Day two: what we learned
Barry Steenkamp’s evidence
- The father of Reeva Steenkamp said he thought the world should see the photographs of her wounds, to see “the pain she must have gone through”. He said he had pushed his diabetes needles into his own stomach and arms to try to feel it himself.
- Steenkamp said he did not know his daughter was in a relationship with Pistorius.
- He said he and his wife June had forgiven Pistorius because of their Christian faith. But he added:
Oscar has to pay for what he did. He has to pay for it …
That is up to the court. And we will go by the decision that the court hands down to Oscar. But he has to pay for his crime.
- He said his wife had been depicted in some reports as a “stone-faced woman”:
But I hear her crying at night. I hear her talking to Reeva. She feels just as much as I do.
- Steenkamp said he might one day want to speak to Pistorius about the death of his daughter.
Defence witnesses
-
Ebba Gudny Gudmundsdottir, from Iceland, said Pistorius had become a close friend when she contacted him about her son, who was born without legs. The then athlete had encouraged him when he struggled with his prostheses and gave him one of his gold medals.
- Pastor Marius Nel said Pistorius was a member of his church and had volunteered to work with schools to help students with fitness and nutrition.
- Pastor Nel said he visited Pistorius in prison and found him “a broken man”.
State witness Charlotte Mashabane
- Prison nurse Charlotte Mashabane testified to incidents in which she said Pistorius had been aggressive with her while serving his jail sentence, including one occasion when she went into his cell when he was asleep and he shouted at her to get out.
- On another occasion she said he banged a table with a notebook when she did not give him the medication he wanted.
- Barry Roux, for the defence, accused her of exaggerating her account to paint Pistorius in a negative light.
- Dispute continues over whether antidepressants – 28 molipaxin and 14 cipralex – found in Pistorius’ cell were unauthorised; and over an assault the defence alleges he suffered in prison and a hanging he witnessed. The state says the last two did not happen.
What will happen on day three?
- Chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel says he has one more witness who will give “emotional evidence”.
- The court resumes at 9.30am local time (7.30am GMT).
Thanks for reading. This live blog will be back for Wednesday’s hearing.
Nel says he has another, final witness to argue in aggravation of sentence but would like to complete that testimony in one day – so would rather wait until tomorrow.
He says he does not want to take a chance of the evidence carrying overnight.
It will be emotional evidence, I don’t want to do that to the witness.
Roux objects. It’s a waste of time and not fair on Pistorius, he argues. He doesn’t know who the witness is, and accuses Nel of “a tactic”.
Nel: I’m just doing the best I can for my witnesses … My only concern is I don’t want to keep the witness overnight.
Judge Masipa allows Nel’s request but says the court must sit late tomorrow if this witness runs over time.
The court adjourns. I’ll post a summary shortly.
Roux has an intervention.
He says the final questioning implied that molipaxin and cipralex were not prescribed. He says they were. Nel agrees.
Nel picks up the drugs-in-cell theme.
Mr Roux wants to tell you that this accused was hoarding medicine prescribed for anxiety and depression. Do you know how many tablets a day he was supposed to take?
They calculate that he would have had to store drugs for a month without taking any to reach the number that was found in his cell.
And Nel now is also done.
Gerrie Nel begins his re-examination of prison nurse Charlotte Mashabane.
He turns to her incident report. She reads from it about the occasion in which Pistorius was, she says “disrespectful”, angry and shaking, banging the table with a small book.
#OscarPistorius Roux wants to ask her about OP’s two black eyes. he says he was assaulted when someone got into the hospital section
— Alex Crawford (@AlexCrawfordSky) June 14, 2016
Roux says Pistorius did not report the attack to prison authorities but told his psychologist.
Mashabane says he had only one black eye. She also disputes again the defence account of Pistorius seeing an inmate who had hanged himself.
There was a prisoner who killed himself, she says. But they don’t “leave a body hanging there so everyone can see it”.
How did he then know about it, Roux asks. He might have heard about it from another inmate, she replies.
Roux is finished with his cross-examination.
Roux wants to know more about the medication found in Pistorius’ cell: molipaxin and cipralex. Do staff supervise inmates taking each pill?
Mashabane says they do not. So he could carry his pills back to his cell, Roux asks. You didn’t know whether he was actually taking them. He did not have to drink it there and then.
Roux says he can cite other occasions when Pistorius was given prescribed medication for anxiety and told to take it when necessary.
