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| Pistorius forced to look at police photograph of partner's bloodied head | Pistorius forced to look at police photograph of partner's bloodied head |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| Oscar Pistorius clashed angrily with a prosecutor who tried to force him to look at a gruesome photo of his girlfriend's bloodied head on Wednesday, exclaiming through tears: "I don't have to look at a picture, I was there." | Oscar Pistorius clashed angrily with a prosecutor who tried to force him to look at a gruesome photo of his girlfriend's bloodied head on Wednesday, exclaiming through tears: "I don't have to look at a picture, I was there." |
| The Paralympian went on to claim that he fired four shots into a toilet door at his home out of fear before he had time to think, not intending to kill anyone. | The Paralympian went on to claim that he fired four shots into a toilet door at his home out of fear before he had time to think, not intending to kill anyone. |
| The evidence was heard as prosecutor Gerrie Nel launched into his much anticipated cross-examination of Pistorius at the high court in Pretoria, South Africa. The 27-year-old maintains that he killed Reeva Steenkamp, a model and law graduate, after mistaking her for an intruder. | The evidence was heard as prosecutor Gerrie Nel launched into his much anticipated cross-examination of Pistorius at the high court in Pretoria, South Africa. The 27-year-old maintains that he killed Reeva Steenkamp, a model and law graduate, after mistaking her for an intruder. |
| Nel opened fiercely, asking the athlete to explicitly acknowledge that he killed Steenkamp. "You are a model for sportsmen, disabled and able bodied sportsmen all over the world?" Nel asked. | |
| "I think I was, my lady," replied Pistorius, answering to judge Thokozile Masipa. "I made a mistake." | "I think I was, my lady," replied Pistorius, answering to judge Thokozile Masipa. "I made a mistake." |
| "You killed a person, that's what you did," came the reply. | "You killed a person, that's what you did," came the reply. |
| Pistorius said: "I made a mistake. My mistake was that I took Reeva's life." | Pistorius said: "I made a mistake. My mistake was that I took Reeva's life." |
| Nel responded: "You killed her. You shot and killed her. Won't you take responsibility for that?" | Nel responded: "You killed her. You shot and killed her. Won't you take responsibility for that?" |
| Pistorius replied only: "I did." | Pistorius replied only: "I did." |
| The prosecutor went on to show a video, first broadcast on Sky News, of the athlete firing a gun at a watermelon and then saying it was "softer than brains" and calling the powerful .50-calibre handgun a "zombie stopper." As the melon disintegrates, Pistorius says off-camera: "It's a lot softer than brains. But... it's like a zombie stopper." | The prosecutor went on to show a video, first broadcast on Sky News, of the athlete firing a gun at a watermelon and then saying it was "softer than brains" and calling the powerful .50-calibre handgun a "zombie stopper." As the melon disintegrates, Pistorius says off-camera: "It's a lot softer than brains. But... it's like a zombie stopper." |
| Nel said to Pistorius: "You know that the same happened to Reeva's head? It exploded. I'm going to show you, Mr Pistorius, the exact same effect [caused by] the bullet that went into her head." | Nel said to Pistorius: "You know that the same happened to Reeva's head? It exploded. I'm going to show you, Mr Pistorius, the exact same effect [caused by] the bullet that went into her head." |
| There was gasps in the courtroom as, without warning, multiple TV screens showed a police photo of Steenkamp's head, turned to the left with her eyes closed. There was a mass of tissue on the back and upper parts and her blonde hair was drenched dark with blood. | There was gasps in the courtroom as, without warning, multiple TV screens showed a police photo of Steenkamp's head, turned to the left with her eyes closed. There was a mass of tissue on the back and upper parts and her blonde hair was drenched dark with blood. |
| Pistorius, his voice rising and starting to sob, said he was at the scene when Steenkamp died and knew of her terrible head injury. | Pistorius, his voice rising and starting to sob, said he was at the scene when Steenkamp died and knew of her terrible head injury. |
| But Nel insisted: "That's it. It's time that you look at it. Have a look there, I know you don't want to because you don't want to take responsibility." | |
| "I remember," Pistorius said, choking with emotion and looking away from a screen mounted on the witness stand. "I will not look at a picture where I'm tormented by what I saw and felt that night. As I picked Reeva up, my fingers touched her head. I remember. I don't have to look at a picture, I was there." | "I remember," Pistorius said, choking with emotion and looking away from a screen mounted on the witness stand. "I will not look at a picture where I'm tormented by what I saw and felt that night. As I picked Reeva up, my fingers touched her head. I remember. I don't have to look at a picture, I was there." |
| As so often in the trial, Pistorius then descended into near hysterical crying, his hands over his face as he rocked from side to side, forcing an adjournment. His family, sitting the public gallery, were visibly appalled by Nel's aggressive approach and shook their heads in disgust. | As so often in the trial, Pistorius then descended into near hysterical crying, his hands over his face as he rocked from side to side, forcing an adjournment. His family, sitting the public gallery, were visibly appalled by Nel's aggressive approach and shook their heads in disgust. |
| Nel went on to poke holes in details of Pistorius's version of the events in the early hours of 14 February last year. The runner conceded that his claim in a statement a year ago that he went out onto a balcony at his home before the shooting was incorrect. Pistorius said he went to the edge of the balcony but not outside. | Nel went on to poke holes in details of Pistorius's version of the events in the early hours of 14 February last year. The runner conceded that his claim in a statement a year ago that he went out onto a balcony at his home before the shooting was incorrect. Pistorius said he went to the edge of the balcony but not outside. |
| He then questioned Pistorius about the moment he opened fire. The athlete described it as an accident and insisted he had not intended to kill anyone, even an intruder. "I didn't have time to think," he said. "I just discharged my firearm. | |
| "I didn't intend to shoot someone. I shot out of fear... I didn't intend to kill anyone... I didn't have time to think about what I was doing... Before thinking I fired four shots. When I realised the scale of what was happening I stopped firing." | "I didn't intend to shoot someone. I shot out of fear... I didn't intend to kill anyone... I didn't have time to think about what I was doing... Before thinking I fired four shots. When I realised the scale of what was happening I stopped firing." |
| Earlier, Pistorius described his frantic attempts to revive Steenkamp after he found her lying on the toilet floor and how she had died in his arms, her blood pouring over his body. "I checked to see if she was breathing and she wasn't," he said. "I could feel the blood was running down on me." | Earlier, Pistorius described his frantic attempts to revive Steenkamp after he found her lying on the toilet floor and how she had died in his arms, her blood pouring over his body. "I checked to see if she was breathing and she wasn't," he said. "I could feel the blood was running down on me." |
| He called an ambulance but it was too late. "Reeva had already died whilst I was holding her, before the ambulance arrived, so I knew there was nothing they could do for her." | |
| He finished his answers to the defence by saying: "I did not intend to kill Reeva, my lady, or anyone else." | He finished his answers to the defence by saying: "I did not intend to kill Reeva, my lady, or anyone else." |
| He faces a possible prison term of 25 years to life if convicted of murder. | He faces a possible prison term of 25 years to life if convicted of murder. |