Oscar Pistorius stands at the dock before the start of
proceedings at a Pretoria magistrates court last month.
REUTERS/Mike Hutchings
Lawyers acting for "blade runner" Oscar Pistorius,
accused of shooting dead his girlfriend, want his bail
conditions relaxed and passports returned so he can travel
overseas, South African media are reporting.
Pistorius, charged with the Valentine's Day murder of his
Reeva Steenkamp, 29, was released on strict bail conditions
two weeks ago. He was ordered to pay a bond of 1 million rand
($US110,000), hand over his passports and forbidden from
returning to his house, the scene of the crime.
Television channel eNCA said Pistorius and his lawyers felt
his bail conditions were unfair.
"In papers before the high court they argue that Magistrate
Desmond Nair was wrong to order Pistorius to hand over his
passport and travel documents given that the magistrate found
the athlete was not a proven flight risk," the report said.
Pistorius' defence said he should be allowed to travel if he
won consent from the detective working on the case. They also
argued that mandatory alcohol and drug tests were unnecessary
and there was no need for him to report to a police station
twice a week or be visited by a probation officer.
The case of the 26-year-old Olympic and Paralympic track
star, a double amputee since infancy, stunned a nation that
holds him up as hero who triumphed over adversity to compete
with able-bodied athletes at the highest levels of sport.
On Thursday Warrant Officer Hilton Botha, the detective who
was pulled off the investigation after it emerged he himself
faced attempted murder charges, resigned from the force.
It is unclear when Pistorius' bail appeal will be heard.
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