A sobbing, shaking breakdown: Pistorius weeps as he faces court charged with murder of model girlfriend Steenkamp and will spend the weekend in police cell
- Pistorius has arrived at the Pretoria Magistrates Court
- His girlfriend was allegedly shot four times through the bathroom door
- Sprinter cried uncontrollably in the dock as the murder charge was read out
- Incident happened at his Pretoria mansion, north of Johannesburg
- Dead woman is former FHM model Reeva Steenkamp
- She was shot several times in the head and hand
- Celebrated sprinter spent the night in a police cell before the hearing
By RIK SHARMA
Oscar Pistorius wept uncontrollably in the dock as his charge for the murder of model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was read out.
He seemed to break down during the hearing, almost bent over double, sobbing and shaking.
The judge mentioned premeditated murder, which is a more serious charge and Pistorius will be kept at Brookyln police station until Tuesday or Wednesday, when he has his 'application for bail' hearing.
The South African Olympics and Paralympic star arrived at the Pretoria Magistrates Court in the back of a police vehicle, hiding his face with a jacket and a notepad.
Breakdown: Oscar Pistorius wept uncontrollably in court as the charge was read out
On the way to court: Pistorius pictured leaving the police station on Friday morning
Weapon: A police officer holds a gun that was allegedly used in the shooting of Steenkamp
Pistorius arrived at court not wearing a belt or tie - they were carried in for him by somebody else.
It has been claimed that 29-year-old FHM model Steenkamp was shot four times through a bathroom door at Pistorius's home.
A 9mm pistol was recovered from the scene.
In court his father, Henke, leaned forward and placed a hand on the runner's back as he sobbed.
VIDEO: Pistorius arrives at South African court charged with murder
Crowded: A shot from inside the packed Pretoria courtroom
Early start: Pistorius arriving at court in South Africa charged with the murder of his girlfriend
Pistorius arrives at court
Pistorius's history
November 1986 Born without the fibula, the bone that connects the knee to the ankle, in each leg. Has both legs amputated below the knee before his first birthday.
January 2004 Takes up athletics, initially to recover from a rugby injury.
June 2004 Receives his first pair of Ossur Flex-Foot Cheetah legs, Pistorius’ blades.
August 2004 Wins gold and bronze in the T44 200m and 100m at the Paralympics in Athens.
July 2007 Competes for the first time internationally against able-bodied athletes in Rome.
November 2007 Undergoes clinical tests and is then banned from IAAF competition. The organisation say Pistorius’ blades give him an unfair advantage.
May 2008 The Court of Arbitration for Sport over-rules the IAAF decision.
September 2008 Misses qualification for the Olympics by 0.7secs, but wins three golds at the Paralympics in Beijing.
January 2011 Wins three IPC world titles but loses for the first time in seven years over 100m.
August 2011 Qualifies for the IAAF World Championships in Daegu. Wins silver in the 4x400m relay, but misses out on a place in South Africa’s team for the final.
August 2012 Becomes the first double amputee to run at the Olympic Games, reaching the semi-finals of the 400m and the final of the 4x400m. Carries the South African flag at the Paralympic Opening Ceremony and then wins a silver and two gold medals in the 200m, 400m and 4x100m relay.
February 2013 Charged with murder after his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, is shot dead.
Pistorius's advocate said his client was in an 'extreme traumatised state of mind' and does not want the trial televised. The court agreed and it will not be shown.
Filming and photography is allowed in court before the session starts. Audio recording of the judgement will be permitted.
As well as his father, the 26-year-old's brother Carl and sister Aimee are in the front row in a heaving court room. Henke said Pistorius was 'sad' following the shooting.
He told SABC radio news: 'I don't know the facts. If anyone makes a statement, it will have to be Oscar. He's sad at the moment.'
The couple had been dubbed the Posh and Becks of South Africa.
The defence is expected to argue that gold-medallist Pistorius is not a flight risk and should be bailed.
The hearing came after a two-hour delay while Pistorius' lawyers objected to the scrum of local and international reporters packed into the courtroom.
