PRETORIA – Oscar Pistorius’ application for bail will be strongly opposed by police in South Africa today after he was charged with murder following the death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp last week.
Pistorius has been held in a Pretoria police cell since Steenkamp was found shot dead at the Paralympic star’s home on Thursday.
The bail hearing comes on the day of the funeral for Steenkamp. The former model will be cremated in her home town of Port Elizabeth, 1100km away in a private ceremony for family and friends.
It also comes a day after one of the 26-year-old’s major sponsors, Nike, confirmed to Press Association Sport it had no plans to use him in future advertising campaigns.
Pistorius was remanded in custody after a hearing on Friday at which prosecutors said they intended to pursue a case of premeditated murder against the athlete – which means he could face a life sentence.
And they are set to strongly oppose a bid by Pistorius’ legal team for the Paralympic athlete to be granted bail at a court hearing later today.
Police swiftly distanced themselves from an initial suggestion that Pistorius may have mistaken his girlfriend for an intruder in what could have been a Valentine’s Day surprise gone wrong. They added that there had been previous incidents of a ‘domestic nature’ at Pistorius’s property.
His family has vowed to fight the murder charge in the ‘strongest terms’. Pistorius’s best friend claimed the sports star called him minutes after the shooting telling him ‘there has been a terrible accident’, according to the Sunday People.
Justin Divaris said: ‘It’s all very sad. Oscar called me at 3.55am saying that Reeva had been shot. It was very traumatic. By the time we got there it was already a crime scene and we weren’t allowed in the house.’
Pistorius’s father said he had ‘zero doubt’ Miss Steenkamp’s death was a tragic accident and that his son may have acted ‘on instinct’. Henke Pistorius said he believed the model was killed after being mistaken for an intruder at his son’s house.
He said: ‘When you are a sportsman, you act even more on instinct. It’s instinct – things happen and that’s what you do.’
Meanwhile Steenkamp’s mother has paid tribute to her daughter, describing her as the ‘most beautiful person who ever lived.’ Mrs Steenkamp told South African newspaper The Times: ‘She loved like no one else could love.
‘She had so much of herself to give and now all of it is gone. Just like that, she is gone … In the blink of an eye and a single breath, the most beautiful person who ever lived is no longer here.
‘All we have is this horrendous death to deal with … to get to grips with. All we want are answers … answers as to why this had to happen, why our beautiful daughter had to die like this.’ Daily Mail
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