Oscar “Blade Runner” Pistorius was released on bail by a South African judge yesterday after a four-day bail hearing that served as a preliminary trial for the killing of his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp and illustrated the global media spectacle that the actual trial is sure to become.
Chief Magistrate Desmond Nair released Pistorius on bail with harsh restrictions. During an hour of commentary, Nair said he had deep doubts about the believability of Pistorius’ account of his actions leading up to shooting of Steenkamp.
Pistorius said he felt threatened and mistakenly thought Steenkamp was an intruder when he fired the four shots in his bathroom. But Nair wondered why he didn’t he try to locate his girlfriend on fearing an intruder was in the house. He also asked why he didn’t try to determine who was in the bathroom.
“Why would (Pistorius) venture further into danger?” Nair asked the courtroom.
“There are improbabilities which need to be explored,” he said.
As for the conditions of Pistorius’ bail, the financial requirements weren’t considered harsh, given the millions that Pistorius has made in endorsements and appearances: 1 million rand ($113,000), with $11,300 in cash up front and proof that the rest is available. But it is the other conditions Nair imposed that were rare. In addition to handing in his guns, Pistorius must be subject to constant supervision, which means, among other things, he will not be able to travel outside Pretoria without prior permission. He is not allowed to use alcohol or drugs, and is subject to testing for those substances, day or night. If he does drink, he could be subject to immediate arrest and detention for the duration of his trial. Pistorius was also warned against contacting any potential witnesses in the case, or committing any violent acts against a woman.
Nair said he gave Pistorius credit for giving such a detailed account of the incident.
“That reaching out in the affidavit, the way that he did, placing it before the court,” Nair said. “I come to the conclusion that the accused has made a case to be released on bail.”
The circus that swirled around the bail hearing was intensified by the revelation that lead investigator Detective Warrant Officer Hilton Botha faces seven charges, along with other officers, of attempted murder for shooting into an occupied bus while intoxicated in 2009. Botha was removed from the case Thursday and replaced with the nation’s top detective, Vinesh Moonoo, who stopped briefly by the hearing Friday.
Nair harshly rebuked Botha for “errors” and “blunders,” but the magistrate said one man does not represent an investigation. He said the state could not be expected to put all “the pieces of the puzzle” together in such a short time.
When the magistrate issued his ruling, Pistorius’ supporters shouted “Yes!”
“We are relieved at the fact that Oscar got bail today but at the same time we are in mourning for the death of Reeva with her family,” said Pistorius’ uncle, Arnold Pistorius. “As a family, we know Oscar’s version of what happened on that tragic night and we know that that is the truth and that will prevail in the coming court case.”
“It doesn’t make any difference to the fact that we are without Reeva,” Sharon Steenkamp, Reeva’s cousin, told The Associated Press after the bail announcement.
Pistorius’ longtime coach Ampie Louw said he hoped to put his runner back into his morning and afternoon training routine if he got bail.
“The sooner he can start working the better,” said Louw, the person who convinced the double amputee to take up track as a teenager a decade ago.
