News / Africa

Oscar Pistorius' Brother Faces Murder Trial

Carl Pistorius, brother of Oscar, attends his brother's court appearance in Pretoria February 15, 2013.
Carl Pistorius, brother of Oscar, attends his brother's court appearance in Pretoria February 15, 2013.
TEXT SIZE - +
VOA News
The older brother of South African track star Oscar Pistorius, accused of murdering his girlfriend, is also facing trial for killing a woman in a car accident some five years ago.

Carl Pistorius is charged with culpable homicide after allegedly killing a motorcyclist in a 2008 accident outside of Johannesburg.

A local South African news station reported Sunday that Carl Pistorius appeared in court last Thursday, but his trial was delayed until March.

Lawyer Kenny Oldwage said in a statement Sunday that "Carl deeply regrets the accident". He said blood tests conducted by the police at the time proved that he had not been under the influence of alcohol.

Oldwage added that charges brought after the accident were initially dropped, but then reinstated by national prosecutors.

Carl Pistorius has been a constant presence at the court during his younger brother's bail hearing last week.

Oscar Pistorius is accused in the February 14 shooting death his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius, who is known as the "blade runner" for his high-tech artificial legs, says he shot Steenkamp after mistaking her for a burglar.  Prosecutors accused him of premeditated murder.

He was released on bail on Friday.

You May Like

Singapore, Malaysia Choke as Illegal Indonesia Forest Fires Rage

Illegal clearing of forests by burning is a recurrent problem, particularly during annual dry season that stretches from June to September More

Scandals Hit Obama's Standing With US Voters

Obama's approval rating fell eight percentage points over past month to 45 percent More

Burma-India Transport Project Raises Opportunities, Concerns

Kaladan project promises to connect India with Burma's remote, impoverished west and improve trade links More

Featured Videos

Your JavaScript is turned off or you have an old version of Adobe's Flash Player. Get the latest Flash player.
Your JavaScript is turned off or you have an old version of Adobe's Flash Player. Get the latest Flash player.
Video

Video Egyptian Support for Syrian Opposition is Words Over Action

Egypt has further aligned itself with those trying to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. But as VOA's Elizabeth Arrott reports from Cairo, it remains unclear how far Egypt will back its words with action.