Oscar Pistorius has been questioned over “angry” text messages during his relationship with Reeva Steenkamp.
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel questioned him over “angry” text messages between him and his girlfriend and said the phrase “I love you” never appeared in either of their phone correspondence to each other.
But the 27-year-old insisted his relationship was open and trusting with Miss Steenkamp and said he did not write text messages showing his feelings because he preferred to talk to her.
He said: “I think I was a bit more sensitive and perhaps she was more open to discuss her feelings, my lady.”
Mr Nel claimed Pistorius “did not care enough” to tell Miss Steenkamp he loved her after she sent a text message expressing her feelings and insisted his relationship was focused on “me, Oscar”.
Pistorius replied: “I would never want to say those words on a message, I prefer to talk to her.”
He was also questioned over a series of text messages where he “picked on” Miss Steenkamp including an argument after he moved away from her when she began touching his neck in public and where he told her not to chew gum because “it doesn’t look good on camera”.
Mr Nel read from one text message that said: “I’ve been upset with your for two days now… I’m scared of you sometimes.”
He added: “Why would she be scared of you?”
Pistorius replied: “I think she’s scared of the feelings that she had for me, she says ‘I’m scared of you sometimes and how you snap at me and how you will react to me’.
“I never shouted or screamed at her. It hurt her feelings about the way I would react.”
The athlete also told the court in Pretoria he was “terribly sorry” he had taken his girlfriend’s life after he was asked why he had not apologised in person to her family.
He said: “I am terribly sorry that I took the life of their daughter.”
Pistorius denies premeditated murder and illegally possessing ammunition and two further counts related to shooting a gun in public in separate incidents prior to the killing.
Sky News
