The best friend of Oscar Pistorius told yesterday how the Paralympic hero called him moments after his girlfriend was shot and later sobbed: “My baba, I’ve killed my baba. God take me away.” 
 
 Businessman Justin Divaris, who introduced model Reeva Steenkamp to the London 2012 double gold winner, said Pistorius phoned him first instead of emergency services, the Sunday People can report. 
 
 Speaking exclusively to the Sunday People, Justin, 27, said: “It’s all very sad. Oscar called me at 3.55 am saying that Reeva had been shot. 
 
 “I said to him, ‘What are you talking about? I don’t understand you?’ He then repeated himself – ‘There has been a terrible accident, I shot Reeva’. 
 
 “Next thing his neighbour picked up the phone and told me it was true and told me to get to Oscar’s home. 
 
 “I was in total shock. I asked the neighbour, ‘Is she OK?’ Did the gun go off by accident?’ She replied, ‘No. She’s not OK. You need to get here’.” 
 
 Justin and his girlfriend Sam dashed to 26-year-old Pistorius’s luxury home on the security-patrolled Silver Woods estate in Pretoria, South Africa, in the early hours of Valentine’s Day. 
 
 The police had already arrived and were holding the double amputee superstar – nicknamed Blade Runner because of his state-of-the-art artificial limbs – in his garage. 
 
 Justin, chief executive of luxury car sales firm Daytona Group, said: “It was very traumatic. By the time we got there it was already a crime scene and we weren’t allowed in the house. 
 
 Twitter Pals: Reeva pictured with Pistorius's friends Justin (C) and Francois Hougaard Rex Tragic: Oscar Pistorius with girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp 
 
 “But we could see Reeva through the door lying there covered in blankets and towels at the bottom of the stairs. 
 
 “I think Oscar planned to take her to the hospital but the neighbour had covered her in towels. 
 
 “Oscar was being detained in the garage but they allowed me access to speak to him. 
 
 “He was totally incoherent and just kept saying, ‘My baba, I’ve killed my baba. God take me away’. He must have been sobbing there for a whole hour. 
 
 “I was with him for 10 minutes and asked him exactly what had happened but he couldn’t answer and just kept repeating the same thing.” 
 
 Justin added: “It is so sad. I introduced Reeva to Oscar. She was a really good friend of mine too and actually had been a friend longer. She is a best friend of my girlfriend. 
 
 “I don’t understand exactly what happened but the truth will come out.” 
 
 Reeva, who had been dating Pistorius since November and is said to have complained he was becoming possessive, had arrived at his house at 7pm. 
 
 Several hours before the shooting, wealthy neighbours complained to the estate’s security guards about loud noise coming from the house and asked them to stop it. 
 
 Reeva, 29, is believed to have been sitting on a toilet when she was hit four times – in the arm, head, hip and finger – by three bullets fired through the bathroom door. 
 
 REUTERS Sobs: Pistorius weeps uncontrollably in court AFP/Getty Images Dazed: The distraught Paralympian is led away from court 
 
 It is believed she was still alive as Oscar carried her downstairs and ­ tried to revive her. 
 
 Blood stains were found on the walls, indicating her heart was pumping. 
 
 It is claimed Oscar was still holding Reeva in his arms and performing mouth-to-mouth when paramedics arrived. 
 
 Neighbours said they heard her last breaths before she was pronounced dead by the paramedics. 
 
 Forensic officers have removed the bathroom door as evidence. 
 
 Reeva’s parents June and Barry were being treated for shock by doctors at their home in Port Elizabeth. 
 
 Justin’s girlfriend Sam, who runs a catering company with June, said: “I’m trying to focus on keeping them calm at the moment but they have taken it very, very badly. 
 
 “Barry is in bed and we’ve got some tablets from the doctor. It’s been a terrible, terrible shock. 
 
 “The detective said she was shot at close range and it wasn’t a burglary.” 
 
 Reeva was voted one of the top 100 sexiest women in South Africa. 
 
 She graduated with a law degree but made a career change after being scouted by model agents and became the first face of cosmetics giant Avon South Africa. 
 
