Oscar Pistorius: leaked photos show crime scene for first time
Graphic photographs of the bathroom where Oscar Pistorius shot dead his model girlfriend have been leaked, showing a bloody trail through the house, and an envelope addressed to 'Ozzy', her nickname Graphic photographs of the bathroom where Oscar Pistorius shot dead his model girlfriend have been leaked, showing a bloody trail through the house Photo: SKY NEWS EXCLUSIVEfor the Olympic star.
Blood is pooled inside the bathroom where Reeva Steenkamp was shot, and drops are scattered on walls, stairs and a sofa, leaving a macabre trail tracing Pistorius' journey as he carried her lifeless body downstairs.
Police tape is seen marking two bullet holes below the doorknob at Mr Pistorius' upscale Pretoria home, and a missing door panel.
It is not clear if the images, which were originally leaked to Sky News, are official police photographs. They also appear to show police bootprints among the blood.
Oscar Pistorius (main) appears in court, where he was charged with the killing of Reeva Steenkamp (top right) at his Pretoria home (bottom right) in February.
Miss Steenkamp was shot four times on Valentine’s Day at Mr Pistorius’ Pretoria home. The sprinter, who had been hailed as a hero in his native South Africa after he became the first double amputee to race in the Olympics in 2012, has been charged with her murder.
Mr Pistorius has said he mistook his girlfriend of three months for an intruder and shot her through a locked bathroom door. He said he was not wearing his prosthetic legs when he shot her, and so was only standing on his stumps.
He claimed he battered through the door with a cricket bat.
The prosecution argues her death was premeditated.
He will appear next week in a Pretoria court for a hearing that is likely to end in a postponement. South African officials have said the police investigation will not be completed until August.
A spokesman for the National Prosecuting Authority told The Daily Telegraph that the photographs would not affect the state’s case against the runner.
“No,” she said. “NPA will deal with such issues in court.”
A police spokesman was quoted in The Times as saying that the photogarphs were a “deliberate tactic” that investigators did not want to be distracted by.
Anneliese Burgess, a spokesman for a PR agency that works with the Pistorius family, said the photos came as a shock and that the family had not yet discussed how they might respond.
Defence lawyer Kenny Oldwage told The Daily Telegraph that the legal team was discussing the matter, and that he had yet to see the photos.
“Obviously we need to consider our position before we comment,” he said.
Brian Webber, one of Mr Pistorius’s lawyers, told South Africa’s Eyewitness News that the images were “very distressing”, adding that the defence had requested the images five times but that this was the first time they had seen them.
Mr Pistorius has said he and Steenkamp had a serious relationship and were deeply in love. One of the photos, which stands out for its absence of blood, appears to show an envelope and a bag of pink, heart-shaped candies.
The envelope is addressed to “Ozzy” - Steenkamp’s nickname for Pistorius - in what appears to be her handwriting
