Attorney Michael de Broglio on: South Africa, Law, Politics, Attorneys, Sport, Photography, Technology, Gadgets, Media, Crime, Road Accidents Fund,
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There is only one topic in South Africa today, and it’s a huge international topic as well and that is the case of Oscar Pistorius. It’s going to be televised, it’s going to sell newspapers and magazines and it’s of course going to be a huge topic of discussion whether you are at work, or gym or just round the dinner table at home. The attorneys in my firm, who spend quite a bit of time in the North Gauteng High Court, which we also refer to the Pretoria High Court even though that is not the correct name, are going to see some of the media circus firsthand whenever they go to court with clients.
To me, the only thing that is reasonably certain is that Oscar is going to spend some time in jail – because a human being has been killed and there has to be, to my mind at the very least some negligence involved and the only question is whether or not they will be able to prove a case of murder. Today is a good day to hear from you as to what your predictions are for how this case will turn out, how long it’s going to take and what the ultimate verdict will be.
Posted by Michael de Broglio on Monday 03-Mar-14
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Comments
Lee-Ann said:
on Monday 10-Mar-14 02:58 PM
I don't believe a reasonable person would have acted the way he did in the circumstances. He deserves some jail time!!!! I predict a conviction of Culpable Homicide...
Cornelie said:
on Monday 10-Mar-14 01:51 PM
I cant wait for the outcome of this trial it is so intense. I am just very glad i am not a witness I feel so sorry for them Barry Roux really eat them up alive.
Catherine said:
on Sunday 09-Mar-14 05:12 PM
The fact is a person lost her life and Oscar should serve some jail term.
Henrietta said:
on Friday 07-Mar-14 04:32 PM
I must say i am also anxious to see what the outcome will be, so many questions and so many to be answer and who'll know whether the truth will eventually come out.....
Thembi said:
on Friday 07-Mar-14 09:14 AM
Nobody will ever know what really happened that fateful night except for Oscar. Reeva and God.
l think he deserves a life sentence for taking someone's life.
Thabitha said:
on Thursday 06-Mar-14 08:40 AM
I don't think the truth will ever come out
Melissa said:
on Thursday 06-Mar-14 08:17 AM
Front page again this morning, I wonder how long his trail is going to go on, at the end he will still get jail time.
Dune said:
on Thursday 06-Mar-14 07:41 AM
It was indeed a very interesting day, by accident i was in the way when Oscar walked to court and to see how crazy all the journalists went was unbelievable. They were storming over each other pushing, shoving, shouting, was indeed an exciting first day.
Kaylee said:
on Monday 03-Mar-14 05:40 PM
So court was interesting today, the frenzy and hype is insane.
I think he is guilty, but I doubt with his superb legal team and a lack thereof on the side of the state, that they will be able to prove premeditation. So let's go with culpable homicide, and I reckon he will get a suspended sentence.
Sally said:
on Monday 03-Mar-14 02:17 PM
Nobody will ever know what the truth is and what really happened accept Oscar and he will not tell
Jessica said:
on Monday 03-Mar-14 01:36 PM
I know he is guilty, you can't just shoot someone three times without them screaming and now with them saying he has a head injury due to his boat accident, they know his guilty and he better get time in jail or our courts will have big problems with the public.
Sinead said:
on Monday 03-Mar-14 10:15 AM
Oscar really is South Africa's OJ Simpson... All eyes on him! This will definitely be interesting and my eyes and ears will be glued to any and all broadcasts regarding the case
Sheena said:
on Monday 03-Mar-14 09:56 AM
I completely agree with Bianca. Regardless if he is found guilty or not he still murdered a person and in my opinion he deserves to be punished for his actions
Jade said:
on Monday 03-Mar-14 09:45 AM
I have faith in our legal system. It is so difficult for many to stand behind the notion of innocent until proven guilty because a human being has lost their life, but this is an important component of a fair legal system. This is definitely a concept which has helped create an unfavourable view of legal practitioners.
I reserve judgment and predictions until the state has dispensed with their duty to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he intended to kill Reeva/ that he was negligent in doing so, and then after this requirement has been satisfied, the defense's version and evidence.
Angelique said:
on Monday 03-Mar-14 09:41 AM
I wish the streaming on the internet was for free. I'll just be listening to 702 all day! This is going to be an interesting couple of weeks. I don't really want to speculate, it's exhausting.