Pretoria chief magistrate Desmond Nair told him: 'Take it easy. Come take a seat.'
Forensic experts are expected to continue examining the house in the upmarket Silver Woods gated community.
Court officials tried to get people in court to turn their phones off - thereby preventing tweeting - but the order was relaxed.
Near the home, people who knew Pistorius recalled a much-loved local hero.
'Some of us were in tears,' said Precious, who works at a petrol station where Pistorius used to fill up his McLaren supercar, signing autographs and picking up the tab for people in the convenience store.
'He was just so kind to everyone,' Precious said.
Initial reports suggested the model may have been mistaken for a burglar, but Brigadier Denise Beukes later said police were 'very surprised' by that suggestion, adding: 'These allegations did not come from us.'
There had been previous incidents of a 'domestic nature' at the property on the exclusive, gated Silver Lakes Golf Estate in the South African capital Pretoria, she added. A 9mm pistol was recovered.
Police spokeswoman Lt Col Katlego Mogale said: 'Paramedics declared the woman dead on the scene and police proceeded with their investigation.
'The woman sustained wounds to her head and the upper body.'
Police said an application for bail by Pistorius's lawyer Kenny Oldwage would be opposed when he appears in court.
Dressed in a grey hooded jacket, tracksuit trousers and trainers, Pistorius walked with head bowed from the Boschkop police station yesterday before being taken to Pretoria's Mamelodi Day Hospital in a police convoy.
Brig Beukes said the medical examination was 'standard procedure'.
Charged: Pistorius, his head lowered and face covered, leaves the Boschkop police station in Pretoria for a blood test at hospital prior to being taken to court
Murder suspect: Olympic and Paralympic star Pistorius, with Steenkamp (left) who was shot dead yesterday
Last photo: Pistorius and girlfriend Steenkamp pose for a picture in Johannesburg last Thursday
Ominous: The Paralympic sprinter posted this message on Twitter on November 27
Pistorius's spokesman, from the Fast Track agency in London, said he was 'assisting the police with their investigations' but no further comment could be made until matters became clearer.
Initial rumours suggested the shooting may have been a Valentine's Day surprise gone wrong.
The couple had only been going out since November.
Miss Steenkamp, a model and law graduate, tweeted the day before Valentine's Day: 'What do you have up your sleeve for your love tomorrow??? #getexcited #ValentinesDay.'
Pistorius appeared to have serious concerns about his safety and was said to sleep with a revolver by his side.
Incident: Pistorius is believed to have shot dead his girlfriend Steenkamp, 29, a former FHM model, pictured together on January 26 in Johannesburg
Star: Pistorius was arrested yesterday morning accused of having shot his girlfriend in the head and arm, killing her
Sportsmail's Jonathan McEvoy interviewed him last summer and noted: 'This being South Africa, one baseball bat and one cricket bat lie behind Pistorius's bedroom door.
'A revolver is at his bedside. A machine gun by his window.'
The athlete made history at the London 2012 Olympics becoming the first amputee sprinter to compete in the able-bodied Games, running in the 400m and 4x400m relay.
Beauty: A modelling photo used in Steenkamp's portfolio. Taylor said that she 'touched many lives and was headed for stardom'
The star was born without fibulas and underwent below-the-knee amputations at just 11 months old.
He had to win a legal battle over his blades with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in 2008 for the right to compete in able-bodied competition.
Pistorius's father said his son was 'sad' following the shooting.
Henke Pistorius told SABC radio news: 'I don't know the facts. If anyone makes a statement, it will have to be Oscar. He's sad at the moment.'
Couple: Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp had been dating for a few months after meeting at a South African awards ceremony
Message: Reeva went on to Twitter to say how excited she was about Valentine's Day
The couple were dubbed the Posh and Becks of South Africa.
On her Twitter biography, Miss Steenkamp described herself as a 'Model, Cover Girl, Tropika Island Of Treasure Celeb Contestant, Law Graduate, Child of God'.
Tropika island Of Treasure is a TV show she was due to appear on this weekend.