 She moved from Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg and appeared on the cover of FHM magazine. 
 
 Reeva, a keen horse rider, broke her back in an horrific fall six years ago, suffering injuries so severe that she had to learn to walk again. 
 
 Last night an episode of South African reality TV series Tropika Island Of Treasure, in which Reeva starred, went ahead as planned. 
 
 A pal said Pistorius had become increasingly possessive in recent weeks. 
 
 The friend said: “Reeva mentioned that Oscar was quite possessive and insecure. 
 
 “When she was at events he’d call her incessantly. I think she was starting to get annoyed with it. 
 
 “She had planned to go home that night but had sent a message to one of her housemates to say she was staying with Oscar. 
 
 REUTERS Crime scene: Pistorius's home in Pretoria 
 
 “That was the last time anyone had heard from her. I’m devastated I will never see her again. 
 
 “She was such a kind and beautiful person, both inside and out. 
 
 “Her parents won’t be able to cope without her. She was going to build them a house and take them on holiday. 
 
 “It is so tragic. It is a loss to everyone who knew her.” 
 
 Pistorius, who was born without fibula in both legs and was amputated below the knee at 11 months, sobbed when he appeared in court on Friday. 
 
 He is accused of premeditated murder, which carries an automatic life sentence. 
 
 The runner, who became the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics where he reached the 400-metre semi-finals at London 2012, will reappear in court on Tuesday. 
 
 A court official said he was being held in a police station instead of jail because of his fame, not his disability. ||||| Experts agree that steroids could have made Oscar Pistorius more aggressive, but it's far-fetched to think ‘roid rage led to murder of Reeva Steenkamp South Africa police who searched the Olympian's home after Reeva Steenkamp's death reportedly found a stash of steroids, and investigators have theorized the drugs may have made Pistorius more aggressive before Steenkamp was slain at his home on Thursday. 
 
 Experts aren’t buying the notion that Oscar Pistorius went into a ‘roid rage before he allegedly killed his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. 
 
 Steroid abuse may have been linked to everything from liver failure to impotence and back acne to baldness — but it’s far-fetched to suggest ‘roid rage led "Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius to kill his model girlfriend last week. 
 
 South Africa police who searched the Olympian's home after Reeva Steenkamp's death reportedly found a stash of steroids, and investigators have theorized the drugs may have made Pistorius more aggressive before Steenkamp was slain at his home on Thursday. Investigators have reportedly even asked for Pistorius' blood to be tested for the muscle-building drugs. 
 
 Steroids experts, however, say that theory doesn't have much muscle. 
 
 RELATED: RUGBY PLAYER ONCE DATED PISTORIUS GIRLFRIEND 
 
 "No question, anabolic steroids at certain dosages can increase aggressiveness in a miniscule number of people," said Norman Fost, the director of the bioethics program at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. "But there is no evidence that steroids make you use a gun on someone." 
 
 The South Africa Institute for Drug-Free Sport and the World Anti-Doping Agency are following the case closely, WADA director general David Howman told the Daily News on Monday, and South African anti-doping officials are cooperating with the police investigation into Steenkamp's brutal and bloody death. 
 
 Anti-doping officials could strip Pistorius of the medals he won at 2012 London Paralympics last year, but Howman said WADA will let police complete their investigation before they open a case against him. 
 
 RELATED: BLOODY CRICKET BAT AT CENTER OF REEVA STEENKAMP MURDER CASE: REPORTS 
 
 "WADA is aware of the newspaper reports suggesting that steroids were found at the home of Oscar Pistorius," the Montreal-based agency said in a statement. 
 
 Matt Dunham/AP 
 
 "As this is a police matter, WADA and the South Africa Institute for Drug-Free Sport must work appropriately with the police. Bearing in mind the ongoing police investigation, WADA must refrain from making any statement at present." 
 
 Long Island attorney Rick Collins, who specializes in legal issues involving dietary supplements and performance-enhancing drugs, said that Pistorius may not have been using the drugs found in his home when Steenkamp was murdered. 
 
