Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Oscar Pistorius trial: Steenkamps 'rejected blood money'

Summary of Pistorius trial in 90 seconds



Summary Of second day of sentence hearing:

-Athlete Oscar Pistorius offered a large cash sum to the parents of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp after he killed her - but it was rejected as "blood money", a South African court has heard. Pistorius's offer of $34,000 (£21,000) was revealed by prosecutor Gerrie Nel during his sentencing hearing.
-It emerged that Pistorius has been making monthly payments to the Steencamps.
-Earlier, a defence witness told the court that Pistorius would be physically at risk if sent to prison.
-The defence is trying to show that prison would be an inappropriate punishment.


June Steenkamp outside court in Pretoria, 14 October 
June Steenkamp is said to have angrily rejected the offer of "blood money"

Pistorius' offer of a lump sum of 375,000 rand to the Steenkamp family emerged on the second day of his sentencing hearing, during the cross-examination of defence witness Annette Vergeer. Mr Nel told Ms Vergeer that Pistorius raised the funds from selling his car.
The prosecutor added that Reeva Steenkamp's mother, June, had rejected the offer. "She does not want blood money," he said.
He also highlighted separate monthly payments of 6,000 rand (£340; $540) made by Pistorius to the Steenkamps - who were short of money after their daughter's death.
Mr Nel said these funds - mentioned in Ms Vergeer's report - would be "paid back to the accused in full - every cent."

What constitutes "blood money?" That question surfaced in court when it was revealed that Oscar Pistorius has been making monthly payments to Reeva Steenkamp's parents.
The couple's lawyer confirmed that he had approached the Pistoriuses some 18 months ago, asking for support because Barry and June Steenkamp were broke. It seems their daughter had been supporting them prior to her death.
But earlier in court, Prosecutor Gerrie Nel scathingly described a separate lump-sum offer of 375,000 rand, made by the athlete as "blood money".
So what is the difference between refusing a lump sum and accepting a monthly payment - in moral terms? Clearly issues of need, timing, emotion, and the ebb and flow of the trial process itself must come into play.
But in the meantime the Steenkamps have now announced that they will not be pursuing any civil case against the man who killed their daughter, and will repay "every cent" of the money Pistorius has already given them.


Oscar Pistorius leaves court in Pretoria 
The defence's main aim is to avoid a custodial sentence for Pistorius

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel - 14 October
Gerrie Nel's aggressive style has been a hallmark of the trial
 
The Steenkamps' lawyer, Dup De Bruyn, explained that the couple were now "reasonably comfortable" after he had negotiated a series of media deals concerning their daughter's death.
The Pistorius family later accused Mr Nel of giving a distorted picture in court of the financial agreement with the Steenkamps, and said they would provide a full statement on Wednesday.
Earlier on Tuesday, Ms Vergeer - a probation officer, paid for her testimony by the Pistorius defense team- said that without legs Pistorius would be "a lot more vulnerable than the normal man". She said that there was not appropriate provision for Pistorius in prison. She added that she had recently handled the case of an inmate who had been sexually assaulted in prison. "How can we say that he won't be exposed to that?"
"There is also no facility to cater for the accused's disability."
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel suggested to Ms Vergeer's that her information about conditions in South African prisons were second-hand and outdated.

Early on Tuesday, the proceedings centred on Pistorius' charity work. Cross-examining one of the athlete's managers, Peet Van Zyl, Mr Nel said sportsmen often took on such work for pragmatic reasons. Later he questioned whether Pistorius had used his own funds to pay for prosthetics for disadvantaged young people.  However, Mr Van Zyl insisted that the athlete had asked for his speaking fees to be paid not to himself but to charity. The athlete's manager also said that while Pistorius had contractual obligations to his sponsors, he "went the extra mile" for disabled children.
Mr Nel has been attempting to characterize Pistorius as a self-interested, corporate client rather than a selfless volunteer.

The Paralympic sprinter denied murdering Ms Steenkamp after an argument on Valentine's Day last year, saying he shot her by mistake. He faces up to 15 years in jail, although the judge may suspend the sentence or impose a fine.  On Monday, a defence witness suggested Pistorius not be sent to prison but be sentenced to house arrest or community service.
Ms Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model and law graduate, was hit three times by bullets shot through a toilet door by Pistorius at his home in the capital, Pretoria. The sentencing hearing is expected to last several days.



2 comments:

  1. Jeannie ,
    June Steenkamps should reject the blood money given to her in a time of grief .

    Only a lawless government can allow all this nonsense to continue; how many crooks, murderers and rapists are getting off with probation while jayhawkers and pickpockets’ get 25 to life behind bars !? What utter rubbish is being suggested here?!! Poor people are rotting in jail for much less but the rich continue to make a mockery of our stupid lawyers and judges and that slimy worthless *^@#*^ of a man will get off scot free if his lawyers has their way .

    Donald Trump was right, Masipa and her cohorts are morons and we are all damned as a result!!!

    Money talks, these walls of Damascus will fall one day!
    Has the justice system gone mad ???

    This Oscar is a really twisted sicko is he not?! The kind that feel nothing for their fellow human beings but weep and sob for their own discomforts by all means!

    Setting him free without jail time will just encourage other sickos! Useless Judges!! Mxm!!

    Truth is, even if he walks free, he will never ever be free from guilt for he knows exactly what happened that night. who wakes up in the middle of the night, at a boyfriend's house, goes to the toilet and locks herself in?

    Those tears Oscar shed for days are fake but the anguish he will have over spilling blood of a human being will be real. Look at OJ Simpson....I await patiently for OP's life to crumble .

    Very good reporting .
    Just my humble opinion

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  2. Thank you Gil,
    I was disappointed in the Steencamps for accepting payments from Oscar. They contaminated themselves, ruined their credibility and perhaps even affected the outcome of this case.
    I don't understand why people who were born into privilege get privileged treatment when they commit murder, as if it was their due. Homicide should level the playing field for everyone.
    As you mentioned, petty criminals ( Who don't have dream teams) get far more severe sentences. And I think OP will get further concessions because of his disability.
    Oscar cried because he acted stupidly, made a mess of his life, shamed his father and ruined his own career. I will never believe he shed a tear for Reeva. The guilt will catch up to him slowly and it's very corrosive and I figure he will act it out and do something exceedingly stupid. He is going down one way or another. I think it was Martin Luther King who said,"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

    ReplyDelete

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