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Oscar Pistorius' account of fatal shooting, in his own words - CBS News

Posted: 19 Feb 2013 08:52 AM PST

Oscar Pistorius in court following his bail hearing in Pretoria, South Africa, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013. / AP Photo

Oscar Pistorius, the famed double amputee South African Olympian, has been charged by prosecutors with intentionally murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in his Pretoria home.

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Pistorius: I thought girlfriend was a burglar

He has said it was an accident, that he mistook her for a burglar when he fired several rounds through a locked bathroom door with a 9mm pistol. When a judge ruled Tuesday that he could not outright dismiss the prosecution's premeditated murder charge, Pistorius told his side of the story to the court on the same day Steenkamp's family laid her to rest in coastal Port Elizabeth.

The following are the portions of the statement Pistorius' lawyers submitted to the court via an affadavit that offer his view of the tragic events of this past Valentine's Day:

16.2 I have been informed that I am accused of having committed the offence of murder. I deny the aforesaid allegation in the strongest terms.
16.3 I am advised that I do not have to deal with the merits of the case for purposes of the bail application. However, I believe that it is appropriate to deal with the merits in this application, particularly in view of the State's contention that I planned to murder Reeva. Nothing can be further from the truth and I have no doubt that it is not possible for the State to present objective facts to substantiate such an allegation, as there is no substance in the allegation. I do not know on what different facts the allegation of a premeditated murder could be premised and I respectfully request the State to furnish me with such alleged facts in order to allow me to refute such allegations.
16.4 On the 13th of February 2013 Reeva would have gone out with her friends and I with my friends. Reeva then called me and asked that we rather spend the evening at home. I agreed and we were content to have a quiet dinner together at home. By about 22h00 on 13 February 2013 we were in our bedroom. She was doing her yoga exercises and I was in bed watching television. My prosthetic legs were off. We were deeply in love and I could not be happier. I know she felt the same way. She had given me a present for Valentine's Day but asked me only to open it the next day.
16.5 After Reeva finished her yoga exercises she got into bed and we both fell asleep.
16.6 I am acutely aware of violent crime being committed by intruders entering homes with a view to commit crime, including violent crime. I have received death threats before. I have also been a victim of violence and of burglaries before. For that reason I kept my firearm, a 9 mm Parabellum, underneath my bed when I went to bed at night.
16.7 During the early morning hours of 14 February 2013, I woke up, went onto the balcony to bring the fan in and closed the sliding doors, the blinds and the curtains. I heard a noise in the bathroom and realised that someone was in the bathroom.
16.8 I felt a sense of terror rushing over me. There are no burglar bars across the bathroom window and I knew that contractors who worked at my house had left the ladders outside. Although I did not have my prosthetic legs on I have mobility on my stumps.
16.9 I believed that someone had entered my house. I was too scared to switch a light on.
16.10 I grabbed my 9mm pistol from underneath my bed. On my way to the bathroom I screamed words to the effect for him/them to get out of my house and for Reeva to phone the police. It was pitch dark in the bedroom and I thought Reeva was in bed.
16.11 I noticed that the bathroom window was open. I realised that the intruder/s was/were in the toilet because the toilet door was closed and I did not see anyone in the bathroom. I heard movement inside the toilet. The toilet is inside the bathroom and has a separate door.
16.12 It filled me with horror and fear of an intruder or intruders being inside the toilet. I thought he or they must have entered through the unprotected window. As I did not have my prosthetic legs on and felt extremely vulnerable, I knew I had to protect Reeva and myself. I believed that when the intruder/s came out of the toilet we would be in grave danger. I felt trapped as my bedroom door was locked and I have limited mobility on my stumps.
16.13 I fired shots at the toilet door and shouted to Reeva to phone the police. She did not respond and I moved backwards out of the bathroom, keeping my eyes on the bathroom entrance. Everything was pitch dark in the bedroom and I was still too scared to switch on a light. Reeva was not responding.
16.14 When I reached the bed, I realised that Reeva was not in bed. That is when it dawned on me that it could have been Reeva who was in the toilet. I returned to the bathroom calling her name. I tried to open the toilet door but it was locked. I rushed back into the bedroom and opened the sliding door exiting onto the balcony and screamed for help.
16.15 I put on my prosthetic legs, ran back to the bathroom and tried to kick the toilet door open. I think I must then have turned on the lights. I went back into the bedroom and grabbed my cricket bat to bash open the toilet door. A panel or panels broke off and I found the key on the floor and unlocked and opened the door. Reeva was slumped over but alive.
16.16 I battled to get her out of the toilet and pulled her into the bathroom. I phoned Johan Stander ("Stander") who was involved in the administration of the estate and asked him to phone the ambulance. I phoned Netcare and asked for help. I went downstairs to open the front door.
16.17 I returned to the bathroom and picked Reeva up as I had been told not to wait for the paramedics, but to take her to hospital. I carried her downstairs in order to take her to the hospital. On my way down Stander arrived. A doctor who lives in the complex also arrived. Downstairs, I tried to render the assistance to Reeva that I could, but she died in my arms.
16.18 I am absolutely mortified by the events and the devastating loss of my beloved Reeva. With the benefit of hindsight I believe that Reeva went to the toilet when I went out on the balcony to bring the fan in. I cannot bear to think of the suffering I have caused her and her family, knowing how much she was loved. I also know that the events of that tragic night were as I have described them and that in due course I have no doubt the police and expert investigators will bear this out.

