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Oscar quotes of the day

Judge Thokozile Masipa acquitted paralympian Oscar Pistorius in the High Court in Pretoria of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.


She started handing down judgment in his trial on Thursday morning.

Below is a compilation of the quotes of the day.

“The State has not proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused is guilty of premeditated murder. There are just not enough facts to support such a finding.” – Masipa.

“The accused therefore cannot be found guilty of murder dolus eventualis [legal intent]… that however is not the end of the matter as culpable homicide is a competent verdict.” – Masipa.

“How could the accused reasonably foresee that the shots he fired would kill the deceased?” – Masipa.

“Clearly he did not subjectively forsee this as a possibility that he would kill the person behind the door – let alone the deceased as he thought she was in the bedroom at the time.” – Masipa.

“To find otherwise would be tantamount to saying that the accused’s reaction after he realised that he had shot the deceased was faked –that he was play acting — merely to delude the onlookers at the time.” – Masipa.

“During his evidence, he seemed composed and logical… [but] under cross examination he lost his composure…[and it seemed] the accused was suffering by enormous emotional stress and was traumatised by reliving the incident.” – Masipa.

“If any accused honestly believes that his life is in danger, but objectively it is not… if in those circumstances he kills someone, his act is unlawful.” – Masipa.

“The accused was a very poor witness.” – Masipa.

“The accused clearly wanted to use the firearm.” – Masipa.

“This court is satisfied that at the relevant time, the accused could distinguish between right and wrong.” – Masipa.

“This assertion is inconsistent to that of someone who shot without thinking.” – Masipa.

“It would be unwise to rely on any evidence by those witnesses who gave evidence on what they heard that morning. Human beings are fallible and rely on memory, which fades over time.” – Masipa.

“In my view none of this evidence from the state or the defence prove anything… Neither the evidence of a loving relationship or a relationship turned sour, can assist this court… None of this evidence proves anything.” – Masipa on the WhatsApp messages between Pistorius and Steenkamp.

“Judgment day has arrived, you reap what you sow. Oscar… you can actually stop acting now.” – a poster carried by the Johannesburg woman, Caroline Trummer, sporting pink gloves and matching feather leg warmers.

“You guys stressed me out for a goddamn week.” – prosecutor Andrea Johnson joking with journalists, referring to preparations for the judgment.

“Pain like this never goes away.” – Busi Khumalo, whose 18-year-old daughter Zanele was strangled and raped in 2011.

Sapa