In the early hours of Sunday, 13 July, The Juice heard from numerous reliable sources that Oscar Pistorius has been involved in a nasty altercation at The VIP Room nightclub, in Sandton. Here’s what we’ve been told by the parties concerned: 
 
 JARED MORTIMER’S VERSION OF EVENTS: 
 
 It’s been confirmed that Oscar Pistorius had an argument with Jared Mortimer – a fellow club-goer on the night. Although it was the first time they had both met, the two had a lot in common. Jared, friends with Mark Batchelor (who has notoriously had previous conflict with Oscar) claims Oscar was in the vip area of the club, when he entered after recognising one of his mates. “My friend was there with Oscar and introduced us.” 
 
 Jared says the conversation was cordial at first, with the two establishing that they knew each other and their friends were on opposing sides. “He brought up one of my friends who I don’t want to mention. He started talking shit about him and how much dirt he has on him,” Jared told The Juice. 
 
 Jared admits he was irked by Oscar’s ‘arrogant’ stance on his mate. “He was saying he had my friend’s bank statements and a list of transactions. He then went on about how his friends had stabbed him in the back and he mentioned Justin Divaris and Darren Fresco.” 
 
 Jared says things got tense after Oscar bad-mouthed his mate and after a round of tequila’s was ordered, he refused to drink them, saying he wasn’t got to ‘sit around and listen to him (Oscar) bad-mouth his mate.’ When he got up to leave, Jared claims Oscar started poking him in the chest. ‘He pulled my neck to talk in my ear – but very aggressively. He said ‘I would never get the better of him.’ ” 
 
 That’s when Jared says things got ugly. He says that he pushed Oscar, who fell down on a chair. He claims bouncers, who were watching, stepped-in and Oscar immediately left. But that’s not all. While Jared admits that he had had a few drinks, he clearly remembers Oscar boasting about his powerful family. “He took out his phone to show me pictures of armoured cars. He was talking about how rich his family is and how powerful they are. He said ‘My family owns the SANDF. Zuma works for us. I’ll piss on Zuma.” He says Oscar was ‘wasted, drinking tequila’s and was aggressive.’ 
 
 Numerous sources who were there on the night have confirmed Jared’s version of events. It’s believed that after the altercation between Jared and Oscar, Oscar was then involved in another altercation with someone else at the club. It was then that bodyguards asked him to leave. Oscar’s version of what happened is completely different… 
 
 OSCAR PISTORIOUS’ VERSION OF EVENTS: 
 
 Oscar’s spokesperson, Anneliese Burgess disputes the above version of events. She told The Juice that Oscar was there on a quite night out with his cousin. Here is the full statement: 
 
 “We can confirm that Oscar was at a night club with one of his cousins. They sat in a quiet area of the private VIP section when they were approached by the individual you have identified as Mr Mortimer. The individual in question, according to our client, started to aggressively engage him on matters relating to the trial. An argument ensued during which our client asked to be left alone. Oscar left soon thereafter with his cousin. Our client regrets the decision to go into a public place and thereby inviting unwelcome attention.” 
 
 Meanwhile, other club-goers on the night tweeted about the incident. They say they saw Oscar on the night. In addition, there are reports that Oscar was not only with his cousin, but with Guil Yahav. If you remember, Guil was implicated in the murder of Patrick Caetano back in 2002.Guil is the person who Jared recognised and who introduced him to Oscar. 
 
 Check it out: ||||| Supplied Jared Mortimer was in the VIP section of The VIP Room, an upmarket club in the Michaelangelo Towers Mall, on Saturday when he met Pistorius. 
 
 Johannesburg - An allegedly drunk Oscar Pistorius was involved in an altercation with a Joburg businessman at an upmarket Sandton club after the “Blade Runner” made disparaging comments about his friends and insulted President Jacob Zuma’s family. 
 
 Just a few hours later, Pistorius broke his five-month Twitter silence by posting three photos which were laced with religious and motivational messages. 
 
 Jared Mortimer was in the VIP section of The VIP Room, an upmarket club in the Michaelangelo Towers Mall, on Saturday when he met Pistorius. 
 
 The club hosted an exclusive birthday party event called the Superhero Squad, which featured Pretty Filthy, a DJ, and Byron Ryan. Many of the clubbers wore superhero costumes. 
 
 Mortimer told The Star on Monday that curtains in the VIP section were drawn so that nobody could see Pistorius was there. 
 
