Pistorius bloody crime scene pictures leaked

Images of the bloody bathroom where Oscar Pistorius shot his model girlfriend in February have been leaked to Sky News, just days before the South African paralympian sprinter appears in court charged with the murder.

The pictures, shown on the British news channel, show a bathroom, with blood on the toilet seat and a door with two marked bullet holes. There was also a pool of blood on the floor next to the toilet seat. The two bullet holes are located just below the door handle.

The 26-year-old double amputee known as “Blade Runner”, claims he shot Reeva Steenkamp through a locked bathroom door after mistaking her for an intruder.

The athlete’s lawyers have written to South Africa’s prosecution authority to complain about the leaked pictures. Sky News has not revealed how it got hold of the graphic images, the first to emerge of the crime scene.

“The origin of the photos in question is not known,” police spokesman Phuti Setati said, adding that the leak would not jeopardise the case.

The position of the bullet holes in the images appears to back Pistorius’s claim that he fired the shots while standing on his leg stumps.

He said he used a cricket bat to force open the door after realising his mistake. He then carried the 29-year-old downstairs to try and resuscitate her.

Police say Ms Steenkamp was shot three times, with wounds to her head, elbow, and hip.

The shooting happened in the early hours of Valentine’s Day inside the athlete’s home in a high- security housing complex outside Pretoria.

Sky News also showed an image of a wrapped-up Valentine’s Day gift Steenkamp was planning to give to Pistorius.

Pistorius is facing a charge of premeditated murder and is out on bail. His arrest gripped South Africa, where he was considered a national hero for being the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics last year.

He is set to make his next court appearance on Tuesday in what will likely be a brief hearing. A trial is expected by the end of the year.