Presumably Roux here is trying to puncture Nel’s claim that Pistorius had “illegal” or unauthorised drugs in his cell by arguing that he could have accumulated them legitimately.
Roux says Pistorius was trying to wean himself off anxiety medicine that made him drowsy.
Updated
After the emotional testimony of Barry Steenkamp this morning – and Roux’s understandably brief cross-examination – the defence’s time spent on this witness is puzzling some court observers:
#OscarPistorius Skys legal expert Llewelyn Curlewis believes Defence now getting bogged down in tackling prison nurse official
— Alex Crawford (@AlexCrawfordSky) June 14, 2016
Court resumes for afternoon session
Prison nurse Charlotte Mashabane, called by the state, is still on the stand. She’s being cross-examined by Barry Roux for the defence.
My colleague Jason Burke has filed this report from the court in Pretoria:
The father of Reeva Steenkamp has said he and his wife have forgiven Oscar Pistorius, but this did not mean he should not pay for his crime.
In emotional testimony before a crowded courtroom in Pretoria on the second day of Pistorius’s sentencing hearing, Barry Steenkamp described how his family had been devastated by the killing.
“I think of her every day; I talk to her. It is difficult to explain. What happened devastated us. I wouldn’t wish that on anybody in the world,” Steenkamp, 73, said.
Many wept during the testimony. Pistorius sat with his head bowed in his hands, crying openly. Relatives of the former Paralympian were present in court, along with the Steenkamps.
In halting testimony, Steenkamp described the pain of bereavement.
“Ever since Reeva’s death I have spent my time on my veranda, at two or three in the morning. I smoke my cigarettes. When I see feathers or something like that, I think Reeva would have liked that,” he told the court.
“I think of Reeva every day, every day of my life, in the afternoon, in the night … I talk to her every day in my head … my daughter.”
“What she must have gone through in those split seconds. She must have been in so much fear and pain. That is what I think of all the time. I can see it myself. It must have been absolutely and utterly awful,” Steenkamp said.
Barry Roux, leading the defence team, did not cross-examine Steenkamp, saying only: “We understand and we are very, very sorry. Whatever we do and say it cannot bring her back.”
Updated
Court breaks for lunch
The judge says the court will take a half-hour break for lunch.
She addresses the courtroom. We are not at a picnic, she says. Sometimes witnesses say things that are funny, but she warns the gallery:
Please restrain yourselves, we are in a court of law.
Updated
Prior to that incident, Pistorius was “a kind person”, Mashabane says.
Roux makes her repeat that. Twice.
Judge Masipa intervenes. You are tricking the witness, she tells him.
Updated
Roux pushes her: why would she feel threatened?
In the incident in which she walked into his cell while he was sleeping, he was in his underpants, he says. No, Mashabane tells him: he was under a blanket and pulled it over his head, speaking to her rudely.
Was he violent, Roux asks her. No, she says: he just raised his voice.
Roux hands Mashabane a prison register. Where on here does it say Pistorius was happy with the rub-rub, he wants to know.
Take your time, he tells her.
Roux: I’m still trying to understand the purpose of your evidence … Are you coming to tell the court that he’s a violent person?
Mashabane: I’m not coming to tell the court that he’s a violent-
Roux: So I can exclude that?
Mashabane: He is actually, sometimes.
She says on those three occasions he threatened her.
#OscarPistorius Mashabane refused to give OP the Voltaren his family brought him because it had not been prescribed. BB
— Barry Bateman (@barrybateman) June 14, 2016
Roux sounds incredulous: we could walk to a pharmacy now and get Voltaren, he tells her. His hand was fractured and you would not let him have an x-ray, only “rub-rub”.
No, no, Mashabane replies. It was an old injury. The remedy she gave him assisted him. She doesn’t know why Pistorius is changing his statement now.
Roux is picking apart Mashabane’s description of the table-banging incident.
She says he was shaking and she stayed calm.
He banged his notebook on the table, she says.
Not his fist, Roux asks. Because Nel yesterday said he was banging with his fist on the table.
And now it’s become a notebook. So it was never with his fist.
Was what Pistorius was asking so bad, Roux wants to know. The prison medication didn’t work – he simply wanted his own medication.
It was the attitude, Mashabane tells him. He was angry. He demanded medication that was not allowed.
She starts to talk about Pistorius “throwing things” down on the table.
You didn’t mention this previously, Roux says. He accuses her of making it sound worse.
Why do I get the impression that you want to say something about him that’s negative because the two of you are not very compatible personalities?
Roux asks why Pistorius did not shake her hand if she was so nice to him.