 He said he was introduced to Pistorius by Guil Yahav, a former bouncer turned professional poker player who made headlines in 2002 for his role in a vicious murder. He was implicated in the killing of another bouncer, Patrick Caetano, and was eventually fined R10 000 for serious assault. 
 
 Mortimer said Yahav asked him if he knew Pistorius. “Oscar said to me ‘oh you are the notorious Jared Mortimer’. I had an issue with one of Oscar’s friends about three years ago. He must have known me because of that,” Mortimer said. 
 
 He said the two of them began talking about the people they knew and Pistorius told him that he had been “screwed over” by his (Mortimer’s) friends. “He mentioned photos that were used in the trial. I said I didn’t know them because I hadn’t followed the trial that closely,” Mortimer said. 
 
 “Then he started talking about some of my friends and he said he had statements and evidence that would get my friends into trouble. But he wouldn’t use it because he wasn’t that kind of person. He was drunk, but not bad. We were drinking tequila and I still remember putting down my drink and thinking I couldn’t drink it while my friends were being spoken of like that,” Mortimer said. 
 
 In his original bail conditions, Pistorius had to be supervised at all times and was not allowed to drink. But he appealed the conditions and these were relaxed, including the ban on alcohol. 
 
 Mortimer said the conversation went on to contracts Pistorius said he was working on, at which point he allegedly insulted Zuma’s family. 
 
 “I took that personally because I am very good friends with a member of the Zuma family,” he said. 
 
 Mortimer said Pistorius started poking him in the chest and was forceful. “He was poking me and saying that I would never get the better of him. He was close to my face and at that point I pushed him to get him away from me. A chair was behind his legs and he fell to the ground,” Mortimer said. 
 
 He said bouncers helped pick Pistorius up. “A little bit later he had a confrontation with another man and the bouncers were asked to please remove him because he was causing trouble,” Mortimer said. 
 
 Three other people who were at the party corraborated Mortimer’s allegations. They asked to remain anonymous. 
 
 Pistorius family spokeswoman Anneliese Burgess confirmed Pistorius was at the club with one of his cousins and that he was involved in an argument. 
 
 “They sat in a quiet area of the private VIP section when they were approached by the individual you have identified as Mr Mortimer. 
 
 “The individual in question, according to my client, started to aggressively engage him on matters relating to the trial. An argument ensued during which (Pistorius) asked to be left alone. Oscar left soon thereafter with his cousin. Our client regrets the decision to go into a public place and thereby inviting unwelcome attention,” said Burgess. 
 
 After sending several SMSes and phone calls, the owner of the VIP Room Chris Coutroulis said he was overseas and waiting for a report from his managers on the incident. 
 
 Mortimer claimed Pistorius tried to call him on Sunday morning but he ignored the calls. It was the same day that Pistorius tweeted three pictures. 
 
 A man who was in the club, who spoke to The Star on condition of anonymity, said he was walking down the stairs with a friend when he saw a scuffle near the VIP section. “I said to my friend ‘check over there, there’s a fight’,” the man said. 
 
 He said he saw people holding men apart. “I recognised Mortimer,” he said. 
 
 The man said he and his friend stood and watched when the other man who he described as “flat-out drunk” and wearing a straight peak cap came towards them. 
 
 “He came up to us and pulled zap signs in our faces. That’s when I realised it was Pistorius.” 
 
 He said Pistorius left the club with an entourage of people. 
 
 angelique.serrao@inl.co.za 
 
 The Star 
 
 Related Stories ||||| Oscar Pistorius, the Paralympic athlete currently on trial in South Africa for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, got into a fight in a nightclub on Saturday evening with a man who "aggressively engaged" him about the case. 
 
 The 27-year-old athlete's spokeswoman confirmed the altercation took place but insisted Pistorius had been sitting quietly in the VIP section of the club, in the upmarket district of Sandton in Johannesburg, when he was approached. 
 
 The man, named by South African news website The Juice as Jared Mortimer, claimed Pistorius was "drunk and very aggressive" and poked him in the chest while telling him "you'll never get the better of me". Mr Mortimer told The Juice he then pushed Pistorius, who fell over into a chair, at which point bouncers at the VIP Room intervened and the athlete left the nightclub. 
 
 Pistorius also insulted the family of the South African president, Jacob Zuma, upsetting Mr Mortimer, who is a friend of a member of Mr Zuma's family, according to Johannesburg's The Star newspaper. 
 
 The incident comes just days after Pistorius's trial for the murder of Steenkamp adjourned following the close of the defence case. The case will resume on August 7 for closing arguments, before the judge announces her verdict, which could carry a life sentence, on a date yet to be set. 
 
