‘No evidence of murder against Oscar’

Defence advocate Barry Roux. Photo: AP/ Themba Hadebe

Defence advocate Barry Roux. Photo: AP/ Themba Hadebe

Published Feb 21, 2013

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Pretoria - The evidence does not show that paralympian Oscar Pistorius committed murder, his counsel Barry Roux told the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on Thursday.

Roux spoke of the “poor quality” of the investigating officer and said there were shortcomings in the State's case.

Pistorius is charged with murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, which he has denied in an affidavit.

Roux said the onus was on the State to prove murder and intent to murder, and it had fallen “far short” of doing this.

Pistorius told "Sarie" magazine he owned a house in Italy, contrary to his lawyer's denial, State prosecutor Gerrie Nel said.

Nel said the investigating officer, Warrant-Officer Hilton Botha, called him and asked him if he had read the magazine.

"What do we do about that Mr Roux?" Nel asked Pistorius' counsel Barry Roux.

Roux insisted Pistorius did not own a house, and said: "He knows about perjury."

Nel pressed on, reading from the glossy Afrikaans women's magazine, in support of the State's opposition to bail on the grounds he was a flight risk.

He said a mayor had given the house to Pistorius, who practised in Italy for four months a year. The mayor had offered to build him a place after he made a speech there in 2010. - Sapa

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