PRETORIA, South Africa – Convicted murderer Oscar Pistorius did not give the “true version” during trial testimony of how he killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in South Africa in 2013, a cousin of Steenkamp said Wednesday at the sentencing hearing for the double-amputee Olympian.
The cousin, Kim Martin, also criticized Pistorius for not testifying at the sentencing hearing but agreeing to an ITV television interview that will be broadcast after the hearing ends this week.
“I think it’s very unfair to want to talk to the world about your version when you had the opportunity in court to do so,” Martin said under questioning from chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel.
Pistorius, who was in court Wednesday, is currently under house arrest after initially serving one year of a five-year prison sentence for manslaughter for shooting Steenkamp. That conviction was overturned last year by an appeals court, which convicted Pistorius of the more serious charge of murder.
READ MORE: Father of Reeva Steenkamp testifies in sentencing hearing for Oscar Pistorius
Pistorius removed his prostheses and hobbled on his stumps in a South African courtroom Wednesday as part of his defence team’s argument that the double-amputee athlete, convicted of murdering girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, is a vulnerable man who deserves leniency when he is sentenced.
Defence lawyer Barry Roux asked Pistorius to remove the prostheses and the former track star and Olympian, who had taken off his suit and put on a T-shirt and running shorts during a recess, then hobbled in front of Judge Thokozile Masipa. The demonstration drew gasps from some onlookers in the courtroom and Pistorius became tearful.
“I don’t want to overplay disability,” Roux said ahead of the demonstration, “but the time has come that we must just look (at Pistorius) with different eyes.”
WATCH: Pistorius removes prosthetic legs, walks around courtroom during sentencing
Judge Thokozile Masipa, who initially acquitted Pistorius of murder, will decide the new sentence. The hearing is scheduled to run through Friday this week. South Africa has a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison for murder, although a judge can reduce that in some circumstances.
In her testimony, Martin said she and her family are struggling to cope with Steenkamp’s death and that every Valentine’s Day – the day when Steenkamp was fatally shot – is the “worst day for us.”
Martin said her family lights a candle for Steenkamp, a model, at Christmas and that they try to celebrate such special days despite the grief.
“We don’t want every occasion to become a funeral,” she said.
Martin also questioned Pistorius’ statement that he killed Steenkamp by mistake when he fired shots through the door of a toilet cubicle in his home, thinking an intruder was in the house.
READ MORE: South Africa’s highest court dismisses Oscar Pistorius appeal
“I don’t feel the true version came out,” Martin said.
In a statement earlier this month, Pistorius’ uncle, Arnold Pistorius, said the family had declined many requests for interviews with the former track star out of respect for the legal process. He said he agreed to ITV’s request in an effort to dispel what he described as the many inaccuracies and speculations that had arisen.
“I decided it was necessary to take up one media offer that would provide our family with a voice to address some of the misconceptions that have remained unchallenged,” Arnold Pistorius said.
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