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By Citizen Reporter

Journalist


Prosecution has not seen Oscar video – NPA

The NPA has not seen the video of murder-accused Oscar Pistorius re-enacting the scene of the killing of Reeva Steenkamp.


“We have no comment… and have nothing to do with the video,” National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Nathi Mncube said on Monday.

The prosecution team for the case, led by Gerrie Nel, had not seen the video, he said.

The video, which Beeld newspaper saw, has only been broadcast in Australia. The Afrikaans daily said it had watched the video via Skype with the help of some of its readers in Australia.

Beeld said the documentary, entitled “Running Scared”, shows the Paralympian walking and running on his stumps, his sister Aimee lying in the bathroom next to the toilet, Pistorius picking Aimee up and carrying her down the stairs, and Pistorius himself lying next to the toilet.

It shows Pistorius screaming “Get out! Get out of my fucking house!”, and “God, help, please help me!”, and repeatedly “Reeva! Reevaaaaaa!”

The first scene shows Pistorius in his uncle Arnold’s house, walking on his stumps on two Persian carpets. The second scene shows him walking much faster on the same carpets with his right arm stretched out in front of him as if he was holding a pistol.

It shows a reconstruction of him firing four shots through the toilet door.

Then it shows him, wearing his prosthesis, kneeling down and placing Aimee at the bottom of the staircase in his uncle’s house.

His lawyers issued a statement on Sunday evening describing the broadcast as a “staggering breach of trust” and an invasion of the family’s privacy.

A member of the defence team, lawyer Brian Webber, said Australia’s Channel 7 had purchased the footage unlawfully.

“In addition, during our engagement with Channel 7, we received an undertaking that they would not air any of the material before the end of the trial.

“While we cannot imagine how any of the footage would not support Oscar’s version, we will only be in a position to comment further once we have had the opportunity to study what has been aired.”

Pistorius has pleaded not guilty to murder.

He said he shot Steenkamp by accident through the locked door of his toilet in his Pretoria home on February 14, 2013, thinking she was an intruder.

The State argues he killed her during an argument.

Sapa

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