Roux clarifies that Mashabane interacted with Pistorius every day for about six months.
#Pistorius Roux: He said he wants his medication - was that so terrible. Mashabane: (very forcefully) It was terrible!
— Debora Patta (@Debora_Patta) June 14, 2016
#OscarPistorius Mashabane induces laughs in court when she says it was ‘terrible’ that OP had unknown medicines in the prison
— Alex Crawford (@AlexCrawfordSky) June 14, 2016
Nel turns to the evidence yesterday about Pistorius witnessing a hanging.
Mashabane says the ward in question was not visible from the hospital wing where Pistorius was held:
Ward 4 is very far from where Mr Pistorius was staying.
She says the inmate hanged himself shortly after being taken to this ward.
Nel’s questioning is over now, and Roux is on his feet.
Mashabane says that in court Pistorius greeted all officials apart from her
It didn’t worry me … It is his choice.
Nel asks who would have had action to the wing where Pistorius was kept. Mashabane says there is a security guard, and other inmates are not allowed in there.
Yesterday, the court was told by the defence witness that Pistorius was assaulted. Mashabane says there was no report of that and she would have known about it.
He did have a “blue eye” (black eye) on one occasion, she says. He slipped in the gym, she understands from the injury form.
Nel refers again to testimony yesterday, this time that his hand was injured when he banged on the table. Mashabane says she had never heard of this.
Mashabane says that “after several incidents” with Pistorius, she was asked not to “interact any more” with him.
After that she never worked with him again, she tells the court.
Nel asks if Pistorius was taking antidepressant drugs molipaxin and cipralex.
Mashabane says he had these medications when he was admitted. They should be kept by prison staff.
Nel asks why Pistorius had 28 molipaxin and 14 cipralex in his cell. Mashabane says they would never have given him so many, and would only have given one day at a time.
#OscarPistorius Mashabane say they would never have given him the large amount of medicine that was found with him - only daily meds.
— Maryke Vermaak (@MarykeVermaak) June 14, 2016
MV
Prison nurse tells of Pistorius 'tantrums'
Mashabane says that when a family member brings in a medication, it has to be cleared.
Pistorius’ family brought something for him in February 2015, she says.
Her testimony is very detailed, but in brief, she says it was unclear who had arranged access to the medication. Mashabane asked that the medication be given to her. She locked it in her drug cupboard.
Pistorius came to her to ask for this medication. She said no: it was not the procedure. It was not on his prescription.
He started again with tantrums again.
Mashabane says Pistorius applied to be seen by his private doctor, Dr Van Wyk. She rang this doctor herself, she tells the court, and then drove to speak to her. She tells the court she did not want to slow down the process.
Nel asks if Van Wyk told her that she was Pistorius’ cousin. Mashabane says she did not.
Nel says the doctor was newly qualified.
But she was approved to visit him. Mashabane says she was approved even though she worked in a government hospital and would not normally be allowed to practise privately as well.
This is perhaps two separate confrontations; we have now moved to the table-banging episode.
Mashabane is now talking about another occasion when she was told Pistorius was looking for her. He wanted a supplement and a device that were not prescribed, she says, and the prison doctor was unfamiliar with it.
Mashabane says she googled the device and wrote a memo for the doctor.
The problem was the process, she goes on. It is not something that can be approved in two days.
Pistorius came looking for her, she says. He banged on the table, she adds. He was holding a notebook and used it to bang close to where she was sitting.
Mashabane says Pistorius told her the doctor was “useless” and that she herself was “not competent”, she tells the court.
Mashabane is asked about the confrontation mentioned in court yesterday – when Pistorius reportedly banged on a table in front of her.
She confirms there was a confrontation during her morning rounds. He shouted and screamed at her, she says:
He said, get out, get out, I am still sleeping.
This was on 1 March 2015, she confirms.
Mashabane said she was involved in admitting Pistorius to prison. He was accommodated in the hospital wing that held only two people. It had two cells and a gym, she says.
Court resumes
We will now hear from prison nurse Charlotte Mashabane.
She was mentioned during the cross-examination yesterday of defence witness Prof Scholtz.
Barry Steenkamp testimony: summary
- The father of Reeva Steenkamp has given emotional testimony about the loss of his daughter, saying Oscar Pistorius must “pay the price” for killing her.
-
Barry Steenkamp said he thought the world should see the photographs of Reeva’s wounds, to see what was inflicted upon her “and the pain she must have gone through”. He said he had pushed his diabetes needles into his own stomach and arms to try to feel some of the pain she must have felt.