 RELATED: REEVA STEENKAMP REALITY SHOW AIRS ON SOUTH AFRICAN TV 
 
 He said that other factors, such as alcohol and mental illness, should also be considered in Steenkamp's death. 
 
 Collins agreed that studies suggest that very high dosages of steroids can increase aggression, but steroids in general do not have a psychological effect on users, he said. "I doubt Pistorius was using those kind of dosages," he said. 
 
 Athletes and others who use steroids often talk about gaining greater confidence from the drugs, but Collins said that is the result of feeling bigger, stronger and faster. 
 
 RELATED: 'BLADE GUNNER' HAD PISTOL MISFIRE MONTH BEFORE KILLING GIRLFRIEND 
 
 "If a guy is a jackass at 180 pounds and he uses steroids to bulk up to 250, he may act more like a jackass because he has more weight to throw around," Colins said. 
 
 But blaming Steenkamp's death on muscle-building drugs, Collins said, is simply a simplistic explanation to a complicated tragedy. 
 
 "'Roid rage is a mythical phenomenon," Collins said. ||||| Oscar Pistorius' agent has canceled all future track races so the double-amputee Olympian can focus on the murder charge against him, underscoring the possibility the disabled sports icon might never again run competitively on his famous carbon fiber blades. 
 
 Kenny Oldwage, lawyer for Oscar Pistorius, foreground, and Carl Pistorius, brother of Oscar Pistorius arrive at the Brooklyn police station in Pretoria, South Africa, Sunday, Feb. 17, 2013. Oscar Pistorius... (Associated Press) 
 
 Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius leaves the Boschkop police station, east of Pretoria, South Africa, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013 en route to appear in court charged with murder. Pistorius was charged Thursday... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - In this Aug. 5, 2012 file photo, South Africa's Oscar Pistorius starts in the men's 400-meter semifinal during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Paralympic... (Associated Press) 
 
 Peet van Zyl, managing agent for Olympian athlete Oscar Pistorius, talks to the press outside the Brooklyn police station in Pretoria, South Africa, Sunday, Feb. 17, 2013, after visiting Pistorius. Oscar... (Associated Press) 
 
 Aimee Pistorius outside the Brooklyn police station in Pretoria, South Africa, Sunday, Feb. 17, 2013, after visiting her brother Oscar Pistorius. Oscar Pistorius faces a bail hearing Tuesday and Wednesday,... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - This is a Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012 file photo of South Africa's Oscar Pistorius as he reacts after finishing first in a men's 400-meter heat during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012... (Associated Press) 
 
 Arnold Pistorius, right, uncle of Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius, comforts his niece after making a statement to selected press in Pretoria, South Africa, Feb. 16, 2013. Pistorius said that Oscar is... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this frame-grab from state television channel SABC 1 a tribute is devoted to slain model Reeva Steenkamp, girlfriend of Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius. South Africa’s national broadcaster went ahead... (Associated Press) 
 
 Pistorius is defending himself against allegations he murdered his model girlfriend by shooting her several times in his upscale house on Valentine's Day morning. 
 
 Reeva Steenkamp died from gunshot wounds suffered inside Pistorius' home in the predawn hours of Thursday. Pistorius was arrested and charged with her murder the same day. His family denies he murdered her. 
 
 "I have decided that following these tragic events that we have no option but to cancel all future races that Oscar Pistorius had been contracted to compete in," agent Peet van Zyl said in a written statement late Sunday night. 
 
 A few hours earlier, Van Zyl had visited his athlete at a police station in the South African capital, Pretoria, where he is being held in custody in a red-bricked, one-story building with green metal fencing. 
 
 Pistorius has been there since Friday following the shocking developments at his villa in a gated community in Pretoria's eastern suburbs where Steenkamp was shot dead. 
 
 Her death and Pistorius' arrest stunned South Africans, who revered Pistorius for his humble nature and success at overcoming adversity to become an international star, despite having his lower legs amputated as a baby. 
 
 Pistorius still had "overwhelming support" from his fans, Van Zyl said as he left Brooklyn police station, but the agent steered away from a question from a reporter on what Pistorius' emotional state was now like following the death of his girlfriend and a possible realization that his entire career was in ruins. 
 