 The athlete shot Steenkamp through a locked lavatory door at his home in Pretoria on St Valentine's Day last year but claims he believed she was an intruder. The prosecution say he did so after an argument. 
 
 He has rarely been seen in public since shortly after the shooting when a visit to a restaurant in Johannesburg brought accusations that he had been "downing drinks and flirting with women". 
 
 During the trial, the court heard extracts of a psychologist's report which found the athlete suffered from post-traumatic stress and severe depression since the incident. 
 
 Psychologist Melissa Fernihough said Pistorius reported having become "a totally different person", who preferred to "isolate himself" and stay at home rather than see friends. 
 
 "He admitted that since the incident in question, he avoids socialising because of his low mood, his trial and the media scrutiny surrounding him," wrote in her report. 
 
 Anneliese Burgess, a spokeswoman for Pistorius, confirmed he was at VIP Room with one of his cousins. 
 
 "They sat in a quiet area of the private VIP section when they were approached by the individual," she said. 
 
 "The individual in question, according to our client, started to aggressively engage him on matters relating to the trial. An argument ensued during which our client asked to be left alone. Oscar left soon thereafter with his cousin. Our client regrets the decision to go into a public place and thereby inviting unwelcome attention." 
 
 Mr Mortimer told The Juice he was introduced to Pistorius by a mutual friend, and that the athlete brought up Darren Fresco, a former friend who gave evidence for the prosecution at his trial about how he once fired a gun through a car sunroof during a day out. 
 
 "Oscar knew one of my friends and said, 'Oh, you are the infamous Jared Mortimer'," he told the website. "He immediately started talking about his friends and how they had backstabbed him. He mentioned Darren Fresco. 
 
 "He was going on about how influential his family is and how connected they are. He even pulled out his phone to show me pictures of armoured cars." 
 
 Mr Mortimer told the news website Pistorius poked him in the chest several times. "He said you'll never get the better of me. I'll always get the better of you," he is quoted as telling the publication. 
 
 South African news site Eyewitness News (EWN) reported that Mr Mortimer claimed Pistorius was drunk and had insulted him and his friends before poking him in the chest. 
 
 Mr Mortimer said he pushed Pistorius and he fell backwards on his feet and on to a chair. 
 
 According to EWN, bouncers intervened and stopped the brawl. 
 
 But officials from the club have denied the incident. 
 
 Spokesman Perry Mermigas admitted that Pistorius was at the club but said nothing out of the ordinary happened. 
 
 "We are not aware of this," Mr Mermigas told Sapa. 
 
 "(Pistorius) was there but there was no altercation and if there had been, we would have known about it," he said. 
 
 On Sunday, hours after the incident, the athlete broke his long silence on Twitter to post quotations from the bible and pictures of himself with disabled children. 
 
 The first tweet to appear on the account was an image of a section from Psalms 34:18 reading: "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted". 
 
 The second was a collage of photographs of the athlete with disabled children, with an accompanying message that read: "You have the ability to make a difference in someone's life." 
 
 The third was an excerpt from the memoir of a survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp who finds solace in his "utter desolation" by contemplating a picture of his "beloved". 
 
 On Monday morning, Pistorius posted another tweet to his 353,000 followers which showed the message "Lord I ask today that you bathe those who live in pain in the river of your healing" on the background of a misty river at dawn.
– Getting into a drunken fight at a nightclub is probably pretty high on the list of Things Not to Do During Your Murder Trial, yet that's what Oscar Pistorius did on Saturday night. Pistorius' rep confirms there was an altercation, but says Pistorius was minding his own business in the VIP section of the Johannesburg club when he was approached by a man who "aggressively engaged" him about the Reeva Steenkamp case, the Telegraph reports. Pistorius' rep also says the athlete "regrets the decision to go into a public place and thereby inviting unwelcome attention." The man in question, Jared Mortimer, tells South African gossip website The Juice that a mutual friend introduced the two men, and that conversation was at first cordial, until Pistorius started "talking s---" about one of Mortimer's friends. When an angry Mortimer got up to leave, he claims Pistorius started poking him in the chest and then "pulled my neck to talk in my ear—but very aggressively. He said 'I would never get the better of him.'" Mortimer says he pushed a "wasted" and "aggressive" Pistorius, and the athlete fell into a chair; then bouncers intervened. Pistorius was asked to leave after getting in a second confrontation with another man, Mortimer tells the Star. Hours later, Pistorius tweeted for the first time in five months, quoting, among other things, a Holocaust survivor.