Paralympic sprint champion Oscar Pistorius is in deep mourning after killing his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day, but is “certainly not suicidal” his family said on Monday.
“Oscar, broken as he currently is, believes he has a purpose in life and is working towards that. Media reports to the contrary are untrue,” his uncle, Arnold Pistorius, said.
The 26-year-old double amputee was earlier said by a friend to be “on the verge of suicide” as he fights a charge of premeditated murder for shooting dead Reeva Steenkamp at his Pretoria home.
According to a close friend, the sprinter’s state of mind had worsened since he was tasked with selling his racehorses to raise money to pay for his spiralling legal fees.
“I would say that, just speaking to him, that he is a broken man and that I would go as far to say that he would be on the verge of suicide. It really worries me,” the friend Mike Azzie told an upcoming BBC3 documentary.
In a statement, the Pistorius family said it did not deny that “Oscar’s legal expenses are massive and that he has sold off some of his investments, including his racehorses.”
However, it said that the costs will be evaluated on “a day-to-day basis” and decisions then made.
Earlier, a family spokesman said Oscar Pistorius was planning to sell the luxury home in a gated community where he shot Steenkamp through a locked bathroom door.
“He has signalled his intention to sell [the house], but nothing has been done pro-actively to start the process,” family spokesman Johan van Wyk told the SAPA news agency.
Oscar Pistorius is out on bail and last week lodged a notice of appeal against his release conditions before he returns to court in June, arguing that the court-imposed restrictions on international travel and alcohol use should be lifted.
The legal papers lodged in Pretoria argue that the bail conditions set down last month target him as a flight risk despite the court having ruled this out.
Oscar Pistorius wants to be able to leave South Africa with the permission of the investigating officer and by providing a return air ticket and itinerary.
A ban on alcohol and drugs and random testing is also targeted.
“There is no desire by the appellant to use any prohibited substance or alcohol, but the condition imposed is not warranted or substantiated by the facts,” he argues.
His supervision by probation and prisons department officers was also argued to have no basis.
Pistorius also wants access to the Pretoria house where Steenkamp was shot.
SSC Napoli will have to wait one more week to seal the Serie A title after on Sunday being held to a goalless draw at Parma, while closest rivals Inter drew 2-2 in a dramatic game with SS Lazio. Antonio Conte’s team stayed one point ahead of Inter and were unfortunate not to win after twice striking the woodwork through Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Matteo Politano, while Scott McTominay also had a free-kick tipped onto the crossbar. The away side thought they would be handed a chance to take the points from the penalty spot in the 96th minute when David Neres
A stunning Lamine Yamal strike on Thursday helped crown Barcelona La Liga champions with a 2-0 win over local rivals RCD Espanyol, with victory ensuring Real Madrid cannot catch them at the top of the table. Yamal’s effort and Fermin Lopez’s goal took Hansi Flick’s side seven points clear of Los Blancos with two matches remaining, to clinch Barcelona’s 28th title and complete a superb domestic treble. Only the UEFA Champions League title escaped an exciting young Barca side this season, as they won the league for the second time in six years, at Espanyol’s ground again just as in 2022-2023. Back then,
Jannik Sinner on Thursday marched into the semi-finals of the Italian Open after destroying Casper Ruud in straight sets 6-0, 6-1, while Coco Gauff won a marathon three-set battle with China’s Zheng Qinwen to advance to the women’s singles final. American Gauff is to face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in today’s title match after pulling through 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) in a match that lasted over three-and-a-half hours. Ruud was supposed to be Sinner’s toughest test in Rome since he came back from his three-month doping ban, as the Norwegian came into the match in hot form on clay after winning in
Shohei Ohtani on Thursday delivered his first two-homer game of the season and had six RBIs as the Los Angeles Dodgers poured it on with five long balls in a 19-2 victory over the visiting Athletics. Max Muncy, Andy Pages and James Outman also hit home runs for the Dodgers, who left no doubt by taking a 13-2 lead following a seven-run third inning. Muncy and Kim Hye-seong each had three hits for Los Angeles. Dodgers right-hander Matt Sauer led off a bullpen game by allowing two runs in four innings. Left-hander Justin Wrobleski (1-1) finished with four scoreless innings after he
RSS