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Joined: Oct 2000
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Quote:
Oscar Pistorius in nightclub altercation days after defence closes case
Paralympian alleged to have argued with man after being interrogated on matters relating to murder trial
Oscar Pistorius has been involved in an altercation at a nightclub, days after his lawyers wound up their defence in his murder trial.
His spokeswoman, Anneliese Burgess, said the athlete was in a booth in the VIP section of a club in Johannesburg's upmarket Sandton district when a man "started to aggressively interrogate him on matters relating to the trial … an argument ensued in which my client asked to be left alone. Oscar and his cousin left soon afterwards. Oscar regrets the decision to go to a public place and thereby invite unwelcome attention."
Burgess said the other man "has now been identified as a Mr Mortimer". South Africa's Star newspaper named him as businessman Jared Mortimer, who offered a different version of the events of Saturday night and claimed Pistorius was drunk.
Mortimer said he reacted after Pistorius, who is free on bail, made disparaging comments about Mortimer's friends and the family of President Jacob Zuma. "I took that personally because I am very good friends with a member of the Zuma family," Mortimer was quoted as saying.
He added that Pistorius was intoxicated and started getting aggressive. "He was poking me and saying that I would never get the better of him. He was close to my face and at that point I pushed him to get him away from me – and he fell to the ground."
The club, The VIP Room, was hosting an exclusive birthday party called the Superhero Squad and many of the guests wore superhero costumes. The club's website says it caters to the "nouveau riche" and invites guests to "slip on your diamante dancing shoes or designer suit and dance the night away at the most ostentatious venue in Joburg".
The club manager insisted "everything is being blown out of proportion''. Perry Mermigas told South Africa's Times newspaper: "I was sitting with him [Pistorius] and his cousin at their table. They were there for an hour and there was definitely no 'altercation' as this person is making out.
"He was chilling with his cousin, nothing more and nothing less. If there was something, like what is being described, we would definitely have got involved. What I can say is that Oscar was at the club and left, like any other normal patrons, after an hour."
On Sunday, hours after the incident, Pistorius tweeted for the first time in five months, posting a Bible verse, a collage of pictures of his humanitarian work and an extract from Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl's book Man's Search for Meaning.
The 27-year-old is accused of the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, at his upmarket home, in Pretoria last year. The double amputee known as the Blade Runner says he killed Steenkamp after mistaking her for an intruder hiding in the toilet next to his bedroom. During the trial which opened in early March, the prosecution argued Pistorius often lost his temper and killed Steenkamp during a row. The case was adjourned until 7 August for legal teams to prepare closing arguments.
On Tuesday night Pistorius's uncle admitted that the athlete is suffering increasing loneliness and alienation and this is leading to "self-harming behaviour".
Leo Pistorius was responding to coverage of the nightclub incident that featured on South African newspaper front pages and TV news bulletins. "Some of the outrageous claims simply cannot stand uncorrected," he said. "Whilst Oscar venturing out into a public space with his cousin in the current climate and whilst his court case is still underway was unwise, those of us closest to him have been witness to his escalating sense of loneliness and alienation. This, we believe, is underlying some of his self-harming behaviour. As a family we are counselling Oscar to find ways of dealing with his feelings of isolation."
Leo went on to challenge Mortimer's widely publicised account of the confrontation. "At the same time, however, we cannot allow one man's untrue version of what happened to stand unchallenged," he said. "Mr Mortimer, who has been unknown to Oscar and our family until he approached the press with his story of the so-called 'altercation' in which he has cast himself as the victim, is a man peddling untruths designed for maximum attention and maximum damage.
"We wish to categorically state that there is absolutely no truth to this man's assertions that Oscar, for instance, insulted the president of South Africa or boasted about our family's so-called influence. Nor is the bizarre statement that our family 'owns the SANDF' [South African National Defence Force]."
He added: "Oscar was at school with one of President Zuma's sons and liked him a lot. Oscar also has great appreciation of President Zuma's extraordinary support of the Paralympians."
The statement concluded: "Both Oscar and his cousin were equally taken aback by Mr Mortimer's accusations relating to the trial. My investigations indicate that Mortimer was the aggressor and eyewitnesses confirm this.
"Being in a public space such as this, and thereby putting himself in a place where this kind of confrontation could take place, was ill considered. We do however believe that Oscar is grappling with an extreme level of emotional pain that is manifesting itself in some of his recent unwise actions and choices."
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Obviously, this doesn't look good for him.
But, for one, I don't think anything could make him look anything but bad at this point.
Plus, it's not like it's news that he's got a temper, right?
__________________
 Sunny
"The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die." avie by Jessie
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