Pistorius defence team lashes out over images

DPA/Cape Town

Lawyers for Oscar Pistorius, the South African Paralympic athlete charged with the murder of his girlfriend, have lashed out over the publication of photos of the crime scene by a British broadcaster, according to media reports yesterday.

The images showing the bloodstained bathroom where the double-amputee Blade Runner shot Reeva Steenkamp on February 14 were leaked to broadcaster Sky News and televised Friday.

“This is a terrible invasion of privacy, seeing that blood. A woman died here,” attorney Barry Webber told the Weekend Argus newspaper.

Pistorius, who said he shot Steenkamp in the bathroom of his Pretoria home thinking she was an intruder, was charged with premeditated murder and released on bail.

He and the model had been dating for just a few months before the incident, which stunned and outraged South Africans, who considered him a national hero.

Pistorius is due to appear in court on Tuesday and expected to stand trial later this year.

State prosecutors said have no idea how the broadcaster obtained the images, while Sky News has said it would not reveal its source and did not pay for the images, the Weekend Argus reported.