Tuesday 15 July 2014

Oscar Pistorius in nightclub brawl with racing driver who 'aggressively engaged' him about murder case

Oscar Pistorius got into a nightclub brawl after being approached by a man who 'aggressively engaged' the athlete about his ongoing murder trial.
The 27-year-old double amputee was apparently pushed over in the incident, which took place on Saturday night as he was having a drink with his cousin.
Pistorius’ spokeswoman confirmed 'an altercation' took place, but said the sprinter was confronted by racing driver Jared Mortimer about the sprinter’s trial.
Pistorius is accused of murdering his girlfriend of three months in a fatal shooting at his home. 
According to Mr Mortimer, however, the athlete – known as the Blade Runner because of his carbon fibre prosthetics – was 'drunk and very aggressive' at the VIP Room night club.
He said he prodded Mr Mortimer in the chest while telling him 'you’ll never get the better of me'.
Mr Mortimer also told The Star newspaper that the athlete insulted the family of Jacob Zuma, the South African president.
Mr Mortimer told a gossip website that he then shoved Pistorius, sending him falling backwards into a chair, which prompted bouncers at club in the exclusive Johannesburg suburb of Sandton, to intervene and break up the row.
Back on Twitter: As his trial over the murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp draws to a close, the Paralympic athlete spent Sunday afternoon on the social networking site
Oscar Pistorius got into a nightclub brawl after being approached about the murder trial by a man, his spokeswoman said 
The incident comes just days after Pistorius’s defence team closed its case in the lengthy murder trial.
Pistorius denies deliberately killing Reeva Steenkamp and claims he shot her
accidentally after mistaking her for a burglar.  The runner could learn his fate as early as next month.
Mr Mortimer told The Juice website he was introduced to Pistorius by a mutual friend and that the athlete immediately began talking about the friends who had turned against him, including Danny Fresco who gave evidence against Pistorius at his trial. 
Jared Mortimer, a racing driver, pictured with Nelson Mandela, said Pistorius was 'drunk and very aggressive'. He said he prodded Mr Mortimer in the chest and said 'you'll never get the better of me'
Jared Mortimer, a racing driver, pictured with Nelson Mandela, said Pistorius was 'drunk and very aggressive'. He said he prodded Mr Mortimer in the chest and said 'you'll never get the better of me'

VIPs only: The VIP club, situated in the tower pictured in Sandton. According to Mr Mortimer, the duo's altercation happened here
VIPs only: The VIP club, situated in the tower pictured in Sandton. According to Mr Mortimer, the duo's altercation happened here

He said: 'He was going on about how influential his family is and how connected they are. He even pulled out his phone to show me pictures of armoured cars.'
Mr Mortimer told The Juice that Pistorius poked him in the chest several times. He said: 'He said you’ll never get the better of me. I’ll always get the better of you.'
During the trial, the court heard extracts of a psychologist’s report which found the athlete suffered from post-traumatic stress and severe depression since the incident. 
Anneliese Burgess, the spokeswoman for Pistorius, told the Telegraph: 'They sat in a quiet area of the private VIP section when they were approached by the individual.
'The individual in question, according to our client, started to aggressively engage him on matters relating to the trial. An argument ensued during which our client asked to be left alone.
You can make a difference: In another tweet, he attached a collage of photographs of him helping children with disabilities like his own
The brawl came after the athlete posted a wave of bizarre tweets, including this one in which he attached a collage of photographs of him helping children with disabilities like his own


Salvation from pain: In another, he posted a photograph of a page from Victor Frankl's memoir (left), Man's Search for Meaning, in which the Austrian psychiatrist recounts his time as a prisoner at Auschwitz death camp. He finally posted one asking for God to heal pain (right)

'Oscar left soon thereafter with his cousin. Our client regrets the decision to go into a public place and thereby inviting unwelcome attention.'
Pistorius has rarely been seen in public since the fatal shooting on Valentine’s Day last year.
However, over the weekend, not only was Pistorius out for a drink with his cousin, but he also took to his twitter account to share a bizarre mixture of images and messages with his followers.
The series of tweets included photos of him posing with children and a passage from the memoir of an Auschwitz survivor.
The last time he left a message was on February 14th, the first anniversary of the day he shot dead Miss Steenkamp through the bathroom door of his Pretoria home.
In one of the tweets, he posted a photograph of his finger resting on a page from Victor Frankl's memoir, Man's Search for Meaning, in which the Austrian psychiatrist recounts his time as a prisoner at Auschwitz death camp during the Second World War.
Pistorius faces 25 years to life in prison if he is found guilty of murdering his law graduate and model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, whom he shot and killed at his home in Pretoria on Valentine's Day last year
Pistorius faces 25 years to life in prison if he is found guilty of murdering his law graduate and model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, whom he shot and killed at his home in Pretoria on Valentine's Day last year

The passage included the words: 'The salvation of man is through love and in love.
'I understood how a man who has nothing left in this world still may know bliss, be it only for a brief moment, in the contemplation of his beloved.'
In another tweet, he attached a collage of photographs of him helping children with disabilities around the passage: 'You have the ability to make a difference in someones life.
'Sometimes it's the simple things you say or do that can make someone feel better or inspire them.'
Finally, the South African known as 'The Blade Runner' posted a message that read: 'Lord, today I ask that you bathe those who live in pain in the river of your healing. Amen.'
Pistorius faces 25 years to life in prison if he is found guilty of murdering his law graduate and model girlfriend Miss Steenkamp, whom he shot and killed at his home in Pretoria on Valentine's Day last year.
He could also be sentenced to a shorter prison term if convicted of murder without premeditation or negligent killing. Additionally, he faces separate gun-related charges.
Chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel says the prosecution will file closing arguments on July 30 and the defence will do so on August 4.
The 27-year-old athlete says he killed Steenkamp by mistake, thinking an intruder was in the toilet and about to attack him.
The prosecution says he shot her after a Valentine's Day argument last year.
Pistorius was born without fibulas, the slender bones that run from below the knee to the ankle. Part of his lower legs were amputated when he was 11 months old.
Last week saw Mr Nel challenge the credibility of a physician who testified that the athlete has an anxious nature linked to his disability.
Mr Nel said the defense witness, physician Wayne Derman, could not be objective about the double-amputee runner.
The defence maintains that Pistorius has a deep sense of vulnerability because of his disability and a fear of crime, and it was a factor in the killing because he opened fire after thinking an intruder was in his house.
Under questioning, Derman acknowledged that his testimony did not amount to a 'forensic report' but disputed Mr Nel's assertion that he could not give credible evidence because he was too familiar with Pistorius, having treated him over many years and traveled with him extensively.

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