It was a dramatic opening to a case, which could see one of global sports’ most admired role models jailed for life
Browsing: Oscar Pistorius
The trial was delayed by more than an hour because a language interpreter who was required for the first witness had to be located.
Earlier, Pistorius arrived at the court and walked past hordes of reporters into the court
The trial, which has been compared to that of the OJ Simpson case in the United States 20 years ago, has led to the establishment in South Africa of a unique cable television channel dedicated to it
Medupi Simasiku, NPA spokesperson, was adamant that key evidence published in the media was not leaked by the authority
Pistorius shot Steenkamp dead on Valentine’s Day in what he said was an accident
He said the cell phone that was recovered from Pistorius, the South African paralympian, shortly after he shot dead his model girlfriend, is in the possession of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation
The additional charges related to incidents prior to the February shooting in which Pistorius was alleged to have fired a gun in a public space
Double-amputee Pistorius, 26, and known as “Blade Runner” for the prostheses he wears in competition, bowed his head and held hands in prayer with his brother, Carl, and sister, Aimee, before the brief hearing in a Pretoria court
Pistorius, 26, remained composed throughout the 10-minute hearing at the Pretoria Magistrates Court when he made his first formal public appearance since his release on bail in February
In the ruling that lasted two hours, Desmond Nair, the magistrate, said he could not find that it had been established that “the accused is a flight risk”
The 26-year-old is alleged to have shot his 30-year-old model girlfriend from Port Elizabeth in the head and upper body