Obama applies fresh pressure on Republicans to avoid cuts - Reuters

Posted: 19 Feb 2013 09:20 AM PST

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks about strengthening the economy for the middle class and measures to combat gun violence during a visit to Hyde Park Academy in Chicago, Illinois February 15, 2013.

Credit: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque

By Steve Holland and Roberta Rampton

WASHINGTON | Tue Feb 19, 2013 12:19pm EST

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama renewed his pressure on congressional Republicans to head off budget cuts that are due to begin on March 1, staging a White House appearance with emergency workers to illustrate jobs he said were at risk.

Obama is trying to get concessions from Congress to stall the cuts by ending tax breaks enjoyed mainly by wealthy Americans.

"My door is open. I put tough cuts and reforms on the table. I am willing to work with anyone to get this job done," Obama said at the event, flanked by 17 uniformed firefighters and law enforcement officers.

With both houses of Congress off this week, there seemed to be little movement toward a compromise on halting the cuts.

Unless there is a deal, about $85 billion in across-the-board spending cuts begin on March 1 and continue through September 30 as part of a decade-long $1.2 trillion budget savings plan.

"This is not an abstraction. There are people whose livelihoods are at stake," Obama said, noting the cuts, known as "sequestration," could hurt the economy.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated that, if fully implemented, these cuts would hold back U.S. growth and prevent the creation of about 750,000 jobs this year.

Half the cuts would be shouldered by the Pentagon and the other half scattered among many other government agencies.

But even if the cuts happen, Congress is expected to blunt their effect by negotiating a replacement measure in March at the same time as lawmakers work on a deal to fund government agencies that run out of money on March 27.

OPEN DOOR?

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell criticized Obama for holding a "campaign-style" event rather than focusing on cutting government waste or trimming spending on green energy programs.

"President says his door is open, but he's spent more time in 2013 with Tiger Woods than with all congressional Republicans," said Doug Heye, a spokesman for House Republican Leader Eric Cantor, on Twitter. He was referring to Obama's golf weekend in Florida, during which he played with Woods.

Republican Speaker John Boehner said the House has twice passed a plan to replace the sequester with "common sense cuts" and said the president needs to show he was willing to make cuts to keep emergency workers and others on the job.

"Just last month, the president got his higher taxes on the wealthy, and he's already back for more," Boehner said in a statement.

Obama has been adamant that any budget agreement to replace the cuts reflect a balanced approach and include both budget cuts and tax increases.

To give Congress time to act on a long-term solution, Obama urged congressional Republicans to accept a smaller $110 billion package that Democrats proposed last week.

But Republicans believe they have raised taxes enough after reluctantly agreeing to increase them on the wealthy as part of a deal that avoided the "fiscal cliff" of higher taxes and spending cuts that would have kicked in at the end of 2012.

Republicans want deeper spending cuts to reduce the United States' $1 trillion annual deficits and $16 trillion national debt.

At the same time, a bipartisan fiscal commission appointed by Obama added to the Washington debate over spending by proposing $2.4 trillion in deficit reduction over 10 years. The commission, led by Erskine Bowles, a Democrat, and Alan Simpson, a Republican, would cut spending, overhaul the tax system and reform the healthcare system.

(Additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

Kredit: www.nst.com.my

Selasa, 19 Februari 2013