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Pistorius bail hearing to continue; lead investigator off case

- The Sports Network

Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013 | 08:32 AM

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The bail hearing for South African Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius was adjourned on Thursday and will continue Friday.

It's been a week since Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend at his home in the early morning hours of Valentine's Day. Prosecutors have charged the double-amputee runner with premeditated murder, while the defense has argued that Pistorius believed he was shooting an intruder in his bathroom and mistakenly killed Reeva Steenkamp.

The big news from Thursday was the removal of the lead police investigator, Hilton Botha.

After the defense poked holes in Botha's tactics and testimony on Wednesday, News 24 in South Africa reported Thursday that Botha was taken off the case after attempted murder charges in connection with a 2011 shooting incident were reinstated earlier this month.

According to News 24, Botha and two other officers allegedly fired shots at a taxi.

Pistorius said in an affidavit read in court Tuesday that Steenkamp was with him the night of the shooting. He said he heard a noise in the bathroom and, thinking it was an intruder, got his gun -- a 9-mm pistol he said he keeps under his bed. He said he fired shots through the door and told Steenkamp to call the police.

When he realized Steenkamp was not in bed with him, Pistorius thought it may have been her in the bathroom. He said he called paramedics and security officers in his building complex, and tried to carry her down the stairs for help. He said she died in his arms.

Pistorius, known as the "Blade Runner," made history at the London Olympics last year when he became the first double-amputee runner to compete in the Games.

The 26-year-old Pistorius had both legs amputated before he was a year old after being born without fibula bones and runs on prosthetic blades.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) had initially said that his prosthetics were considered technical aids and in violation of an IAAF rule. But the Court of Arbitration for Sport later overturned that decision, making him eligible to compete against able-bodied runners.

Pistorius qualified for South Africa's Olympic team in 2012 and competed in the 400-meter race, reaching the semifinals, and the 1,600-meter relay.


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