Athletics affected friendships – Oscar
Competing in athletics nationally and internationally affected the friendships of murder-accused Oscar Pistorius, the High Court in Pretoria heard on Monday.
FILE PICTURE: Oscar Pistorius during the South African Paralympic team arrival at O.R Tambo International Airport on September 11, 2012 in Johannesburg, South Africa.Photo by Lefty Shivambu / Gallo Images
“It changed a lot of dynamics,” Pistorius told the court as his lawyer Barry Roux led his evidence in-chief.
“It did change the friendships that I had.”
Pistorius took the witness stand on day 17 of his murder trial for the first time since the trial started on March 3.
As Pistorius spoke, older brother Carl kept his eyes on him the whole time.
He told the court he had been blessed with his athletics, but the sport often took him out of the country for months on end which made it difficult to maintain friendships.
He is on trial charged with the murder of Steenkamp, who was shot through the locked toilet door of his Pretoria home on February 14 last year.
He says he had mistaken her for an intruder. He has pleaded not guilty and in his plea statement denied he had argued with her shortly before the shooting.
He also faces two charges related to contravening the Firearms Control Act, to which he has denied guilt.
– Sapa
