Friend: Oscar depressed, not suicidal

2013-03-13 08:39

Oscar Pistorius (File, AP)

Pretoria - A friend of murder accused paralympian Oscar Pistorius says he was misquoted by reporters.

Mike Azzie said he never said Pistorius was suicidal, but that he was down and depressed, reported the Daily News.

Azzie was interviewed for a new BBC documentary titled Oscar Pistorius: What really happened?

“They said that I said that Oscar is suicidal. I said he was down and depressed as any normal person would be. I am very upset about this. I won’t be talking about Oscar to the media anymore,” he said.

He had told the film-makers the Paralympian was “dejected, sombre and depressed”.

He said: “Oscar is really taking this hard; he has no confidence and doesn’t make eye contact any more. He’s carrying the world on his shoulders. He’s a broken man.”

Azzie said he had known Pistorius for 15 years and that the athlete had been at the same school as his two sons.

“He did not mean to kill Reeva. Whenever we talk to each other, he asks us to pray for her and her family. I love that boy - he’s been through enough.”

Azzie and Pistorius co-own a race horse, Potala Palace, worth R3.6m but Pistorius is selling the horse to raise money for his legal fees.

The athlete’s uncle, Arnold Pistorius, on Monday said his nephew was seeing a therapist and was in mourning.

“He is very, very sad, but not suicidal.”

Visit News24's Oscar Pistorius Special Report.

- News24