IDK but for Masipa to find it was not reasonably possibly true that OP could have in his paranoia believed there was an intruder is imo a big hurdle to surmount.
I don't understand what you mean when you say a man in OP's "position would have assumed it was Reeva" when there seems to be an inordinate amount of people in SA shooting family members in the dead of night believing them to be intruders, one around the same time as OP who shot his pregnant wife coming out of the bathroom.
Being a subjective test will make it more difficult for Masipa to set aside OP's claim so I believe she will find it is reasonably possibly true. That said I still believe OP will and should be found guilty of at least CH if not murder albeit maybe not of Reeva rather that he had intent to kill an intruder. Certainly I don't see how Masipa could believe it was reasonably possibly true that OP, after arming himself and rushing to "confront" the intruder (as stated during his testimony) on hearing a noise did not intend to kill the burglar only shoot at the door. JMO
About shootings...
The man who shot his pregnant wife pulled the trigger once. He then rushed her to hospital, called the police and gave a statement.
Oscar shot four times, called Stander first, never called the police, never gave a statement until they told him he wouldn't get bail without a statement. And his version of events is contradicted by several witnesses, himself included.
Another shooting I know of is a lady who was alone that night. She saw someone using a blow torch on the security gate. She shot twice. It turned out it was her husband. All the witnesses agree on what happened.
Oscar knew Reeva was there. Without even asking her where she was he shot at a closed door.
About "a man in his position:"
I live on a farm in the north of South Africa. Five families on neighboring farms have been attacked, brutally tortured and then horribly murdered. So I know what it means to live in fear. There is hardly a person in South Africa who has not experienced crime and violence in one way or another. We all live in fear.
So do I understand Oscar's fear? Yes. And no.
Yes, I understand his fear. We are all afraid. We live in a violent world. And no, I do not understand his fear. Because he did not live like a man who was afraid.
On the farm we have an alarm system and even the smallest child is trained to activate the alarm at the first signs of trouble.
Oscar never bothered to check if the alarm outside was working. On the farm we have burglar bars and security gates. A broken window is dangerous.
But Oscar took his time fixing his broken window. He has neither burglar bars nor security gates. On the farm the doors and security gates are always locked. Always.
Yet Oscar went to sleep with his door open knowing there was a ladder and that his dogs wouldn't hurt a fly. This is not how a man who lives in constant fear behaves. And I know that because I do live in constant fear of an intruder.
So I will say it again. For Oscar's paranoia to be believable, look at his house, his lifestyle and his actions. He did not live like a paranoid man in fear of his life. He lived like a predator, not prey.
More about a man in his position...
How do I explain this...You wake up and you hear a noise in the toilet. You know your daughter/lover/wife/mother is with you in the house. Without even asking who's there or calling your loved one's name, you fire four shots into the toilet. Even here on the farm where fear is always with you, you will not fire into the closed door of a toilet.
G.bng, is this what you wanted to know? Did I understand your questions?
