PRETORIA — In a case that has drawn fascination across the globe, the disgraced Paralympic and Olympic track star Oscar Pistorius, accused of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, returned to court here on Tuesday for a procedural hearing, his first appearance since he was granted bail in February.
Mr. Pistorius, a double amputee runner once seen as a model of triumph over adversity, has denied the prosecution's charge of premeditated murder in the shooting of Ms. Steenkamp, whose body was found in a locked bathroom at his home in a gated compound in Pretoria, the South African capital, in the early hours of Feb. 14.
Defense lawyers depicted the shooting as a tragic accident in which Mr. Pistorius, 26, believed an intruder had entered his home. Ms. Steenkamp, 29, a model and a law school graduate, was spending the night there. According to defense testimony so far, the South African athlete opened fire through a locked bathroom door, not realizing Ms. Steenkamp was on the other side. She was hit by at least three bullets.
As he appeared in court on Tuesday, prosecutors asked for a postponement of the case until August 19 and the defense agreed. The grounds for the postponement were not immediately made public.
On Feb. 22, a magistrate set unusually tight bail restrictions that were eased in late March.
At that time, the prosecution had argued that Mr. Pistorius should not get bail because he could flee the country and had a history of violence. But in February, a Pretoria magistrate, Desmond Nair, rejected these arguments, saying that Mr. Pistorius did not represent a flight risk and was not likely to interfere with state witnesses.
But he imposed strict conditions on the $110,000 bail, forbidding Mr. Pistorius from traveling abroad and from drinking alcohol. He was also told he was not allowed to visit his home, where the shooting took place, and was required to ask permission to leave Pretoria.
In late March, Judge Bert Bam said the restrictions imposed by the magistrate were unfair and unwarranted. Judge Bam said Mr. Pistorius was "entitled to use his passport to travel outside" South Africa and no longer needed to report to a probation officer.
04 Jun, 2013
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Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNFJqOvl_aDeUSWmH0akqXLa7_3P0A&url=http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/05/world/africa/oscar-pistorius-trial.html
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