The Sunday Times has revealed today that ballistic tests show Pistorius did not have his legs on when he shot and killed Reeva Steenkamp. The prosecution will be painting a picture of an aggressive trigger-happy character. Click through for the police case:

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These revelations come a day before Oscar Pistorius is to appear in court. Monday is also the day Reeva Steenkamp would have turned 30.

Reeva and Oscar – before he shot and killed her

Initial speculation was that the prosecution would target inaccuracies in his statement, which claims that he was on his stumps (ie. not on his prosthetic legs) when he popped four caps through the bathroom door. Starting a trial with proof showing the defendant is a liar (ie. prove that he was wearing his prothetic legs), would be a great start for any prosecution. It would also show he had more than enough time to check if Reeva was still in bed with him. The Sunday Times has received information claiming that ballistics tests (trajectory and the like) show he was not wearing his prosthetic legs that night.

According to the Sunday Times:

Pistorius’s past boasting of being a crack shot and threats to “break people’s legs” could come back to haunt him because the prosecution will now rely on former girlfriends and associates in an attempt to expose his “aggressive Character”.

Proof that he was not wearing prosthetics will help the defence to a certain extent, as a portion of their case looks set to be based on Pistorius’ disability. The Sunday Times says the defence are expected to be claiming that his position of vulnerability was bolstered that night, as he was on his stumps and scared.

Today’s Sunday Times front page

This, even though Pistorius is at pains t0 let people know how he was raised to feel no different to able-bodied people. Here is a regularly quoted Oscar Pistorius observation:

“My mother used to tell us in the mornings, ‘Carl put on your shoes, Oscar you put on your legs,’ . . . So I grew up not really thinking I had a disability. I grew up thinking I just had different shoes,” says Pistorius.

Indeed, one could argue that his entire brand is based on that fact. The fact that his first taste of true global fame came on the back of him racing in the Olympic Games – against able-bodied athletes. Which he did. But then he killed his girlfriend, so the fame was short-lived. It also means that recently signed deals with brands like Nike, were never able to get into full-momentum, probably leaving him with only a portion of the annual monies people suspect him to have earned.

So it will be interesting to see how hard the defences goes on that tack, when the prosecution would surely punish them with the above facts.

One thing is for sure, his history of trigger-happy vibes and aggressive tendencies will form the basis of the prosecution’s case. Especially now that his ex-girlfriend Sam Taylor, will be a witness for the state. She is expected to reveal gun-obsessive testimony about when Oscar used to shoot his firearm out the sunroof of the car whilst she was driving.

And they would surely be delving deeper into her past claims:

Sam Taylor and Oscar Pistorious in Seychelles

From the Sunday Times:

She dated Pistorius last year and previously claimed that he had a dark side the world did not know about. Her mother said on Facebook after the shooting: “I’m so glad Sammy is safe and out of the clutches of that man.”

It is the prosecution’s intention to include that incident as an additional charge in this trial, as well as another charge to do with when Pistorius let off a shot ‘by mistake’ at a Melrose Arch restaurant in Johannesburg. They are expected to raise every incident from the past which show his alleged aggressive nature. This includes testimony from soccer star Marc Batchelor, whose name appears on the witness list. He will be giving testimony about when Oscar threatened to break his legs. More on that incident here.

The name of Springbok rugby player Francois Hougaard, who the Sunday Times says was believed to have been involved in something of a love triangle with Pistorius and Steenkamp, does not appear on the witness list.

We’ll keep you in the loop on Monday. Make sure you’ve got our awesome new iPhone app, so you can stay plugged in when you’re on the move. Android coming soon. Get iPhone app in app store or click here from your phone.

Click here for all previously Oscar Pistorius coverage in a neat filtered menu we’ve made just for you.

Click here to read more about Oscar’s complex dating life.