On day 41 of the Oscar Pistorius trial for the murder of Reeva Steenkamp and while the hour of judgment is at hand, the famous paralympian’s defence uses all means necessary to persuade the jurors of his innocence, with arguments that are borderline absurd. 

The second and final day of the closing arguments is being covered live by many news agencies. According to The Guardian’s live coverage, Pistorius’s lawyer Barry Roux made an analogy between Pistorius’ situation and that of an abused woman, saying that “just as a woman kills her abusive husband after many years, so Pistorius built up an exaggerated response to danger.”

Judge Thokozile Masipa, who is renowned for her tough stance on abusers, questioned this analogy and Roux explained that the athlete’s disabilities contributed, over many years, to a feeling that he could not run away. This gave him an exaggerated fight response. “When the abused woman kills her abuser, it is because she has had enough, not because of the most recent assault. The cup is full to the brim”, Roux said.

The Paralympian arrived in court today for the final day of his murder trial looking tired and withdrawn. A banner of support hung outside the court, with the message: “Oscar, you were, you are and you will always ne inspiration, a hero.”

It should be noted that Pistorius admitted his guilt on negligent firearm charge. More specifically, Roux said he did not deliberately pull the trigger and that it was a mistake.