The lead detective in the murder case against Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius is facing 7 charges of attempted murder himself, the BBC reports.
Police confirmed that South African detective Hilton Botha was allegedly involved in a shooting two years ago. He was dropped from the sensational murder case that has generated headlines around the world.
Pistorius, a Paralympic champion dubbed “Blade runner” still faces premeditated murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, 29.
Pistorius’ bail hearing continues today in Pretoria, South Africa. In a statement read to the court by his attorney on Wednesday, Pistorius said he shot Steenkamp three times through a locked bathroom door after mistaking her for an intruder.
Botha faced stiff questioning from Pistorius’ attorney Barry Roux, who forced Botha to admit to several key mistakes in his investigation during a bail hearing for Pistorius on Wednesday.
Botha originally said police found hypodermic needles and Testosterone, a banned steroid, in Pistorius’ bedroom.
But on the witness stand, Botha admitted he misread the label (which may have been intentionally mislabeled). The substance is still undergoing tests in a police lab.
Botha also amended the approximate distance between Pistorius’ mansion and the home of the witness who said he overheard arguing one hour before Steenkamp was killed.
“The poor quality of the evidence offered by investigative officer Botha exposed the disastrous shortcomings of the state’s case,” said Roux.
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