Post date: Feb 26, 2013 6:41:36 PM
A court profiler and criminologist says Oscar Pistorius' body language during his trial revealed a man full of regret after losing everything, but says the Paralympic champion had "rage issues".
PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA (FEBRUARY 19, 2013) (REUTERS) - Laurie Pieters is an independent criminologist and offender profiler. She spent every day bar one watching 'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius and his family during his bail hearing last week, analysing his body language, as the athlete faces charges of killing his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp.
The rest of the world never saw Pistorius during the hearing because the magistrate ordered photographers and camera crews to stop filming during the proceedings.But court reporters described Pistorius as a broken man who would often cry, especially when he heard Steenkamp's name mentioned. At one point the magistrate ordered a break in the proceedings to help Pistorius regain his composure because he was sobbing.
Pieters, who was in the court room at the time, said she approached Pistorius and advised him to focus on his breathing, not look at the hordes of cameras and photographers and to concentrate on his hands in front of him.
Asked if she thought his tears were genuine, a question many people in the streets ofSouth Africa were asking themselves, Pieters said "yes". But she added that only Pistorius would know if he was crying for Steenkamp or for himself.
Either way, Pieters says she saw a man in distress.
"What I did see was somebody who was not trying to be in the limelight," Pieters told Reuters on Tuesday (February 26).
"He was hunched up a lot of the time, making himself smaller. He also cried, sobbed at times, when... the prosecutor read out the charges against him. I think we are looking at a man who has a lot of regret for himself, for what's transpired and for this woman that he was in love with or says he was in love with that he's lost," she added.
Pistorius, a Paralympian and a gold medal winner, was endorsed by several major companies including Nike and Thierry Muegler, who saw him as a super human force who had overcome incredible adversity after losing both his legs at the age of 11 months.
Pieters said she believes Pistorius has a narcissistic personality. Part of that is normal for an athlete, she said, as he is working under tremendous pressure, and being pushed by everyone around him to constantly perform to the top of his game.
But his outburst at the London Paralympics also showed Pistorius had "rage issues" she said. Previously unrivalled in the 200 metre race, Pistorius lost to Brazilian sprinterAlan Oliveira last September. Pistorius immediately complained to Paralympic officials that Oliveira's blades were too long and accused him of breaking the rules causing a major stir.
"His outburst, specifically at the Olympic Games (sic: Paralympic Games), you know, that was very concerning because that outburst was in front of the world's media. You would think that knowing that you are in the spotlight you would temper your outburst or at least attempt to put some sort of the breaks on but he didn't and that showed that he was already dealing with huge rage issues. In fact, I was very concerned then," Pieters said.
Pistorius had become an icon by then, Pieters added, and needed to be told that such outbursts were not acceptable. She blames the sponsors for letting Pistorius believe that anger and anti-social behaviour were normal and that he was immune to punishment of any sort.
The result, she said, is that, when left unchecked, bad behaviour in such narcissistic personalities simply escalates.
"He's never had to suffer the consequences because he is Oscar. He's always managed to get away with it, people have made excuses and unfortunately criminal behaviour is just like any other behaviour. When you learn that you can behave in an anti-social manner and there are absolutely no consequences, that behaviour escalates. And you end up in a situation in which we are today, because he has learned there are no consequences for unacceptable behaviour," she said.
Pieters describes Pistorius as narcissistic, and said he had shown anti-social behaviour in the past. She said that being a double amputee, it would be normal to expect him to fear loss, and have pent up anger about being deprived of something others have.
"He's been elevated to this phenomenal status not only by his family but by South Africa," she added.
"He is part of the South African brand, per se, you know his face pops up all over the place. So I don't believe he is any different as an athlete. When he is competing out there on the track he is probably in his element. But on the outside he has been made into a demi-God almost, he is a symbol. He's not only a person he is the symbol of freedom, of overcoming terrible strife, of hope. And it is not easy to live up to that image."
Court profilers are usually brought in when there is a history of violence in a case and are also used to analyse the scene of the crime for clues about the state of mind of those on trial.
No profiler was called in during Pistorius' bail case and Pieters said she went out of personal and professional interest.