Prisma
14th February 2013, 14:17
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21459240
Oscar Pistorius faces murder charge
Police reveal there had been previous incidents at the address
Continue reading the main story (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21459240#story_continues_1) Oscar Pistorius arrest
South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius is facing a murder charge after his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was shot dead at his home in Pretoria.
Police confirmed that a friend of Mr Pistorius's was killed at his home in the early hours of Thursday morning.
They said a 26-year-old man was due in court, but this has been delayed until Friday. Police do not name suspects until they appear in court.
Mr Pistorius, 26, was the first double amputee to run in the Olympics.
The precise circumstances surrounding the incident are unclear. Some reports said that Mr Pistorius may have mistaken his girlfriend for an intruder.
...
Gun ownership is strictly regulated. Along with a series of background checks, the police need to be satisfied that you need a firearm before a licence is granted.
The key role of the police in deciding who can own guns has been criticised by many pro-gun groups. They are lobbying for the government to change its firearm laws.
But police said they were "surprised" to hear reports that the deceased had been mistaken for a burglar.
They added that there had been previous incidents at the address and described them as "allegations of a domestic nature". Police also said that they had been interviewing witnesses and that they would oppose any bail application.
Miss Steenkamp's publicist confirmed to the BBC that the 29-year-old model had died.
"Everyone who knew her is in tears. She was an absolute angel, the sweetest, sweetest human being, a kind human being," Sarit Tomlinson said.
The news that Mr Pistorius may have killed his girlfriend will shock the country as the athlete is regarded as one of South Africa's national icons, reports the BBC's Peter Biles from Cape Town.
...
The woman had been wounded in her head and upper body. Paramedics were at the house when police arrived, but she died at the scene. A 9mm pistol was recovered.
The athlete's home is in the secure up-market Silver Woods gated compound on the outskirts of Pretoria.
Known as the "blade runner", Mr Pistorius races wearing carbon fibre prosthetic blades after he was born without a fibula in both legs and had his legs amputated below the knee before his first birthday.
He reached the 400m semi-finals in the London 2012 Olympics. At the Paralympics he won silver in the T44 200m, gold in the 4x100 relay and gold in the T44 400m, setting a Paralympic record.
What a shocking story, at first it was believed to be a case of mistaken identity, but now it seems more apparent that it was an escalated case of domestic violence. It shows this kind of horrible thing can happen to anyone, some ignorant people say that domestic violence is a 'working class problem', but this sort of brutality is not owned by a class, it's a cancer on our whole gender and social relations.
Oscar Pistorius faces murder charge
Police reveal there had been previous incidents at the address
Continue reading the main story (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21459240#story_continues_1) Oscar Pistorius arrest
South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius is facing a murder charge after his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was shot dead at his home in Pretoria.
Police confirmed that a friend of Mr Pistorius's was killed at his home in the early hours of Thursday morning.
They said a 26-year-old man was due in court, but this has been delayed until Friday. Police do not name suspects until they appear in court.
Mr Pistorius, 26, was the first double amputee to run in the Olympics.
The precise circumstances surrounding the incident are unclear. Some reports said that Mr Pistorius may have mistaken his girlfriend for an intruder.
...
Gun ownership is strictly regulated. Along with a series of background checks, the police need to be satisfied that you need a firearm before a licence is granted.
The key role of the police in deciding who can own guns has been criticised by many pro-gun groups. They are lobbying for the government to change its firearm laws.
But police said they were "surprised" to hear reports that the deceased had been mistaken for a burglar.
They added that there had been previous incidents at the address and described them as "allegations of a domestic nature". Police also said that they had been interviewing witnesses and that they would oppose any bail application.
Miss Steenkamp's publicist confirmed to the BBC that the 29-year-old model had died.
"Everyone who knew her is in tears. She was an absolute angel, the sweetest, sweetest human being, a kind human being," Sarit Tomlinson said.
The news that Mr Pistorius may have killed his girlfriend will shock the country as the athlete is regarded as one of South Africa's national icons, reports the BBC's Peter Biles from Cape Town.
...
The woman had been wounded in her head and upper body. Paramedics were at the house when police arrived, but she died at the scene. A 9mm pistol was recovered.
The athlete's home is in the secure up-market Silver Woods gated compound on the outskirts of Pretoria.
Known as the "blade runner", Mr Pistorius races wearing carbon fibre prosthetic blades after he was born without a fibula in both legs and had his legs amputated below the knee before his first birthday.
He reached the 400m semi-finals in the London 2012 Olympics. At the Paralympics he won silver in the T44 200m, gold in the 4x100 relay and gold in the T44 400m, setting a Paralympic record.
What a shocking story, at first it was believed to be a case of mistaken identity, but now it seems more apparent that it was an escalated case of domestic violence. It shows this kind of horrible thing can happen to anyone, some ignorant people say that domestic violence is a 'working class problem', but this sort of brutality is not owned by a class, it's a cancer on our whole gender and social relations.