Oscar Pistorius: The Sentence

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REEVA'S DAD BREAKS DOWN

Reeva Steenkamp's father Barry broke down in the High Court in Pretoria on Wednesday, as her cousin testified in Oscar Pistorius's sentencing procedures.

Kim Martin told the court that Steenkamp was her first cousin and they were a very small family.

"Reeva was the first baby I ever held," she said before Barry put his head down and cried. His wife June put her arm around him and was stroking his hair.

Barry sat forward with his arms folded on the back of the bench in front of him as his wife kept an arm on his back and shoulders.

Pistorius sat in the dock looking down and passed a letter to his defence team.

Martin is the first of a possible four witnesses that prosecutor Gerrie Nel would call.

On September 12, Pistorius was convicted of culpable homicide on for the Valentine's Day 2013, shooting of his girlfriend Steenkamp in his Pretoria townhouse. The court found him not guilty of murdering Steenkamp.

Pistorius shot Steenkamp through the locked door of the toilet, apparently thinking she was an intruder about to emerge and attack him. She was hit in the hip, arm, and head.

Pistorius was found guilty of firing a pistol under a table at Tasha's restaurant in Johannesburg in January 2013 and not guilty of shooting through the open sunroof of a car in Modderfontein on September 30, 2012.


Source : Sapa /dm/aa
Date : 15 Oct 2014 13:50
 
blunomore said:
I presume that the two of you know that your statements put you in contempt of court.



It is downright terrible. Why does she not do proper research or talk to colleagues in other departments for input in her report? No prode in her work whatsoever.
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Nick333 said:
You're allowed to be if your actions can't be interpreted as an obstruction of or interference with the functioning of the court.
Might be grounds for libel of course. It'd be a bit difficult to make a case and hardly worth the effort though.
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Nick333 said:
Eish! The interwebs. Very siryas!
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Nick333 sums it up nicely.
 
REEVA A FUN-LOVING CHILD: COUSIN

Reeva Steenkamp was a fun-loving child who wanted to look after everyone around her, her cousin Kim Martin told the High Court in Pretoria on Wednesday.

"Reeva was a very fun-loving child. She wanted to look after everybody, even adults," Martin said to questions from prosecutor Gerrie Nel.

She was testifying in sentencing proceedings for Oscar Pistorius, found guilty last month of his girlfriend Steenkamp's culpable homicide.

As Martin spoke Pistorius sat in the dock, kept his head down and did not look at Martin. At one point he passed a note to a member of his legal team, Brian Webber, who passed it to his lawyer Barry Roux.

Martin said Steenkamp "stood out, even from a young age".

She once took it upon herself to carry her mother June's paralysed poodle around so it would not be put down.

Questioned about her family's past, Martin, who frequently sighed, said Steenkamp's parents had always struggled financially.

"Financially they really battled."

She recounted how the Steenkamps moved from Table View, Cape Town, to Port Elizabeth, so Steenkamp's father Barry could pursue his career as a horse racing trainer.

"Once again, when you are dealing with animals, it's very, very difficult, and their financial situation started to deteriorate again."

Steenkamp's mother June opened a laundry, which did very well.

"But it was very long hours. Lots and lots of hard work."

On September 12 Judge Thokozile Masipa found Pistorius guilty of the culpable homicide of model and law graduate Steenkamp, but not guilty of her murder. Pistorius had claimed he thought there was a burglar in his toilet when he fired four shots through the locked door in the early hours of February 14 last year, killing Steenkamp.

Masipa found Pistorius guilty of discharging a firearm in public, when he shot from his friend Darren Fresco's Glock pistol under a table at Tasha's restaurant in Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, in January 2013.

Pistorius was found not guilty on two firearms-related charges -- illegal possession of ammunition, and shooting through the open sunroof of a car with his 9mm pistol while driving with friends in Modderfontein on September 30, 2012.


Source : Sapa /th/aa
Date : 15 Oct 2014 14:04
 
'I HOPE HE'S CHEATING ON REEVA': COUSIN

When Reeva Steenkamp's cousin Kim Martin heard over the radio that Oscar Pistorius had shot his girlfriend, she hoped it was not Reeva, the High Court in Pretoria heard on Wednesday.

"I said 'I hope to God he's cheating on Reeva'," Martin said to questions from prosecutor Gerrie Nel.

She was testifying in sentencing proceedings for Oscar Pistorius, found guilty last month of his girlfriend Steenkamp's culpable homicide.

Martin recounted how she and her husband were driving in rush hour traffic around 8am on February 14 last year, when they heard a radio announcement.

"The DJ came on and he said 'breaking news, it's not confirmed'. I remember thinking this must be big."

As she spoke Pistorius kept his head down, covering his eyes with his hand.

Then the DJ mentioned Oscar Pistorius.

