OSCAR PISTORIUS AND HIS WEBSITE

"14 February 2014

No words can adequately capture my feelings about the devastating accident that has caused such heartache for everyone who truly loved - and continues to love Reeva.

The pain and sadness – especially for Reeva’s parents, family and friends consumes me with sorrow.

The loss of Reeva and the complete trauma of that day, I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

- Oscar"

These are the words of Oscar Pistorius, exactly a year after his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was killed by his own hand (or rather gun) in his apartment. No-one except Mr Pistorius knows exactly what happened that night and it remains to be seen what the judgment of the South African Court will be - whether it agrees there was a "devastating accident" or something more sinister happened.

I know what I think. I suppose most of us have a view. However, we don't see all the evidence, notwithstanding the TV cameras and virtual full-time coverage of the trial on TV.

The words quoted above appear on the home page of Mr Pistorius' personal website. I don't know anymore. Maybe the world has changed so fast I've been left behind. But really, is this how people express their sorrow nowadays? A statement on your personal/business website. There for the whole world to see and wonder at. Impersonal, maudlin, some would say cynical - on the anniversary of the day he shot to death his girlfriend with a gun loaded with Black Talon (dum-dum) bullets. He and his defence team do not deny that. I wonder how Ms Steenkamp's parents and family reacted if and when they read it. If I was her mother I know how I would have felt - and it wouldn't be good. He also apologised for the first time in the presence of Ms Steenkamp's family as one of the first things he did in the witness box. Again - let the whole world and his dog hear it at the same time - make sure all the press and TV cameras pick it up too.

I'm disappointed to see other things on Mr Pistorius' website. Statements like appeared last April 2013 that not a day goes by that Oscar doesn't mourn for Reeva. Other statements late last year asking fans not to send photographs for Oscar to sign any longer but they'll still send out (presumably at a charge) the usual signed photos they have in stock. Nice of him to let the world know as well that he was back in training. Then to cap it all, a section of the site now devoted to messages of support for Oscar, page after page of people saying what a great guy he is. I find it all distasteful, disrespectful, manipulative and cheap.

The decent thing to have done with this website would be to have either taken it down, or placed a holding statement on the home page explaining nothing further would appear until after the outcome of the Court case. I guess it's a sign of the times. Obviously the standards that I set for myself are past their sell-by date. A bit like me.
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What are "Black Talon" bullets?

Black Talon™ is a brand of hollow-point pistol and rifle ammunition introduced in 1991 by Winchester, primarily intended for law enforcement and personal defense use. Black Talon rounds were known for the unique construction of the bullet and its sharp petal shape after expansion following impact with tissue.

South African police ballistics expert Captain Christian Mangena explained at the Oscar Pistorius trial:  "It hits the target, it opens up, it creates six talons, and these talons are sharp. It cuts through the organs of a human being."

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