Pistorius removes prosthetic legs in court
Wed Jun 15, 2016 02:08:pm Sports
2K By sosa hills
In a dramatic last-ditch bid to avoid a heavy jail sentence, convicted murderer Oscar Pistorius wobbled painfully around a courtroom on the stumps of his legs, trying to demonstrate his fragility on the night of the shooting.
The South African runner was asked to take off his artificial legs by his defence attorney Barry Roux who said it will be "embarrassing" for his client.
The weeping athlete removed his prostheses and began to walk in court where he appeared to be in pain and struggled to maintain his balance. He held onto a desk for support as Mr Roux pointed at him and said this was a man who was frightened by a noise at 3am.
''We don't have to be psychologists" to see Pistorius is a broken man,Defense lawyer Roux tells the Judge.
Roux points out that Pistorius' original planned release from prison approved by the parole board was delayed after a government minister intervened. This has not happened to anyone else, he says. Why wait until that last minute to intervene? That decision could have been made weeks earlier.
'No other accused has ever had to endure this level of publicity, misinformation and character assassination.' Defence counsel Roux said in quotes gotten from Guardian UK.
'This case has nothing to do with gender violence.'
Roux THEN calls Pistorius forward. He tells the court this will be embarrassing for his client.
He asks a weeping Pistorius to remove his prostheses and stand on his stumps in front of the court. He does so slowly, then walks haltingly. He appears to be in pain and struggles to retain his balance. He holds on to a desk for support.
His doctor moves forward to support him as he stumbles.
'I don't want to overplay vulnerability, that's not what I want to do. I don't want to overplay disability. But the time has come that we must just look with different eyes, at least with unbiased eyes.'
'It doesn't mean because he's vulnerable that he can do what he likes. That's not what we say.
'But when we're entering the field of sentencing, look at that man's conduct ... Please let's understand ... who is this man that you must sentence?'
'He desperately does not want to hide behind fame ... He wants to be treated like someone unknown, someone who has done wrong and must be punished.'
'Punishment is not meant to break the defendant ... The accused does not fall into the category of offender who should be removed from society.'
'There is no purpose served.'
'The sentence needs to be appropriate to the individual,' defence counsel says.
'The court needs to look for opportunities for rehabilitation. An excessive punishment could have the opposite effect'
The sentencing hearing - expected to conclude by Friday - will decide if he will face a jail term of 15 years.
The South African runner was asked to take off his artificial legs by his defence attorney Barry Roux who said it will be "embarrassing" for his client.
The weeping athlete removed his prostheses and began to walk in court where he appeared to be in pain and struggled to maintain his balance. He held onto a desk for support as Mr Roux pointed at him and said this was a man who was frightened by a noise at 3am.
''We don't have to be psychologists" to see Pistorius is a broken man,Defense lawyer Roux tells the Judge.
Roux points out that Pistorius' original planned release from prison approved by the parole board was delayed after a government minister intervened. This has not happened to anyone else, he says. Why wait until that last minute to intervene? That decision could have been made weeks earlier.
'No other accused has ever had to endure this level of publicity, misinformation and character assassination.' Defence counsel Roux said in quotes gotten from Guardian UK.
'This case has nothing to do with gender violence.'
Roux THEN calls Pistorius forward. He tells the court this will be embarrassing for his client.
He asks a weeping Pistorius to remove his prostheses and stand on his stumps in front of the court. He does so slowly, then walks haltingly. He appears to be in pain and struggles to retain his balance. He holds on to a desk for support.
His doctor moves forward to support him as he stumbles.
'I don't want to overplay vulnerability, that's not what I want to do. I don't want to overplay disability. But the time has come that we must just look with different eyes, at least with unbiased eyes.'
'It doesn't mean because he's vulnerable that he can do what he likes. That's not what we say.
'But when we're entering the field of sentencing, look at that man's conduct ... Please let's understand ... who is this man that you must sentence?'
'He desperately does not want to hide behind fame ... He wants to be treated like someone unknown, someone who has done wrong and must be punished.'
'Punishment is not meant to break the defendant ... The accused does not fall into the category of offender who should be removed from society.'
'There is no purpose served.'
'The sentence needs to be appropriate to the individual,' defence counsel says.
'The court needs to look for opportunities for rehabilitation. An excessive punishment could have the opposite effect'
The sentencing hearing - expected to conclude by Friday - will decide if he will face a jail term of 15 years.
Related News
Leave a comment...