Model: Reeva Steenkamp had been seeing Oscar since November but had forged her own successful career in South Africa
Famous: The 29-year-old has 3,000 followers on Twitter and is a law graduate from Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Last appearance: Steenkamp was photographed at the Virgin Active Sports Industry Awards in Johannesburg a week ago (left) and was often showing her own snaps on Twitter
Miss Steenkamp's publicist Sarit Tomlinson paid tribute to her, saying she was 'the sweetest human being and an absolute angel on earth'.
She added: 'She was the kindest, most unbelievable girl.'
She told Sky News: 'It's shocking. No one knows what happened. We're waiting for information.
South African newspapers plastered the killing across their front pages, relegating a State of the Nation address by President Jacob Zuma in parliament to a distant second.
The coverage reflected shock and dismay at the fall of a sporting hero who commanded rare respect on all sides of South Africa's racial divides.
'Golden Boy Loses Shine' ran a front page headline in the Sowetan, beside a picture of Pistorius, head bowed in a grey hooded tracksuit being led away from a police station.
Callers to morning radio shows expressed remorse at the death of Steenkamp, who had been due to give a talk at a Johannesburg school this week about violence against women.
Home: Neighbours of the athlete say they heard noise from the house (pictured yesterday) just before the authorities arrived
Location: Pistorius's home is inside a gated housing complex with a nature reserve, golf course and lots of green space, all within high walls
There was also widespread disbelief at the fate of a sporting legend regarded as a genuinely 'good guy'.
'How is it possible for one so high to fall so low so quickly?' Talk Radio 702 host John Robbie said.
Meanwhile, South Africa's M-Net cable TV channel pulled adverts featuring the star off air after his arrest.
Nike, along with most of his sponsors, said they would not make any decisions until the police investigation was completed.
His sponsorship deals - with firms including BT, sunglasses maker Oakley and French designer Thierry Mugler - are thought to be worth around £1.3 million a year.
Police: South African police vehicles enter the Silverwoods security estate in Pretoria East where famous South African paralympic and Olympic sprinter, Oscar Pistorius, allegedly shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp
Investigation: Police spokeswoman Denise Beukes confirmed the celebrated athlete was in custody charged with murder
'There are people we are waiting to speak to, to validate some of the stories.'
Great Britain 400m runner Martyn Rooney was training with Pistorius in South Africa last week. He said: 'My thoughts and prayers go out the families and friends of those involved.'
Asked about Miss Steenkamp's relationship with Pistorius, Ms Tomlinson said: 'They had been together for a couple of months and it's been a fabulous relationship - a healthy, fabulous relationship.'
Miss Steenkamp's friend Mashadi Motsogi broke down in tears.
The distressed model said she heard the news of Miss Steenkamp's death on Twitter.
'I have lost a friend,' she said, telling reporters that Miss Steenkamp's death in a secure complex did not make sense.
'Look, security here is safe. We moved to this area for security reasons. It does not make sense to me that my friend was shot, mistaken for an intruder.'
The case continues.
Advert: An image on Pistorius's website for his sponsor Nike, linked to his love of shooting, has been removed
Adverts for television coverage of the Oscars featuring Oscar Pistorius were seen being pulled down in Johannesburg
Workmen move quickly to replace the roadside posters in the South Africa city
Oscar Pistorius' sister, Aimee, left, leaves the Mamelodi Hospital, east of Pretoria where she visited her brother while he was being examined earlier
Scene: Police were called to Oscar's home, pictured, at 4am where a 29-year-old woman was treated by paramedics but died there
Death: Oscar Pistorius on his Pretoria at his house in Pretoria, where a woman believed to be his girlfriend was found shot dead
Grand: Mr Pistorius lives in a large farm in Pretoria, which is surrounded by high walls and armed guards
Family members of Oscar Pistorius, including his brother (right), were pictured outside the police station where he was being held
Winner: Oscar Pistorius celebrates with his gold medal following the men's 400m win at London 2012
Icon: The athlete has done more than anyone to promote disabled sport and is one of the world's most famous athletes
Custody: Clothes hang out of prison cells at the Pretoria Central Prison, where Oscar Pistorius is allegedly being held before his court appearance today
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