 Pistorius' sponsors _ including big-name brands Nike and eyewear manufacturer Oakley _ were also sticking by him, Van Zyl said. But that could depend on the outcome of a possibly lengthy murder trial. 
 
 "Regarding sponsors and partners, I can confirm that at this point in time, all parties are supportive and their contractual commitments are maintained," Van Zyl's In Site Athlete Management company said. "They have said they are happy to let the legal process takes its course before making any change in their position." 
 
 The Beaverton, Ore-based Nike Inc. and Foothill Ranch, Calif.-based Oakley Inc. did not immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press seeking comment. 
 
 Pistorius was quickly arrested and charged with murder Thursday, with prosecutors saying at his first court appearance a day later that they would pursue a more serious premeditated murder charge, which carries a life sentence. 
 
 Pistorius broke down and wept in the court, with his face in his hands. His family later denied he murdered Steenkamp and said the state's own evidence "strongly refutes" any possibility of a murder. 
 
 "I am not going to comment on anything except that (what) is related to his athletics career at this point in time," Van Zyl told reporters outside the police station after being asked how Pistorius was coping. "Obviously from a management side and also as a friend, it's a tragic circumstance and events that have unfolded and we can only give Oscar our support at this point in time." 
 
 Family members and his lawyers also visited Pistorius on Sunday, but declined comment both when they arrived and when they left the city center police station. 
 
 The family of Steenkamp, a model, law graduate and budding reality TV star, told The Associated Press that her body had been released by police after an autopsy and was back in their hometown of Port Elizabeth on South Africa's southern coast. 
 
 "Reeva is back home," the late model's brother, Adam Steenkamp, told the AP by phone. He had flown back from Britain, where he now lives, to be with the family. 
 
 They also said Steenkamp's funeral would be held Tuesday and would be a private ceremony for family at a local crematorium. Media would not be allowed in. 
 
 The main purpose for Van Zyl's visit to Brooklyn police station Sunday afternoon was to discuss Pistorius' running career, but "also to visit him as a friend and give him my moral support," the agent said. "On a personal level I wanted to offer my support to Oscar, who I have known and worked with for the last seven years and consider a friend and a great professional athlete." 
 
 Following the meeting, Van Zyl announced publicly that the five races that Pistorius had confirmed for in 2013 were canceled: two in Australia in March, exhibition races against fellow Paralympic champions Alan Oliveira of Brazil and Jonnie Peacock of Britain, and an appearance at the U.S. Drake Relays in Iowa. 
 
 Van Zyl's decision to cancel those races was first reported by the AP on Saturday. All others that were still in negotiation were also now called off, Van Zyl said on Sunday. 
 
 The high-profile rematch with Oliveira, who beat Pistorius in the 200 meters at the London Paralympics last year, was to be a straight line 200 race on Copacabana beach to promote the 2016 Rio Olympics and Paralympics. 
 
 The runner's main goal for 2013 was to qualify for the worlds in Moscow in August, which is now almost certainly not going to happen. 
 
 Pistorius was the first amputee athlete to run at the world championships in 2011, then made history when he competed at last year's Olympics in London. 
 
 He and his coach have both said that they aimed to retire from track after the Rio Games, but one of the world's most famous athletes, who fought for years to be allowed to run against able-bodied competitors, is now facing the possibility he will never go to any major meet again. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Follow Gerald Imray at http://twitter.com/GeraldImrayAP ||||| Henke Pistorius, 59, said that his family had "zero doubt" that Mr Pistorius had shot Reeva Steenkamp dead mistakenly thinking she was intruder. 
 
 "When you are a sportsman, you act even more on instinct," he said. "It's instinct - things happen and that's what you do." 
 
 He said the entire Pistorius family was "heart and soul" behind the athlete and would do "whatever needs to be done" to help him clear his name. 
 
 His comments to The Sunday Telegraph followed the release by the family of a statement in which they described the 26-year-old athlete as "numb with shock as well as grief" over the events of the past three days. 
 
