Oscar Pistorius denied killing his girlfriend in the "strongest terms" on Friday after the South African Paralympian was charged with premeditated murder during a traumatic court appearance. The 26-year-old broke down in tears as the accusation was read out at Pretoria magistrates' court. If convicted, he faces a life sentence of at least 25 years in a country with some of the most brutal prisons in the world.
His father, Henke, described the death of Reeva Steenkamp, his son's girlfriend, as a "tragic accident".
As a shaking Pistorius was led into the dock, more details emerged about the final moments of the 29-year-old model, who was shot four times at the athlete's home outside Pretoria. Security guards at the gated community were first to arrive on the scene, reportedly discovering Pistorius standing over Miss Steenkamp's body. Paramedics who arrived shortly afterwards were unable to revive her.She had allegedly been shot through the bathroom door, which had four bullet holes in it. Police said they were investigating claims that guards at Silver Woods Country Estate had gone to the house two hours before the shooting after neighbours reported a disturbance.
Detectives were also understood to have approached Samantha Taylor, a former girlfriend of Pistorius, who told a local newspaper last year that she was "prepared to reveal what Pistorius made me go through". According to her father, she was asked by police to testify against the athlete.
On Friday, friends of the double-amputee made a concerted effort to defend his character.
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