Refilwe said:
on Monday 03-Mar-14 09:21 AM
South Africa's very own O,J Simpson.
Someone is dead and thats that. Oscar's story does not even make sense! If he gets away with this, then they might as well let all the murderers walk free.
Juliet said:
on Monday 03-Mar-14 09:20 AM
I predict jail time. He went to the bed, fetched his gun from under the bed, had to sit on the bed to put on his prosthetics, and all the time never even just reached for Reeva to shake her awake or whisper to her she must stay there he thinks someone is in the bathroom? What rubbish! It was also interesting to read that apparently when a person is so fearful for his/her life they always shoot all the bullets in the gun. Why then did he only shoot 4? I don't think he premeditated her murder for weeks ahead but I believe he fetched his gun, put on his legs, made his way to the bathroom and shot Reeva through the door with every intention of killing her. I have seen men with bad tempers in a rage and murder occurs every minute so why is this so unbelievable that he murdered her? The world must not be fooled by his tales of woe regarding having insecurities about his disability. The man has no insecurities, he is so confident in fact, that he argued, appealed and partook in the Olympics with able-bodied persons.
Lizanne said:
on Monday 03-Mar-14 09:17 AM
He murdered her and needs to do some jail time, after all, the bathroom door was locked.....is that not suspicious enough.
Elektra said:
on Monday 03-Mar-14 09:10 AM
I have no opinion as to the matter, I just feel this whole catastrophe has been blown so out of proportion and the media and anyone involved in covering the story are using this tragic situation for their own personal gain. There have been far worse BRUTAL murders yet, not covered as much as this, yes Oscar may be some what of a celebrity figure and yes he did in fact take an innocent life, but in terms of section 35(3) of the Constitution - Right to fair trial, with all the hype around the matter, its more to put on a show to the world, than to let justice prevail.
said:
on Monday 03-Mar-14 09:07 AM
the state has a strong case.
there is a lot of questions like what did oscar do when he found that her lover was not on bed side?
why would a thief lock himself in the bathroom?
they will find him quility of not only murder but the mishandling of a fire arm in terms of The Arms Control Act.
for me the state has an upper hand
Alexis said:
on Monday 03-Mar-14 08:54 AM
He killed her - plain and simple. Regardless of whether it was by accident or not (in which i do not believe it was and accident) he should pay for what he did and do the time.
Brenda said:
on Monday 03-Mar-14 08:53 AM
When you listen to both sides of the story, it is very difficult to predict the outcome of this case. I think the questions that Oscar is going to be asked will be very difficult to answer, and the questions are reasonable and do cause for anyone to believe that he may actually be guilty. But then again, everybody reacts differently to certain things, so it will be very interesting to see how this all works out. I could be wrong, but this case may just end up with Oscar getting a slap on the hand and being able to carry on with his life. What is for certain though, is that Oscar's life will never be the same regardless of the verdict... His career is over and for the rest of his life, he will live with the fact that he murdered someone. The outcome of this tragic incident is negative, whether he is found guilty or not.
Sorea said:
on Monday 03-Mar-14 08:40 AM
Irrespective of what we may think personally, I do not want to make any predictions. The legal teams are all very competent and according to our Counsel the Judge is also a knowledgeable and competent person. So the ultimate decision lies with them.
Stephanie said:
on Monday 03-Mar-14 08:31 AM
I'm very anxious to see what the outcome will be.
It may be quite interesting. I'm sure justice will be served should they find any evidence against him.
Bianca R said:
on Monday 03-Mar-14 08:27 AM
At the end of the day, he murdered another person. Regardless of the mitigating factors, my opinion is that he will face some jail time for certain.
Simone said:
on Monday 03-Mar-14 08:26 AM
I have PVR'd the court coverage on DSTV, so I am looking forward to watching it this evening to see how the trial starts off. I also definitely think that he will spend some time in jail for his negligence.
david said:
on Monday 03-Mar-14 08:23 AM
i predict a conviction of culpable homicide, and no jail time.
it's going to be interesting.
Johannesburg based attorney specializing in personal injury matters including Road Accident Fund claims and medical negligence matters. My interests include golf, reading and the internet and the way it is constantly developing. I have a passion for life and a desire for less stress!
