Oscar Pistorius’ bail hearing descended into chaos Thursday as the lead
detective investigating the killing of the Olympian’s girlfriend was removed
from the case amid attempted murder charges of his own.
Warrant Officer
Hilton Botha is due to appear in court in May accused of opening fire
on a minibus taxi in 2011. Charges against him were originally withdrawn but
reinstated on Wednesday at the behest of the state prosecutor, police spokesman
Brigadier Neville Malila told Reuters.
The revelation, combined
with Botha’s struggle to answer key questions under cross-examination on
Wednesday, boosted the confidence of Pistorius’ defense lawyers and his family.
South African
investigating officer Hilton Botha, seen here at Oscar Pistorius’ bail hearing
on Tuesday.
“We’re going to
win,” one relative said as the family entered the courtroom at the start
of the third day of a hearing examining whether the double-amputee should get
bail. The sprinter is accused of the premeditated murder of model Reeva
Steenkamp, 29.
“We’re going in
the right direction,” one of Pistorius’ uncles added.
There was further
drama when an unidentified woman addressed the court, saying she wanted
Pistorius’ mental health to be examined. Her intervention was dismissed.
Later, there was a
brief adjournment because of an unspecified “threat” to the court
building.
The chaotic scenes
in court meant that a bail decision, which had been due on Thursday, was
postponed until Friday.
Dubbed the
“Blade Runner,” Pistorius maintains he fired into his locked bathroom
in a panic over a possible prowler. However, prosecutors say the 26-year-old
put on his artificial legs and stalked Steenkamp to the bathroom to kill her.
TODAY’s Professionals – Star Jones, Donny Deutsch, and Dr. Nancy Snyderman –
discuss the topics making headlines today, including whether Oscar Pistorius’
claims that his girlfriend’s shooting was accidental make sense given the
evidence.
Magistrate Desmond
Nair said police had showed a lack of urgency in obtaining phone records, and
asked Botha why he had given evidence in English rather than his first
language, Afrikaans.
After discussion of
the Botha revelations, lawyers from both sides began making their final
arguments.
Pistorius’ defense
lawyer referred to the “poor quality” of evidence gathered by police
and said there was no evidence that the sprinter had committed premeditated
murder.
He said Steenkamp
spending the night at Pistorius’ home was “consistent with a loving
relationship.”
A prosecution lawyer
called Pistorius’ account of Steenkamp’s death “improbable,” saying:
“The only reason you’d fire four shots is to kill.”
‘Stay
strong’
The lawyer said
the discovery of bullet cartridges in Pistorius’ bathroom suggested a
deliberate killing at close range.
At one stage,
Pistorius began sobbing and his brother, Carl, placed a hand on his back to
comfort him. He also whispered: “Stay strong.”
The prosecution
produced a magazine article in which Pistorius talked about having a house in
Italy, saying it was evidence that the athlete could easily skip bail and leave
South Africa.
Prosecutors also
raised the prospect that Pistorius might interfere with witnesses if released
on bail. The court heard that Pistorius allegedly tried to manipulate evidence
after a previous incident in which his gun was accidentally fired at a
restaurant.
Magistrate Nair
asked of there would be shock if Pistorius was released on bail. A defense
lawyer said there were be shock if the athlete was not released, referring to
apparent weaknesses in the prosecution case.
Botha, an
experienced detective, testified on Wednesday that a witness heard shouting for
an hour coming from the house shortly before the shooting.
Another witness
heard gunshots, saw lights on in the house, heard a woman screaming two or
three times, then heard another few shots, Botha said.
South African
Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius appears in court on Thursday.
But under
cross-examination, Botha admitted one of the witnesses was 1,000 feet away from
the house at the time.
Botha told the court
that needles and testosterone were found in the athlete’s bedroom.
Defense lawyer Barry
Roux disputed that claim, saying the substance was in fact a herbal remedy and
that police had misread the label. State prosecutor Gerrie Nel also had to
correct Botha when he initially called the substance “steroids.”
On the first day of
the hearing, prosecutors and the defense presented clashing accounts of how and
why Pistorius shot Steenkamp.
A court statement
from Pistorius denied “in the strongest terms” that he had
deliberately killed the 29-year-old Steenkamp, adding that the athlete was
“deeply in love” with her, according to Reuters.
“I had no
intention to kill my girlfriend,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, Nike on
Thursday said it had suspended its sponsorship of Pistorius.
“We believe Oscar
Pistorius should be afforded due process and we will continue to monitor the
situation closely,’” the sportswear company said in a statement.
