Oscar Pistorius bailed over Reeva shooting
BLADE Runner Oscar Pistorius has been freed on bail over the killing of his girlfriend Reena Steenkamp.
Prosecutors had argued that Paralympian Pistorius was a flight risk and could skip the country if he was freed - but a magistrate disagreed.
Supporters could be heard saying “yes”, and members of the athlete’s family wept and appeared to pray after Chief Magistrate Desmond Nair announced his decision following a 90-minute speech to the court in Pretoria.
The sprinter has been bailed ahead of any possible trial over the alleged pre-meditated murder of Reeva.
Mr Nair, who previously described his task as “unenviable”, said there was no suggestion that Pistorius was a flight risk, he did not appear to have a propensity to violence, and there was no evidence that he would interfere with witnesses.
He said Pistorius had “reached out” in his affidavit describing what had happened, and - pausing before he delivered his final decision to the packed courtroom - said: “I come to the conclusion that the accused has made a case to be released on bail.”
Conditions of the bail include the athlete having to report twice a week to a local police station, to avoid his home and surrender his passport.
He was also ordered to hand over all of his firearms and told not to drink alcohol.
The case has been postponed until June 4th.
During the lengthy hearing, Pistorius was obviously emotional, sobbing as Mr Nair summed up the evidence the court has heard, including the Paralympian’s own account of what happened when he opened fire.
Pistorius's hands trembled when he said “good morning, your worship” as the hearing began today in South Africa's Pretoria Magistrates' Court.
His long-time coach Ampie Louw revealed before proceedings that he is considering putting his runner back in training if he is granted bail to allow him to “get his mind kind of clear”.
Louw said Pistorius, 26, is “heartbroken” by the death of 29-year-old Reeva.
Speaking outside court, Louw told reporters: “For me, it’s tough to see that. You cannot reach out, sit next to him and say sorry man, this is a terrible accident."
He said it was unlikely the sports star would flee, if given bail, adding: “He is not going to run nowhere so why not give the guy bail? He must stand trial, and let’s do that and get the truth out of it.”
The prosecution continued to sum up its case in the lengthy bail hearing today, after Pistorius’s defence argued yesterday he was too famous to flee if released on bail.
As the prosecutor continued summing up today, Pistorius stood with his head bowed, often visibly emotional in court.
He said Pistorius’s claim that he thought there was an intruder in the house last Friday was part of his planning
Mr Nel added that although Steenkamp’s murder might not have been planned days in advance, it was planned that night.
The prosecutor said the model locked herself in the bathroom either to escape an argument or to escape the gun.
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