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Paralympic gold medalist Oscar Pistorius was a sad, broken man a pastor testified in the high court in Pretoria on Tuesday.
Marius Nel, a pastor who was called as a defence witness, told the court during the second day of sentencing proceedings that he ministered to Pistorius while he was incarcerated at Kgosi Mampuru II correctional centre in Pretoria. “As a pastor I provided spiritual care and encouragement and comfort at the time he was incarcerated,” Nel said.“I experienced Mr Pistorius as a man that was broken, who expressed his sorrow. I ministered to Mr Pistorius, prayed with him, shared the word with him, enouraged him and supported him…”
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel declined to cross-examine the witness.Steenkamp was the first witness to be called for the prosecution during sentencing proceedings.Reeva Steenkamp’s father became emotional on Tuesday as he testified in the high court in Pretoria about the impact of his daughter’s death on him and his family.“I don’t wish that on any human being, finding out what happened. It devastated us. I ended up having a stroke and so many things since then have happened where I’ve gone to doctors and surgeons where I ended up going for my heart…,” a visibly upset Barry Steenkamp said of finding out about the details of his daughter’s death at the hands of paralympic gold medalist Oscar Pistorius.
Pistorius is being sentenced for murder after the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein in December last year overturned Judge Thokozile Masipa’s 2014 judgment which found the former track star guilty of culpable homicide.Pistorius, who is under house arrest, served about a year of his five-year sentence for culpable homicide in prison.
