Taylor-Memmory speaks on Oscar Pistorius
Cassidy Taylor-Memmory talks exclusively with EWN about her violent run-in with Oscar Pistorius.
JOHANNESBURG - Blogger Cassidy Taylor-Memmory spoke to EWN's Mandy Wiener about her out-of-court settlement with murder accused Oscar Pistorius. Below is a transcript of the interview.
MW: Can you talk me through the events of what happened on the night of the incident?
CTM: On the 12th of September 2009, I attended a party at Oscar's house. He was dating a friend of mine and it was the second time I had met him. I, along with two other friends, arrived late as we had been at our part-time student jobs. The party was held out in his garden and I sat with my girlfriends. During the night, Oscar and Melissa had a fight. This led to Oscar asking all of Melissa's friends to leave (using vulgar language) which included myself. I had left my handbag in the garden where we all had been sitting and needed to get back into his property to fetch it (we had all gone outside with Melissa). As I approached his large outside doors, Oscar was furiously trying to close them. He started to punch the door and that is when one of the top panels fell and hit my left leg. Six weeks prior to the party my plaster cast had just come off after having reconstructive surgery on my left ankle. After this happened I went to tell Oscar that he had hurt me, to which he replied "well go call your f**king lawyer".
MW: What did you think of OP's behaviour?
CTM: I thought it was aggressive and unreasonable.
MW: Did this surprise you? Had he shown any previous volatile behaviour while he was dating Melissa?
CTM:Yes it did. Not that I knew of.
MW: Why did you choose to go to the police and open a case?
CTM: After the incident at Oscar's house I arrived home and was hysterically crying. Like any loving parents would do, my parents wanted to protect me and my mom and felt it was best to let the police deal with the matter and for them to decide what should be done. The police saw the cut on my leg and they thought it would be best to open a case of assault against Oscar.
MW: He claims you were drunk. Were you?
CTM: I was most certainly not drunk! The police who interviewed me after the incident never asked to test me for alcohol.
MW: There were also suggestions from his camp that you were chasing the money and the fame?
CTM: That is incorrect. All I wanted was an apology from Oscar and the settlement of the legal fees. I have never made a public appearance or even approached the media about it.
MW: What kind of treatment were you subjected to after the incident?
CTM: I was utterly harassed. I was harassed by the media as well as the public. I received hate mail on a daily basis. People who didn't know me from a bar of soap were calling me the most horrific names. It became so difficult at a stage that I needed a bodyguard when I went out in public due to all the hate rants.
MW: Did you expect the matter to drag out for as long as it did?
CTM: No, definitely not. I would never have thought that I would still be dealing with all of this to this day.
MW: How was it ultimately resolved and how do you feel about it now?
CTM: Oscar eventually dropped his case against me, but I didn't drop mine against him. It has ultimately been resolved through a settlement in December 2013. Some days I wish I had never gone through with it all, but I stood up for myself, which was extremely difficult, especially when you feel like the whole country is against you. But I'm proud of the fact that I never backed down and I learned that you should always stand up for what is right, even when you stand alone.
MW: Would you say what the settlement was and why you agreed to it?
CTM: Oscar settled the legal fees but I did not receive an apology. I agreed to it because I was so tired of it weighing me down, I wanted to put this incident behind me.
MW: What was your reaction when you heard about Reeva being shot?
CTM: I was shocked and once I learned more about it, I was heartbroken for all of those who had lost Reeva.
MW: Does this murder case surprise you considering OP's behaviour in the past?
CTM: I don't wish to answer.
MW: How did OP's family behave towards you during this process?
CTM: I don't wish to answer.
