In the last days in the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius prior to the court's temporary adjournment, the world has witnessed a purely emotional, grieving athlete in court and on television screens. The trial, which was broadcasted live on television and in audio as permitted by the High Court of Pretoria, has also shown disruptions in court proceedings due to Pistorius' weeping. BBC said that his family now, has denied claims that the once-celebrated athlete allegedly received acting lessons ahead of his testimony.
The family's denial was a response to an open letter addressed to the Paralympian by South African columnist Jani Allan. Allan said that according from a reliable source she refused to name, Pistorius was already prepared to show remorse over the death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, whom he fatally shot in the wee hours of Valentines day last year.
She wrote, "Oscar, you are the latest in a long line of faux heroes. Like so many who preceded you, you have betrayed your people and disappointed your fans."
BBC said that the Pistorius family claimed to have been compelled to address the claims of him getting lessons from an acting coach ahead of his testimony due to the fact that such reports had been widely circulated in the media.
Anneliese Burgess, a spokeswoman for the Pistorius family, said on the athlete's website that Allan has never met her client and that any knowledge she had on him was fictitious in nature.
"This type of comment makes a mockery of the enormous human tragedy involving the Steenkamp family and our client and his family," part of the statement read.
The allegations reportedly circulated about a week after Pistorius testified in court, and was breaking down at most times. BBC noted that the athlete even vomited at one point of the trial when the court was presented post-mortem examination evidence.
The trial, which has been postponed due to a series of holidays in South Africa, will begin on May 5th.
