“There are only two people in the house and you want to protect her, but you don’t even look at her?” he asked  during Pistorius’s bail application in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court.

Nel said  it was not a coincidence that the people who gave statements after  Steenkamp’s death said they had heard screams and arguments. He said it was also not disputed
that Pistorius had discharged a
gun at Tasha’s restaurant in Johannesburg and “somebody else took the blame”.

Nel was referring to evidence given earlier this week by now former investigating officer Hilton Botha.

Botha testified that earlier this year  Pistorius had fired off a shot from a friend’s pistol at the restaurant. Knowing  it would cause a media frenzy, he convinced his friend to take the blame for the incident.

“That is the real person we are dealing with,” said Nel. “The fact that he got someone else to take the blame is the main issue here. It is clear Pistorius is not willing to take responsibility for his actions.

“Even in his affidavit he says he did nothing wrong. This unwillingness to take responsibility for his deeds makes him a flight risk. We say we are astounded by the total lack of seriousness.”

Nel also referred to Botha’s testimony about an incident at the Kyalami race track earlier this year, during which Pistorius had allegedly got into a fight with a man and told him that  he would ‘f*** him up’. When the man had laid charges against Pistorius, the athlete allegedly phoned him and threatened to ‘break his legs’.

He said there were no exceptional circumstances for magistrate Desmond Nair to grant Pistorius bail, adding that  Pistorius had not offered to give up his passport, but said he would if it were a condition of bail. “He never said to this court: ‘I’m not going anywhere’.”

Nel said Pistorius’s version of events was “improbable”. Even in his version, there had been no imminent danger in the bathroom.

Pistorius had said  there had been threats on his life, but he had never opened a case with the police.

“He was keen to arm himself and get to the intruder; his action is indicative of a man ready to arm himself, and ready to kill,” said Nel. He added that  one could not create a danger and then act in self-defence. It was “improbable” that Pistorius had felt vulnerable, but still headed for the bathroom door.

“It is our respectful submission that he fired four shots, not one shot. The only reason you fire four shots is to kill,” said Nel.  “At the least there will be culpable homicide.”

He asked why two cellphones and a firearm had been  found in the bathroom.
When questioned by Nair about the possibility that Pistorius had orchestrated the scene to his benefit, Nel said  he did not rule this out.

The application was postponed to today for further argument.