Pretoria, April 15 (IANS): The cross examination of murder-accused Paralympian Oscar Pistorius continued for the sixth day, with State Prosecutor Gerrie Nel trying to show the court that Pistorius’s testimony was unreliable and untrue.
“Your version is so improbable that it cannot be reasonably, possibly true,” Nel told Pistorius in the Pretoria High Court Monday, reports Xinhua.
Pistorius is on trial for fatally shooting his girlfriend Reeva Stenkamp through a locked toilet door Feb 14, 2013, at his house in Pretoria.
Pistorius said he shot Stenkamp, mistaking her for an intruder who had entered his house through the toilet window, but the state insisted that it was pre-meditated murder.
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“It is a concocted version which you’ve tailored to fit the State’s case,” Nel said about Pistorius.
Nel also dismissed Pistorius’ testimony that the two had eaten at 7 p.m. on the night of the shooting. “It is devastating for your version that eight hours after she was killed there was still that amount of food in her stomach.”
In response, Pistorius said, “I don’t have an explanation for it.”
Nel also accused Pistorius of trying to tailor his story in a way that would show that Reeva had gone to the toilet without him noticing it.
“You have to create time. You have to, on your version, build in a time gap for Reeva to go into the bathroom.”
However, Pistorius disagreed, “I’m not trying to buy time. I’m simply saying it as it is.”
The cross examination seemed getting even tougher for Pistorius when the prosecutor accused him of arguing instead of answering questions.
Nel also asked Pistorius if he was now changing his defence stance by saying he spoke to Reeva in a low tone, asking her to call the police while earlier on he had said he whispered to her.
“I’m not choosing something to suit me,” Pistorius responded.
The prosecutor also put it to him that if the noise he heard in the toilet was so loud, why did he not discuss it with Reeva before waking up to check.
“That doesn’t make sense. That is not true — it’s improbable,” Nel said.
Pistorius also broke down in tears when he narrated what he said when he shouted at what he thought was an intruder in his house.
“Get out of my house… Get the f**k out of my house,” he said while crying uncontrollably, forcing Judge Thokozile Masipa to adjourn the court to give him time to regain composure.
When asked why he pulled the trigger before seeing the alleged intruder, Pistorius said, “I don’t know why.”
Nel put it to him, “You shot at Reeva.” This again caused the accused to break down in tears, saying, “It’s not true.”
Nel pressed on asking him why he did not give the alleged intruder time to leave since he was armed.
“I wasn’t thinking of how they’d get out,” Pistorius answered. He also insisted that he was just pointing his gun at the door without an intention of shooting anyone.
Pistorius also told the court that Reeva never screamed but it was him who first screamed at the alleged intruder, then again calling Reeva.
“They (the neighbours) heard a woman screaming but it was you?” Nel asked. Pistorius replied saying, “That’s correct, my lady. My voice is the only voice screaming that night.”
Asked why he fired only four shots, Pistorius replied, “I’m not sure.”
The court adjourned to Tuesday.
