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Pretoria: A South African court granted bail on Friday to Oscar Pistorius, charged with the murder of his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day, after his lawyers argued the “Blade Runner” was too famous to flee justice.
The decision by Magistrate Desmond Nair drew cheers from the Paralympics star’s family and supporters. Pistorius himself was unmoved, in marked contrast to the rest of the week-long hearing when he repeatedly broke down in tears.
Nair set bail at $113,000 and postponed the case until June 4. Pistorius would be released only when the court receives the amount in cash, he added.
Less than an hour later, a silver Land Rover believed to be carrying Pistorius left the court compound and sped off through the capital, pursued by members of the media on motorcycles.
Pistorius, 26, was also ordered to hand over firearms and his two South African passports, avoid his home and all witnesses in the case, report to a police station twice a week and to abstain from drinking alcohol.
The decision followed a week of dramatic testimony about how the athlete shot dead model and law graduate Reeva Steenkamp at his luxury home near Pretoria in the early hours of Feb. 14.
Prosecutors said Pistorius committed premeditated murder when he fired four shots into a locked toilet door, hitting his girlfriend cowering on the other side. Steenkamp, 29, suffered gunshot wounds to her head, hip and arm.
Pistorius said the killing was a tragic mistake, saying he had mistaken Steenkamp for an intruder — a possibility in crime-ridden South Africa — and opened fire in a blind panic.
However, in delivering his nearly two-hour bail ruling, Nair said there were a number of “improbabilities” in Pistorius’s version of events, read out to the court in an affidavit by his lawyer, Barry Roux.
“I have difficulty in appreciating why the accused would not seek to ascertain who exactly was in the toilet,” Nair said. “I also have difficulty in appreciating why the deceased would not have screamed back from the toilet.”
By local standards, the bail conditions are onerous but it remains to be seen if they appease opposition to the decision from groups campaigning against the violence against women that is endemic in South Africa.
“We are saddened because women are being killed in this country,” said Jacqui Mofokeng, a spokeswoman for the ruling African National Congress’ Women’s League”.
However, Nair said he was ultimately making his decision in the “interests of justice” and that the prosecution, who suffered a setback when the lead investigator withered under cross-examination by Roux, had failed to show Pistorius was either a flight risk or a threat to the public.
Roux stressed that the Olympic and Paralympic runner’s global fame made it impossible for him to evade justice by skipping bail and leaving the country.
“He can never go anywhere unnoticed,” Roux told the court.
Pistorius faces life in prison if convicted of premeditated murder.
Prosecutors had portrayed him as a cold-blooded killer and said they were confident that their case, which will have to rely heavily on forensics, would stand up to scrutiny at a full trial.
“We are going to make sure that we get enough evidence to get through this case during trial time,” a spokesman for the National Prosecuting Authority told reporters.
In court, lead prosecutor Gerrie Nel was scornful of Pistorius’ inability to contain his emotions. “I shoot and I think my career is over and I cry. I come to court and I cry because I feel sorry for myself,” Nel said.
In his affidavit, Pistorius said he was “deeply in love” with Steenkamp, and Roux said his client had no motive for the killing.
Pistorius contends he reached for a 9-mm pistol under his bed because he felt particularly vulnerable without his prosthetic limbs.
According to police, witnesses heard gunshots and screams from the athlete’s home.
Oscar Omnibus
Oscar Pistorius, accused of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, was granted bail on Friday. Here is a timeline of the Oscar saga:
Feb. 14: Oscar is detained by the police after he is charged with murdering girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp
Feb. 15: Oscar breaks down in court
Feb. 16: Oscar’s family releases a statement denying he had murdered Reeva. Report claims Oscar tried to save Reeva
Feb. 17: Bloodied bat found at Oscar home
Feb. 18: Police said they will test Oscar for drugs after steroids are found at his home. Agent confirms cancelling of all future races that Oscar has been contracted to compete in
Feb. 19: Oscar breaks down again as his affidavit is being read. He maintains he never intended to kill Reeva, saying he mistook her for an intruder. Reeva laid to rest in Port Elizabeth, her hometown
Feb. 20: Police say Oscar is a flight risk and shouldn’t be granted bail
Feb. 21: Detective is taken off the case after it emerged he was facing seven attempted murder charges. Nike freezes contract | 
