The brother of Olympic star Oscar
Pistorius is facing a culpable homicide charge for a 2008 road death,
compounding problems for the family after the double-amputee runner was charged
with premeditated murder in the Feb. 14 shooting death of girlfriend Reeva
Steenkamp.
Lawyer Kenny Oldwage said in a statement that Carl had been
involved in a car accident `'in which a woman motorcyclist sadly lost her
life." He said that `'there is no doubt that Carl is innocent and the
charge will be challenged in court."
Carl Pistorius was already in court last Thursday, as his
brother Oscar was facing a bail hearing, and will appear again at the end of
next month.
Oscar Pistorius was released on bail Friday and his brother Carl
was seen driving into the home of their uncle Arnold early Sunday in
Waterkloof, an affluent suburb of Pretoria, the nation's capital, where Oscar
is now staying.
The problems surrounding his older brother Carl are the latest
twist in a case that has transfixed South Africa and much of the world. Sunday's
revelation of the culpable homicide charge immediately created a stir.
`'It's also doubly sad because it's involved with Oscar and his
brother and all the family - so they have double sort of trouble. So, not
good," said Johannesburg resident Jim Plester.
Oldwage said that `'Carl deeply regrets the accident" and
that a blood test showed he was not drunk at the time. `'It was a tragic road
accident after the deceased collided with Carl's car."
He said the charges had initially been dropped, only to be
reinstated later.
It was the second time the Pistorius case was weighed down by
additional charges.
South African police appointed a new chief investigator last
Thursday, replacing a veteran detective after unsettling revelations that the
officer was charged with seven counts of attempted murder.
Oscar Pistorius was charged with premeditated murder, but the
athlete says he killed his girlfriend accidentally, opening fire after
mistaking her for an intruder in his home.
On Saturday, the family took steps to lower its profile on
social media after someone hacked into the Twitter account of Carl. They
cancelled all the social media sites for both Oscar's brother and his sister
Aimee.
Carl has always been close to Oscar but was notably absent when
their uncle Arnold, flanked by Oscar's sister Aimee, read out a first reaction
to the shooting on Feb. 17, even though he was also on the premises.
The three-story house where Pistorius is staying with his aunt
and uncle sits on a hill with a sweeping view of Pretoria. It has a large
swimming pool and an immaculate garden.
The character of Pistorius also continued to take center stage.
For many, it mirrors his public appearances as an articulate, well-spoken
advocate for Paralympic athletes facing hardship. Witness statements backing up
Oscar Pistorius as a down-to-earth guy were presented at the hearing.
Others have described him as a reckless risk taker who has been
in trouble before, such as a boat accident in 2009 which put him into hospital
intensive care unit.
On Sunday, a South African man who said Steenkamp had stayed at
his home since September, described Pistorius as moody and impatient. Cecil
Myers, whose daughter was close friends with Steenkamp, said in an interview
published Sunday in the City Press newspaper, that Pistorius will have the
killing of Steenkamp on his conscience. "I hope he gets a long sentence.
Gets what he deserves," said Myers.
"Very nice and charming to us when they started
dating," said Myers. Myers said Pistorius initially used to come into the
house but later just dropped Steenkamp off and picked her up when they began to
date steadily, and he described the change as a lack of respect.
Myers recalled their first date and told the newspaper:
"After that he wouldn't leave her alone. He kept pestering her, phoning
and phoning and phoning her."
According to Myers, Steenkamp "told me he pushed her a bit
into a corner. She felt caged in."
Myers said he told Pistorius `'not to force himself on her. Back
off." He said that after initially agreeing with him, it appeared that
Pistorius soon took no heed.
Myers declined to respond to a request for more information from
Associated Press.
Pistorius was born without fibula bones due to a congenital
defect and his legs were amputated when he was 11 months old. He has run on
carbon-fiber blades and was originally banned from competing against
able-bodied peers because many argued that his blades gave him an unfair
advantage. He was later cleared to compete. He is a multiple Paralympic
medalist, and won a silver medal at the 2011 Daegu world championships with
South Africa's 4x400 relay team. But he failed to win a medal at the London
Olympics, where he ran in the 400 meter race and the 4x400 relay race.
AP
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