Pistorius lawyer to take on media
2013-02-16 14:05
Johannesburg - The media has come under fire for printing
a picture of a tearful Oscar Pistorius, which was allegedly taken in
contravention of the court’s ruling on media coverage.
Pistorius’ lawyer Keeny Oldwage said he will fight
newspapers that chose to publish a picture of his client in tears during his
court appearance on Friday.
The picture was allegedly taken in contravention of the
court’s ruling media coverage.
Pistorius was in court on Friday for his first appearance
after allegedly shooting his model girlfriend, Reeva Steemkamp, at his home in
Pretoria on Thursday.
The image brandished in a Saturday newspaper showed
Pistorius with his head in his hands, his face tinged with red.
Oldwage said he will take action against the papers that
published the image.
EWN reported that while he was unwilling to do a full
interview, he confirmed the photo was taken in contravention of Magistrate Desmond
Nair’s ruling.
Photographers and cameramen were allegedly told that they
were only able to take still photos or footage when the magistrate was not
seated.
But the photo was allegedly taken during active
proceedings.
It is expected that Nair will address the issue when
Pistorius returns to continue his bail application on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Pistorius’s family appealed for the police to
be allowed to investigate the case without interference.
A statement was released on Friday from the family in
which it denied the murder charge “in strongest terms”.
Pistorius also extended his deepest sympathies to
Steenkamp’s family, describing the shooting as a “terrible, terrible tragedy”.
Police returned to the crime scene on Friday to study
blood spatter patterns and to gather more forensic evidence ahead of Pistorius’s
bail application on Tuesday.
Visit News24's Oscar Pistorius Special Report.
