Oscar Pistorius to be denied bail after being charged with girlfriend’s murder

Oscar Pistorius has been charged with the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp after he allegedly shot her dead. The neighbours of the Paralympian are reported to hear the shooting, which took place at his house. The police confirmed that Pistorius will appear in a Pretoria court on Thursday afternoon.

Reports state that there have been earlier incidents when the authorities have been called to the house of Pistorius citing reasons of domestic nature. The shooting is reported to be a self-defense act by the athlete, who mistakenly identified his girlfriend as an intruder. Recent reports suggest that Reeva Steenkamp was shot four times.

Pistorius is known as the ‘Blade Runner’ due to the use of his prosthetic limbs and is among the best paralympic athletes in the world. The South African athlete is the proud recipient of 2007 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Helen Rollason award, which celebrates outstanding courage and achievement in the face of adversity.

The multiple Paralympic gold medal winner also holds the distinction for being the first amputee athlete to take part in the Olympic Games. Pistorius was born without the fibula in both of his legs and when he was 11 months, his parents had to make the decision to have his legs amputated below the knee.

The bail of Oscar Pistorius in the shooting case will be denied according to a police spokeswoman, who also confirmed that there were no other suspects in the murder of Reeva Steenkamp. The family of the model and law graduate are devastated by the incident and condolence messages are streaming in on Twitter.

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