Oscar Pistorius 'Spent £1MILLION On Legal Fees During His Murder Trial

Oscar Pistorius spent nearly £1million defending himself in his
murder trial - with nearly half the bill still unpaid, it emerged
today.

The athlete is believed to have paid his legal team as much
as £5,400 a day to fight the charge that he murdered his
girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp during his seven-month trial.
But sources close to the Paralympian's legal team said his
lawyers were forced to represent him for free for the last two
months because he had run out of money.

It is believed the runner, who once earned £300,000 a year
from sponsorship alone, still owes around R10m (£560,000)
from a total bill of R17m (£995,000).

The debt has raises questions about who might defend the
disgraced athlete if state prosecutors appeal the decision to
acquit him of murder, which must be made by November 4.
The family are understood to be disputing the bill, with one
source saying there was 'definitely great unhappiness' about
the fees.

Pistorius’s uncle, Arnold Pistorius, has also told family
members he is considering having the bill 'taxed and
assessed', it was reported by South Africa's City Press
newspaper.
Pistorius was jailed for five years last week for manslaughter
after shooting Miss Steenkamp through a locked toilet door at
his home in Pretoria last year.
He was acquitted of murder after a trial which was initally
only scheduled to last three weeks.

The costs are said to include at least three full-time lawyers
in court, ballistics and forensics experts as well as an
American crime scene reconstruction company.

His lawyer Barry Roux had told the court how the multiple
parayalmpic gold medallist – who also competed in the 2012
London Olympics - had been left with 'nothing' since the
shooting last Valentine’s Day.

‘He was on the rise, he was like an icon in the eyes of South
Africa, he was going to make lots of money.
'There is nothing left of this man. He’s not only broke, he’s
broken.'

‘He lost all his sponsors, he lost all his money he has nothing.
He hasn’t even the money to pay for legal expenses.'
In August, he was forced to sell the home where the fatal
shooting took place for £250,000 - £100,000 less than the
asking price.
Since the shooting in the early hours of Valentine's Day last
year, Pistorius has been living at his uncle's house in Pretoria.
A confidant of Mr Roux told City Press: 'Barry has said not
everything is about money, and he is extremely doubtful he
will ever see what he is owed.'

The Pistorius family spokeswoman, Anneliese Burgess, did not
reply to a request for comment.