Oscar Pistorius spends first night out of jail and will start training on Monday

Oscar Pistorius, who faces murder charges over the shooting of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, has spent his first night out of custody after being granted bail.

At a pre-trial hearing on Friday, a Pretoria magistrate ruled the state had not made a case that the South African Paralympic champion would flee, or that he had a violent character.

Oscar Pistorius, 26, denies murder, saying he shot Reeva Steenkamp, 29, thinking she was an intruder at his home.

The next hearing is set for June 4.

Oscar Pistorius spent eight nights in a police cell in Pretoria, following his arrest on February 14. After Friday’s ruling granting him bail, he left the court in a silver car pursued by photographers.

The sprinter is staying at his uncle’s house in Pretoria.

Reports say Oscar Pistorius may start training again and hold talks with his coach.

Magistrate Desmond Nair set bail at 1 million rand ($113,000).

Oscar Pistorius was also ordered to hand over his passport, avoid his home in Pretoria and report to a police station every Monday and Friday.

Desmond Nair took almost two hours to deliver his judgement.

The magistrate criticized the testimony of Detective Hilton Botha for not following up important leads and changing his evidence.

Desmond Nair also said Oscar Pistorius had “reached out to meet the state’s case” and had given a full version of events at an early stage.

Oscar Pistorius’ family and supporters in the court gasped and cheered as the magistrate announced his decision.

His uncle, Arnold Pistorius, said outside court: “We are relieved by the fact that Oscar got bail today, but at the same time, we are in mourning for Reeva Steenkamp and her family.”

The hearing began on Tuesday and both prosecution and defence laid out their cases.

Both sides agree that Oscar Pistorius shot through the bathroom door four times, hitting and killing Reeva Steenkamp.

But prosecutors allege the shooting happened after the couple had an argument at Oscar Pistorius’s home in the early hours of February 14.

Det. Hilton Botha told the court that witnesses had heard shouting, screaming and gunfire from about 600 m (2,000 ft) away.

But later he changed his evidence to suggest the witnesses were much closer.

And on Thursday it emerged that Det. Hilton Botha faces allegations of attempted murder, and he was removed from the case.

Oscar Pistorius says he woke in the middle of the night, and thought there was an intruder in the bathroom.

The prosecutors sought to portray Oscar Pistorius as man with a history of violence who was likely to flee the country.

But the defence argued it would be impossible for Oscar Pistorius to flee because his prosthetic legs would be noticed wherever he went.

Reeva Steenkamp was a model and law graduate with a burgeoning television career.

Oscar Pistorius won gold medals at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012.

In London Oscar Pistorius made history by becoming the first double-amputee to run in the Olympics, making the semi-final of the 400 m.

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