- Steenkamp said he did not know his daughter was in a relationship with Pistorius, but that she would have told him when the “time was right”. She would ring her parents every weekend, he told the court.
- He spoke of how he and his wife June had forgiven the man who killed their daughter because of their Christian faith and to enable them to move on with their lives. But he added:
Oscar has to pay for what he did. He has to pay for it …
That is up to the court. And we will go by the decision that the court hands down to Oscar. But he has to pay for his crime.
I don’t want to say that he has to go to the maximum … But he has to pay for it.
- He said his wife had been depicted in some reports as a “stone-faced woman”:
But I hear her crying at night. I hear her talking to Reeva. She feels just as much as I do.
- Steenkamp said he had declined attempts by Pistorius to make contact, but that he might one day want to speak to the former athlete about the events that led to the death of his daughter.
- And he told the court he believed there had been an argument between the couple on the night she died – though this point was interrupted by the prosecutor, Gerrie Nel.
- Steenkamp said his family’s lives had “changed completely” since her murder. He had a stroke and has suffered heart problems. He and June were asked to leave their home two weeks after Reeva’s death after their landlord read about his financial difficulties in media reports.
Updated
Steenkamp: Pistorius 'has to pay for what he did'
Roux has no more questions for Barry Steenkamp.
Nel has one more issue to address. He mentions the testimony of Dr Scholtz yesterday, who said the Steenkamp family have forgiven Pistorius.
Steenkamp says his wife June is a Christian
She feels it’s right in her heart to forgive Oscar … It still does not exonerate you for the crime that you committed.
He must still understand that he has to pay for that.
June has forgiven him so that she can carry on with her life.
He says it has been difficult for him to forgive.
But I feel the same, that Oscar has to pay for what he did. He has to pay for it …
That is up to the court. And we will go by the decision that the court hands down to Oscar. But he has to pay from his crime.
I don’t want to say that he has to go to the maximum … But he has to pay for it.
Nel has finished. Barry Roux for the defence begins by saying he is “very, very sorry” for the loss of Reeva. He cannot bring her back.
He asks about the “many” efforts Pistorius made to contact the family but they declined.
If you were in my position, you might understand, Steenkamp tells him.
In tears, he adds that in future, he would like to talk to Pistorius.
Roux tells him that can happen when he is ready.
He says his wife June has been depicted as a “stone-faced woman”:
But I hear her crying at night. I hear her talking to Reeva. She feels just as much as I do.”
Steenkamp says the only photograph he has seen of his daughter was the one shown to the court.
A lot of people will disagree with me and think that I’m callous … But what I would like the world to see are the wounds inflicted on to Reeva and the pain she must have gone through, so the world can see this.
Turning to the relationship between Reeva Steenkamp and Pistorius, her father says he didn’t know about it, adding that she would have told him when the “time was right”.
#OscarPistorius The question re Reeva’s relationship may be designed to show it wasn’t serious (for Reeva at least)
— Alex Crawford (@AlexCrawfordSky) June 14, 2016
He says he and his wife have not had any direct contact with Pistorius.
On the R6,500 per month paid by Pistorius to the Steenkamps, he says that was arranged by legal teams.
We were in dire financial straits, he says.
The payments were supposed to be private and confidential but were brought up in court by the defence:
I was disgusted by that.
The family declined further offers of money, he says.
It’s my daughter that’s gone. It’s not the money.
Steenkamp says almost every week, Reeva would call to speak to her parents.
Christmas and birthdays are particularly difficult for the family, he goes on.
We would sit down and one chair would be there for Reeva.
Nel asks him about the night of the murder.
I personally think there was an argument.
Nel gently stops him. He asks about Reeva:
What she must have gone through in those split seconds. She must have been in so much fear and pain. That is what I think of all the time. I can see it myself. It must have been absolutely and utterly awful.
He says he used to jab the needles he uses for his diabetes into his stomach and his arms to see if he could feel the pain Reeva felt: “But no.”
Steenkamp says he rang his brother – he says it’s “like Mr Pistorius: he can confide in his brother”.
He turns to the day of the murder. He was at work when his wife June rang him. He couldn’t understand, she was “screaming and shouting”.
He raced home and on his way he realised:
She had mentioned Reeva … Driving home, I realised, Reeva’s been killed. It hit me then. It’s like it happened yesterday.
Steenkamp says Reeva had worked as a model but also wanted to return to the law (in which she had a degree) and look after her parents.
