Oscar Pistorius trial can be partially televised

Oscar Pistorius trial in South Africa can be partially televised, a Pretoria court has ruled today.

Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius shot his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, more than a year ago, and his murder trial begins on March 3.

State prosecutors allege the killing was premeditated, but Oscar Pistorius claims he mistook her for an intruder.

It will be the first time parts of a trial in South Africa are televised live.

Judge Dunstan Mlambo at the court in Pretoria was asked to decide how much, if any, of the proceedings could be filmed and broadcast live.

The application was brought by media groups MultiChoice, eNCA and Eyewitness News, reported Sapa news agency.

Justice Dunstan Mlambo said the entire audio of the trial could be broadcast live, and sections of the trial could be filmed and televised live.

These included opening arguments, evidence of experts, police witnesses and closing arguments.

The testimony of the accused and his witnesses were exempt, the judge said.

Three cameras could be set up to be operated remotely – and no close-ups or recordings of private conversations were allowed, he said.

Witnesses could apply in writing if they did not want to be on camera – and allowances could be made to have faces obscured or filmed from the back, he added.

MultiChoice is planning 24-hour coverage of the trial on its own dedicated channel – the Oscar Pistorius Trial channel – which is due to begin broadcasting on Sunday.

Defense lawyers had said it would prejudice proceedings.

Justice Dunstan Mlambo said the broadcast of a “celebrity” trial might go a long way to address misconceptions about justice system.

However, he warned against a trial by media and said the court could be the only place where Oscar Pistorius was tried.

Reeva Steenkamp, 29, was shot three times through the toilet door of Oscar Pistorius’ Pretoria home in the early hours of Valentine’s Day in 2013.

Oscar Pistorius, 27, said he thought she was a burglar and denies prosecution claims that they had an argument in the hours before the shooting.

Much of the case will depend on ballistic evidence from the scene of the shooting, correspondents say.