"The minute he said his name I jumped up."

She began sobbing as she recalled hearing that Pistorius had shot his girlfriend.

Judge Thokozile Masipa asked Martin to sit down and adjourned court for a minute to allow her to compose herself.

When court resumed, Martin recalled what she felt when she finally had confirmation that it was Steenkamp who had been killed.

"It was for me the end of the world."

On September 12 Judge Thokozile Masipa found Pistorius guilty of the culpable homicide of model and law graduate Steenkamp, but not guilty of her murder. Pistorius had claimed he thought there was a burglar in his toilet when he fired four shots through the locked door in the early hours of February 14 last year, killing Steenkamp.

Masipa found Pistorius guilty of discharging a firearm in public, when he shot from his friend Darren Fresco's Glock pistol under a table at Tasha's restaurant in Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, in January 2013.

Pistorius was found not guilty on two firearms-related charges -- illegal possession of ammunition, and shooting through the open sunroof of a car with his 9mm pistol while driving with friends in Modderfontein on September 30, 2012.


Source : Sapa /th/aa
Date : 15 Oct 2014 14:42
 
REEVA'S DEATH 'END OF WORLD': COUSIN

The death of Reeva Steenkamp was like the "end of the world" for her cousin Kim Martin, the High Court in Pretoria heard on Wednesday.

Martin told the court during sentencing proceedings for Oscar Pistorius that she heard a report on the car radio about him shooting dead his girlfriend.

"I said 'I hope to God he's cheating on Reeva'," an emotional Martin said to questions from prosecutor Gerrie Nel.

"I had no idea. I was just praying that it wasn't Reeva."

She said after they heard the news on the radio she started screaming and told her husband to turn the car around.

"I got on my phone and I tried to phone her and she wasn't answering and I started screaming."

She said her husband told her to calm down until they knew who the woman in shooting was.

When they arrived at her mother's house and she saw that she was hysterical, Martin knew it was Steenkamp.

"And it was, for me, the end of the world. Everything was a blur from there onwards," she said.

Martin said her mother said she spoke to Steenkamp's mother June, who told her it was Reeva.

She said she flew out to Port Elizabeth to be with Steenkamp's parents Barry and June.

"My aunt was hysterical... My uncle sat in the corner crying, crying, crying," she said.

"Uncle Barry's health has suffered quite a bit."

She said she could see signs of stress and trauma on June, but they remained strong and wanted to maintain their dignity.

"I think they are very strong people to cope with what they have to cope with."

On September 12, Pistorius was convicted of culpable homicide on for the Valentine's Day 2013, shooting of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in his Pretoria townhouse. The court found him not guilty of murdering Steenkamp.

Pistorius shot Steenkamp through the locked door of the toilet, apparently thinking she was an intruder about to emerge and attack him. She was hit in the hip, arm, and head.

Pistorius was found guilty of firing a pistol under a table at Tasha's restaurant in Johannesburg in January 2013 and not guilty of shooting through the open sunroof of a car in Modderfontein on September 30, 2012.


Source : Sapa /dm/aa
Date : 15 Oct 2014 14:56
 
I AM REEVA'S VOICE: COUSIN

Reeva Steenkamp's cousin decided to testify in the sentencing procedures of Oscar Pistorius because the law graduate needed a voice, Kim Martin said in the High Court in Pretoria on Wednesday.

"I knew I had to be here, I had to do this, I had to do this for Reeva, I owe her this," an emotional Martin said.

"I know Reeva needs a voice. My way of looking at this is to pay her back for what she meant to me."

Martin said she spoke to Steenkamp's parents June and Barry on Tuesday because she was worried she would disappoint them when she took the stand and spoke about family matters.

She said Barry told her that she could never disappoint them and that she had their blessing and needed to be "Reeva's voice".

According to Martin, Barry said he would "just lose it" if he had to take the stand.

On September 12, Pistorius was convicted of culpable homicide on for the Valentines Day 2013, shooting of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in his Pretoria townhouse. The court found him not guilty of murdering Steenkamp.

Pistorius shot Steenkamp through the locked door of the toilet, apparently thinking she was an intruder about to emerge and attack him. She was hit in the hip, arm, and head.

Martin told the court that Steenkamp's death had affected her and she was on medication for depression and anxiety. Her children also received therapy.

"My daughter has even been in an institution for youth for coping mechanisms," she said.

"Her and Reeva were very close and she couldn't cope with this."

As she spoke, Pistorius sat in the dock looking down.

Pistorius was found guilty of firing a pistol under a table at Tasha's restaurant in Johannesburg in January 2013 and not guilty of shooting through the open sunroof of a car in Modderfontein on September 30, 2012.