He talks about how proud he and his wife were of their daughter:
We were completely and utterly proud of her.
Nel asks Steenkamp about the wider family. He has a son from a previous relationship and his wife June has a daughter, also from an earlier partnership.
Reeva was their only child together and the only one still living with them.
He says in 2013 they were in financial difficulty.
When Reeva died, he says, the landlady found out from media reports that he was virtually bankrupt.
Within two weeks of the murder, the family were given notice, he says. They had to leave their home.
Nel asks him about the murder.
From that day, it’s affected June and my family so much … Our lives have just changed completely.
It’s very difficult to explain it … I don’t wish that on any human being.
Finding out what happened, it devastated us. I ended up having a stroke.
I don’t wish that on anybody in the whole world.
He says he has had heart problems since his daughter was killed.
I have changed completely, Steenkamp tells the court.
He says he cannot mix with people any more. He sits outside late into the night by himself.
He says he gets messages from “people who support us” – perhaps a couple of hundred every day.
Steenkamp says he thinks of Reeva
Every day of my life – morning, noon, night … I think of her all the time.
He is in tears. Nel tells him he can stop at any time.
Steenkamp says the family has photos of Reeva “all over our house”. He talks to her every day.
He says people told him after two or three years he would start to feel a little better:
But every day of my life is the same.
Steenkamp confirms he is the father of Reeva Steenkamp.
Nel asks him about evidence previously given in court by Kim Martin, his niece, with his blessing.
I couldn’t give evidence at the time, Steenkamp says:
I took a bad turn and I was advised by my doctor not to travel up to Pretoria.
Now, he says:
I must give evidence.
Court resumes
Barry Steenkamp is sworn in as the first witness for the state in aggravation of sentence.
Barry Steenkamp has taken his place in the witness box.
We are waiting for the judge to return.
This will be a key moment in the hearing.
Barry Steenkamp has so far not spoken in court about the death of his daughter Reeva. He was unable to attend large stretches of the original trial because he was so unwell, and instead watched it unfold on television at home.
The Sunday Telegraph reported that Steenkamp wanted to take the stand, citing a source saying:
He is very fragile but he wants to do it. If he can, it will be very powerful and emotional testimony.
Barry Steenkamp will testify for prosecution
Roux says he doesn’t know if he needs to call further witnesses because he doesn’t know the state witnesses and he might need to call someone to rebut.
For now he has no further witnesses.
Gerrie Nel says the state’s first witness will be Barry Steenkamp, the father of Reeva Steenkamp. He asks for another break to prepare the witness.
Gerrie Nel asks Marius Nel how often he saw Pistorius in prison. The pastor says he was able to see him weekly.
Gerrie Nel has no further questions. No re-examination from Roux. The second witness of the day is finished.
Judge Masipa is back in the courtroom and the hearing resumes.
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel now has his chance to cross-examine defence witness and pastor Marius Nel.
Gerrie Nel: It’s kind of strange to address the witness as Mr Nel.
During the break, Oscar Pistorius turns round to talk to his uncle Arnold Pistorius and aunt Lois Pistorius who are, as usual, on the bench behind him. His brother Carl Pistorius is also in court.
#OscarPistorius during break OP, still looking like he's hardly slept, shares a moment with uncle and brother pic.twitter.com/y5Bn5ZSqkv
— John Ray (@johnrayitv) June 14, 2016
Marius Nel says he would prefer not to reveal in open court the names of the schools Pistorius worked with but can provide them to the judge.
Roux is finished with his questioning.
Gerrie Nel asks for a 15-minute break.
The pastor says he visited Pistorius “often” while he was in prison to provide spiritual care and comfort.
I experienced … a man that was broken, who expressed his sorrow.
I ministered to Mr Pistorius, prayed with him … and supported him.
Marius Nel says Pistorius is a member of his church. Schools were interested in fitness, skills and nutrition and Pistorius was “very excited and positive about that”.
The feedback from the schools were very positive … They would appreciate his involvement and it would have a great effect in the school.
Marius Nel is a pastor in a church in Centurion, which runs a non-profit organisation called Bright Smiles, Bright Future focused on underprivileged children.
He says the group works with the education department to reach out to underprivileged learners in an “adopt a scholar” programme, providing blankets, stationery and so on. There is also a feeding scheme for 5,000 children each day, and a medical programme.
It looks as if we will get a third witness for the defence in mitigation of sentence.
