Judge says Pistorius should face charge of "premeditated murder", making bail unlikely

http://www.euronews.com/ Details of the killing of Reeva Steenkamp have energed from the ongoing bail hearing of Oscar Pistorius in Johannesburg.

The Paralympic running star is accused of her murder, which he denies. His defence lawyer is claiming Pistorius believed he was defending himself against a burglar.

Pistorius is facing jail until his trial, as the judge has ruled he faces charges of premeditated murder, for which bail is unlikely to be granted, although he has reserved the right to overturn this at the end of the hearing if the defence can prove there were "exceptional circumstances".

The prosecution says it is now more convinced than before that it was a premeditated act, citing neighbour's accounts of a disturbance earlier in the evening. Police say Steenkamp arrived sometime before 6 pm, and an overnight bag was found at the house.

The prosecution says she got up and locked herself in the toilet at around 3 am. Pistorius then got up, attached his prosthetic legs, walked to the toilet and fired four times through the door. He then broke down the door, and carried the body downstairs.

It added it had statements from Steenkamp's friends that she said she wanted to leave Pistorius, felt "scared", and was receiving "messages".

Steenkamp was cremated today at an emotional private ceremony.


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