Source : Sapa /dm/aa
Date : 15 Oct 2014 15:02
 
OSCAR SEEMED SHY: REEVA'S COUSIN

Paralympian Oscar Pistorius seemed shy and did not show much affection towards Reeva Steenkamp, her cousin Kim Martin told the High Court in Pretoria on Wednesday.

"I still remember thinking 'he's just standing there'. He came across as quite shy," Martin said to questions from prosecutor Gerrie Nel.

She was testifying in sentencing proceedings for Pistorius, found guilty last month of his girlfriend Steenkamp's culpable homicide.

Martin was recounting first meeting Pistorius in Cape Town in January 2013, a month before Steenkamp was killed, and said how nervous and excited she was to meet someone famous.

She, Steenkamp, Pistorius and a few other relatives went to a restaurant, got a table, and were subjected to bad Cape Town service.

"I remember thinking that Oscar is getting a little bit agitated and I thought 'he's not used to the Cape Town service'."

Her opinion of Pistorius changed to "nice person" when he gave her daughter advice about boarding school, Martin said.

"But I didn't notice much affection," she said of the interaction between Pistorius and Steenkamp.

When Pistorius got up to take a phone call, Martin asked her cousin "are you happy?"

"She pulled her shoulders and said 'yes, but we need to talk'."

Martin said she never had a chance to follow up on the conversation.

"That has bothered me forever since then."

Nel asked that the matter adjourn to Thursday. Barry Roux, for Pistorius, said of his plans for Martin for Thursday: "I'm just going to ask two short questions. I'm not going to cross-examine [her]."

Judge Thokozile Masipa reminded the lawyers they had to conclude the matter as she was not available from next week.

On September 12 Masipa found Pistorius guilty of the culpable homicide of model and law graduate Steenkamp, but not guilty of her murder. Pistorius had claimed he thought there was a burglar in his toilet when he fired four shots through the locked door in the early hours of February 14 last year, killing Steenkamp.

Masipa found Pistorius guilty of discharging a firearm in public, when he shot from his friend Darren Fresco's Glock pistol under a table at Tasha's restaurant in Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, in January 2013.

Pistorius was found not guilty on two firearms-related charges -- illegal possession of ammunition, and shooting through the open sunroof of a car with his 9mm pistol while driving with friends in Modderfontein on September 30, 2012.


Source : Sapa /th/aa
Date : 15 Oct 2014 15:11
 
Nick333 said:
You're allowed to be if your actions can't be interpreted as an obstruction of or interference with the functioning of the court.

Might be grounds for libel of course. It'd be a bit difficult to make a case and hardly worth the effort though.
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what?

you never "allowed" to be in contempt of court, you can skirt away from criminal liability and the imposition of sanction is reserved where there is an undermining of the functioning.
 
OrbitalDawn said:
What's really the point of this soppy waffling? Is it only illegal to kill someone if they were super duper nice people?
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The defence's witnesses were trying to portray Saint Oscar and how his incarceration would be a loss to society.

The State is trying to show that the person that Saint Oscar killed was also a good person and was also a loss to society.

I.e. the whole trial has been "about Oscar"... now it's time to present the person that he killed.
 
MickeyD said:
The defence's witnesses were trying to portray Saint Oscar and how his incarceration would be a loss to society.

The State is trying to show that the person that Saint Oscar killed was also a good person and was also a loss to society.

I.e. the whole trial has been "about Oscar"... now it's time to present the person that he killed.
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But is it even relevant in terms of sentencing? Are you liable to an aggravated sentence because the person you killed was 'useful' to society?

Should someone that killed a hobo get a lesser sentence than someone who killed a supermodel that carries around paralysed poodles?
 
MickeyD said:
The defence's witnesses were trying to portray Saint Oscar and how his incarceration would be a loss to society.

The State is trying to show that the person that Saint Oscar killed was also a good person and was also a loss to society.

I.e. the whole trial has been "about Oscar"... now it's time to present the person that he killed.
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it really shouldn't be about either
 
OrbitalDawn said:
But is it even relevant in terms of sentencing? Are you liable to an aggravated sentence because the person you killed was 'useful' to society?

Should someone that killed a hobo get a lesser sentence than someone who killed a supermodel that carries around paralysed poodles?
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Should a paraplegic saint who helps others and killed somebody be treated any differently to a hobo who killed somebody?

No.
 
MickeyD said:
Should a paraplegic saint who helps others and killed somebody be treated any differently to a hobo who killed somebody?

No.
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tell that to counsel leading "struggle credentials" in seeking that charges not apply ...
 
Paul Hjul said:
what?

you never "allowed" to be in contempt of court, you can skirt away from criminal liability and the imposition of sanction is reserved where there is an undermining of the functioning.
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[edit] One can't be in contempt of court when one isn't in the position to obstruct and/or interfere with the functioning of the court. i.e. sitting in the office talking **** on a public forum.

It helps if you look for some context before jumping in. [Edit]
 
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