Valentine's Day night, the sprinter grew increasingly agitated.
"I'm not looking for an excuse, if I don't remember it I don't remember it," Pistorius said, breaking down during one exchange about the placement of objects in his bedroom.
"This is the night I lost the person I most cared about, I don't know how people don't understand that," he said through sobs.
But Nel did not let up, accusing him of changing his version of events and of deliberately not remembering details that could be detrimental to his case.
"I'm not convinced about your answer now, I think you're trying to cover up for lies," Nel said.
The athlete said he fired through his locked bathroom door thinking Steenkamp was an intruder, as he had a heightened fear of being a victim of crime.
But Nel, who has charged the Paralympian with Steenkamp's premeditated murder, dismissed the claim.
"You're standing there, you're facing the door. Why would you think somebody was attacking you?
"In fact, you knew Reeva was behind the door and you shot at her."
