Pitch Black

'If something doesn't make sense, then it's not true', is a favourite maxim of arguably the most famous judge in America - Judge Judy.

And although Judge Judy practices her craft in the TV studious these days, rather than a courtroom - I think that her advice is spot on in trying to decide who is telling the truth.

So on that basis and given the sworn statement read out in court yesterday - I have to say that the explanation offered by Oscar Pistorious for shooting his girlfriend - Reeva Steenkamp - dead in the middle of the night is unbelievable.

Oscar's story is that he got out of bed minus his artificial legs and went out to the balcony to bring a fan back into his bedroom - moving around on his stumps. 

The room was so completely pitch black that he couldn't see a thing - but he managed to get out of and back into the bedroom without noticing his girlfriend was in or out of bed - and neither of them said a single word  to each other.

On coming back into the bedroom Oscar says he heard a noise coming from the bathroom - and for reasons he has not explained as yet - he immediately concluded that a dangerous burglar was in his house and so he went for a hand gun which he kept under his bed.

Oscar says he then entered the bathroom in fear for his life and noticed the bathroom window was open - although up until that point, remember, Oscar says he couldn't see single thing in the pitch black.

Oscar then says that he heard noise coming from the toilet inside the bathroom (which was locked in the middle of the night) and shouted on his girlfriend - whom he thought was still in bed - to phone the police and call for assistance.

Before firing fours shots from his gun through the door of the toilet - four of which struck and killed Reeva Steenkamp.

Oscar says he then went back into the bedroom to discover that Reeva was not in bed - then it dawned on him that his girlfriend might be inside the toilet - rather than a dangerous, potentially armed robber.

Now Oscar's story seems wholly contrived to me - I have to admit.

From the alleged 'total blackout' within the bedroom, to the complete lack of communication between two people who must have got out of bed within seconds of each other (if Oscar's statement were true) - to his alleged belief that a burglar had come through the bathroom window and threatened Oscar's life - by heading straight to the toilet which the said burglar  then locked.

If you believe that, you'll believe anything - as they say.