Oscar Pistorius appears in court charged with murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp
Paralympic superstar Oscar Pistorius has arrived in court where he will be charged with the murder of his girlfriend.
Last Updated: 15/02/13 9:55am
The sprinter, nicknamed the 'Blade Runner' because of the prosthetic limbs he uses, was arrested on Thursday after his girlfriend died from gunshot wounds at his house in Pretoria.
After his arrest police spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Katlego Mogale said: "The suspect that was arrested for the alleged shooting of a woman will appear at Pretoria Magistrates Court on a charge of murder."
Pistorius, 26, a 400m gold medallist at the London 2012 Paralympics and the first double amputee to compete at the Olympics, is alleged to have killed his 30-year-old model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Media reports in South Africa suggest Steenkamp's death may have been an accident following suspicions of a break in.
South Africa Police spokeswoman Brigadier Denise Beukes said however that those reports did not come from information provided by them.
"There was no sign of forced entry or persons who weren't supposed to be there at this stage," she said.
"The South African Police Service was surprised to hear allegations on the radio that the deceased had been perceived to be a burglar. The allegations did not come from us. The deceased was a friend of his."
"There are witnesses and they have also been interviewed this morning.
"We're talking about neighbours and people that heard things that happened earlier in the evening and when the shooting took place."
Forensic tests were continuing on the premises.
Police will oppose any bail application and said at this stage there is no other suspect involved.
Beukes added: "There were only two people on the premises: the resident and the deceased."
Brigadier Beukes said police were aware of previous incidents at the house where Pistorius lives.
She said: "I can't confirm that it's related to the person who has been arrested, but I can confirm there has previously been incidents at the home of Mr Oscar Pistorius."
Asked what they had been, Brigadier Beukes said they were "of allegations of a domestic nature".
Local media, quoted by Sky News, has reported that she was shot four times through a bathroom door.
Pistorius spent Thursday night in custody and was subject to blood-alcohol, DNA and other tests, as forensics experts continued to work at the crime scene at his home in an upmarket gated estate.
His lawyer Kenny Oldwage said his client was "very well, obviously emotional, but fine".