A close friend of Oscar Pistorius has described the Paralympic star as a "broken man". Mike Azzie, whom Oscar refers to as 'Uncle Mike', has shared his fears that the athlete is "on the verge of suicide" and revealed that he regularly talks about his late girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Speaking in a BBC3 documentary, Oscar Pistorius: What Really Happened, to be broadcast on Monday night, Mr Azzie said, "He just always seems to mention Reeva and to ask us to pray for her and her family.
"He has no confidence in his tone of voice, and he is just a man that is almost like someone that is walking around in circles and doesn't know where he is going." I would say that just speaking to him, that he is a broken man and I would go as far as to say that he would be on the verge of suicide. It really worries me."
Mr Azzie also revealed that Oscar, 26, has had to sell off his racehorses to meet spiralling legal fees as he awaits his next court appearance on 4 June. The Paralympian is accused of murdering girlfriend Reeva after she was shot dead in his home last month. He claims he shot her through a bathroom door thinking she was an intruder.
According to the documentary makers, Mentorn Media, police in Johannesburg have requested all records of phone calls and messages between Oscar and Reeva on the day she was killed. On Friday, lawyers for the sportsman filed an appeal against bail restrictions imposed on him by the court. They have argued that evidence has shown that the South African is not a flight risk and should, therefore, have the option to travel outside the country, provided he has official permission.