This is Marius Nel, a pastor. (I will try to avoid confusion with the prosecutor by calling him Marius Nel, rather than simply Nel.)
Marius Nel asks not to be televised.
Roux says he has no further questions for Gudmundsdottir.
Gerrie Nel has only one: he wants to know how old her son is now. He is 11.
The witness is excused.
Updated
Gudmundsdottir says her family travelled to Manchester to see Pistorius running and it was “an inspiration” for her son, who at that time was struggling with his own prostheses.
Pistorius gave her son his gold medal, saying:
This is for you, champion.
Pistorius told her it “would be his pleasure to help us in any way”, Gudmundsdottir says.
She says Pistorius wrote to her when her son was around seven months old to say he was coming to Iceland and did they want to meet him.
We were of course very, very happy.
Pistorius travelled frequently to Iceland because the company that made his blades (prostheses) was based there.
He took a special interest in her son, she says, but also in her older daughter, who is not disabled.
He made sure she was never left out.
Gudmundsdottir tells the court that when she was pregnant, she found out her son would be born without legs. He was the first person to be born without legs in Iceland.
She says she Googled and came across footage of Pistorius running. She contacted him.
Defence counsel Barry Roux calls his witness, Ebba Gudny Gudmundsdottir.
She is apparently a longstanding friend of Pistorius and is from Iceland.
Court begins
Judge Thokozile Masipa has arrived and the hearing starts.
Today we expect to hear from the second defence witness – so far unnamed – who will testify about Pistorius’ work for charity.
What happened on day one: summary
Two witnesses will speak in mitigation
- The defence will call two witnesses. Psychologist Professor Jonathan Scholtz gave evidence on Monday. The second, so far unnamed, will speak about Pistorius’ charity work.
Scholtz: Pistorius should not return to prison
- Scholtz said Pistorius was “broken” and should be in hospital:
Further imprisonment would have a detrimental effect on him.
[It] would not be psychologically or socially constructive.
Mr Pistorius would be better served … if he gave back in a positive and constructive way, using his skills.
- The doctor said Pistorius’ depression, anxiety, paranoia and social phobia had worsened since his trial. He has post-traumatic stress disorder but is not a psychopath.
- Scholtz said Pistorius cannot bear the sound of gunfire, even on television, and has sold all his firearms.
- He has taken courses on anger management and restorative justice, and Scholtz believed his risk of violent reoffending was low.
Pistorius will not testify
Scholtz: I don’t think he is able to be a witness in this trial: his condition is severe.
- Chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel asked why Pistorius had then been able to give an interview to Britain’s ITV, to be broadcast next week.
He was ‘verbally violent and aggressive’ in prison
- Nel said a separate report by a prison psychologist found Pistorius was “verbally violent and aggressive” towards staff.
- Scholtz justified omitting these findings, saying it was a “poor report” and “unscientific”.
- Barry Roux, for the defence, said an episode in which Pistorius banged a table came after he had been denied access to a painkilling drug, Voltaren, for three weeks.
Pistorius ‘accepts he murdered Steenkamp’
- Nel asked Scholtz if Pistorius admitted he was guilty of murder:
Nel: Did Mr Pistorius indicate to you that he intentionally shot at the door knowing there was a person in the bathroom?
Scholtz: Yes …
Nel: That’s the first version of him intentionally shooting at the person that we’ve had in this court.
It’s not clear if the Steenkamps will testify
- Nel has not yet revealed how many witnesses he will call, or who they will be. Reports suggested Barry Steenkamp, Reeva Steenkamp’s father, might appear in aggravation of sentence.
Opening summary
Today the high court in Pretoria reconvenes for the second day of the sentencing hearing for Oscar Pistorius.
The former athlete will receive a fresh sentence after his initial conviction for culpable homicide – for which he was given a five-year prison term – was overturned by South Africa’s supreme court, which found him guilty of murder.
Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp, his girlfriend, in February 2013 when he fired four bullets through a locked toilet cubicle door in his Pretoria home.
He served 10 months of his original jail sentence and since October 2015 has been living under house arrest conditions at his uncle’s home.
Yesterday the defence put forward its first witness, Professor Jonathan Scholtz, a clinical psychologist who testified that Pistorius was “broken” and should be in hospital rather than facing more prison time.
I’ll post a summary of Scholtz’s evidence shortly. You can read the write-up of day one from the Guardian’s Africa correspondent, Jason Burke, here.
Comments won’t be switched on for now, but you can contact me with comments or questions on Twitter @Claire_Phipps.
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