Oscar Pistorius arrives at court

2013-02-15 09:11

(Duncan Alfreds, News24)

Pretoria - Paralympian Oscar Pistorius arrived at the Pretoria Magistrate's Court shortly before 09:00 on Friday to be formally charged with murder.

With a jacket over his head and a policeman covering his face with a book, he was rushed into the building with television cameras and photographers surging towards him.

The court session was expected to start at 10:00. Court C, where he expected to appear, was packed.

Pistorius is expected to apply for bail. The State said on Thursday it would oppose this.

Reeva Steenkamp, a model and law graduate from Port Elizabeth, was shot dead in Pistorius's home in the Silver Woods Country Estate, in Pretoria, in the early hours of Thursday morning.

At first it was reported that it was an accidental shooting, he having mistaken her for a robber. Police later have distanced themselves from that information.

Pistorius spent Thursday night in police custody.

Motorists outside the court wanted to know where Pistorius was, shouting at journalists: "Where is Oscar?"

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- SAPA