While the murder case of Oscar Pistorius continues to garner international attention, the paralympian’s brother, Carl Pistorius, is currently facing a murder trial as well.
Carl, Oscar’s older brother, is charged with culpable homicide for the death of a motorcyclist in 2008. After he made a court appearance Thursday, South African news sources report that the trial of the elder Pistorius will begin in March.
Pistorius’s laywers said, “Carl deeply regrets the accident.” They added that blood tests proved that he was not under the influence of alcohol at the time. They said the incident “was a tragic road accident after the deceased collided with Carl’s car.”
Carl Pistorius’ Twitter account was hacked earlier in the week, posting false information about his brother’s media availability. In an attempt to remove some of the overwhelming media attention on the family, Carl and his sister Aimee canceled their social media accounts, according to a family spokeswoman.
Oscar Pistorius was freed on $112,771 bail Friday, after the case judge decided that he would not be a flight risk. Bail hearings lasted four days, with prosecutors arguing that Pistorius’s account of Reeva Steenkamp’s death was faulty.
The 26-year-old sprinter told authorities he accidentally shot his girlfriend believing her to be a burglar. The defense also cited issues with the conduct of the case investigators as grounds for granting bail.
Hilton Botha, the case’s original lead investigator, was removed after it was revealed that he was facing attempted murder charges. Botha and two other South African police officers are accused of shooting at a taxi transporting seven citizens in 2011. Before he was removed, Botha testified in court that he believed Pistorius was guilty.
The African National Congress Women’s League criticized the decision to grant Pistorius bail, suggesting that he was “given special treatment” because of his celebrity status. Violence against women is considered rampant in the country, with women struggling to gain equal protection under the law.
“Some men in court … jumped up and celebrated the granting of bail as if they had won a trophy, forgetting that an innocent woman has lost her life,” spokeswoman Troy Martens said. “This is not the message men of this country, especially men with a degree of influence, should be sending to our youth.”
