Pistorius lead detective faces attempted murder charges
22 Feb 2013 5:37 AM IST
The lead detective in the murder case against Oscar Pistorius is himself facing attempted murder charges, police announced on Thursday, dealing a further blow to the prosecution’s case against the star sprinter.
Police made the sensational announcement as Pistorius arrived for a third day of a bail hearing over the Valentine’s Day shooting of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, which prosecutors say was a premeditated killing and defence argues was an accident.
Lead detective Hilton Botha, whose testimony was challenged by defence attorneys on Wednesday, is facing seven attempted murder charges for shooting at a minibus taxi in 2009, police said.
‘We were only informed yesterday that attempted murder charges against Hilton Botha have been reinstated,’ police spokesman Neville Malila said, referring to the detective leading the investigation against Pistorius.
Pistorius’s lawyers tore into Botha’s police work during Wednesday’s hearing, undermining his witnesses and forcing him to agree that the Olympian’s version of events fitted the crime scene.‘It sounds consistent,’ Botha, a prosecution witness, told the court.
Pistorius vehemently denies the premeditated murder charges against him, claiming he mistook the 29-year-old covergirl for an intruder.
Police made the sensational announcement as Pistorius arrived for a third day of a bail hearing over the Valentine’s Day shooting of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, which prosecutors say was a premeditated killing and defence argues was an accident.
Lead detective Hilton Botha, whose testimony was challenged by defence attorneys on Wednesday, is facing seven attempted murder charges for shooting at a minibus taxi in 2009, police said.
‘We were only informed yesterday that attempted murder charges against Hilton Botha have been reinstated,’ police spokesman Neville Malila said, referring to the detective leading the investigation against Pistorius.
Pistorius’s lawyers tore into Botha’s police work during Wednesday’s hearing, undermining his witnesses and forcing him to agree that the Olympian’s version of events fitted the crime scene.‘It sounds consistent,’ Botha, a prosecution witness, told the court.
Pistorius vehemently denies the premeditated murder charges against him, claiming he mistook the 29-year-old covergirl for an intruder.
Next Story