 They said that evidence gathered by the police themselves "strongly refutes" any possibility of the premeditated murder charge with which prosecutors have said they will charge the athlete. 
 
 They also insisted that Mr Pistorius, whose position as South Africa's golden boy was cemented when he won two gold medals and a silver at last year's London Paralympics, had no reason to harm Miss Steenkamp, 29, his girlfriend of four months. 
 
 "All of us saw at first hand how close she had become to Oscar during that time and how happy they were. They had plans together and Oscar was happier in his private life than he had been for a long time," they said. 
 
 Reeva Steenkamp in the reality show Tropika Island of Treasure 
 
 The family fightback came as reports emerged that Mr Pistorius fought to save Miss Steenkamp's life after allegedly shooting her four times through the bathroom door in the early hours of St Valentine's Day morning. 
 
 Security guards and neighbours who rushed to his exclusive home on a security compound outside Pretoria saw Mr Pistorius running down the stairs with the blonde model in his arms, according to a source quoted by the Afrikaans newspaper Beeld. 
 
 Miss Steenkamp was still breathing, it said, and Mr Pistorius tried desperately to save her using mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. 
 
 "Blood splatters along the route that Pistorius carried her was further proof that her heart was still beating," the paper added. 
 
 And a close friend of Mr Pistorius told on Saturday how the athlete called him moments after Miss Steenkamp was shot. 
 
 Justin Divaris told the Sunday People: "Oscar called me at 3.55am saying that Reeva had been shot. I said to him, 'What are you talking about? I don't understand you.' He then repeated himself - 'There has been a terrible accident, I shot Reeva. 
 
 "Next thing his neighbour picked up the phone and told me it was true and told me to get to Oscar's home. I was in total shock. I asked the neighbour, 'Is she OK?' Did the gun go off by accident?' She replied, 'No. She's not OK. You need to get here'." 
 
 Beeld also reported that Mr Pistorius, who kept a machine gun under his window for security as well as the 9mm pistol by his bed - with which he is believed to have shot Miss Steenkamp - had seven firearm licence applications pending, including one for a .223 semi-automatic rifle - the same calibre of combat weapon used in the Sandy Hook school massacre in the United States, in which 20 children and six teachers died. 
 
 Henke Pistorius reaches out to his son Oscar (AFP/Getty) 
 
 In the Tropika Island of Treasure programme, filmed in Jamaica and screened on South African television last night with the blessing of her family, Miss Steenkamp was seen alongside other bikini-clad contestants taking part in a hunt for treasure. The winner of the contest was to receive £73,000 in prize money. 
 
 In a series of scenes she was filmed studying a treasure map on the deck of a yacht, jumping into the sea from a cliff, and swimming with dolphins. 
 
 In a poignant interview, filmed just days before she died as she prepared to return home she spoke about the importance of leaving a positive mark in life. 
 
 Dressed in a strappy top and a yellow and black bikini, with her blonde hair scraped back, she said: "Not just your journey in life but the way that you go out and make your exit is so important. You have either made an impact in a positive way or a negative way." 
 
 Mr Pistorius had delivered a prescient message of his own just days earlier, retweeting to followers the comment: "Learn to appreciate what you have, before time makes you appreciate what you had" with the additional words: "True that." 
 
 On Friday, during his first court appearance since the incident on Thursday morning, he repeatedly burst into tears as prosecutors discussed how they would charge him with murdering his girlfriend. 
 
 Mr Pistorius faces a murder charge in Pretoria (Reuters) 
 
 Standing behind him, his father and brother were seen reaching out to clasp his shoulder and pat his back. Henke Pistorius told The Sunday Telegraph on Saturday that they were a close family and had no doubt of his innocence. 
 
 "I let him know that all of us are in heart and soul with him," he said. "That's why we were there and whatever needs to be done we will do." 
 
 He said he felt no need to question his son too closely about the exact events of that night. "He is going to have enough of that, enough advocates asking him things over and over," he said. "I can just imagine how absolutely emotional it must have been for him." 
 
 But there was "zero doubt" in his mind that he had acted in fear of an intruder, he added. "Without any doubt there was no purpose in it, it's not an issue for us," he said. "I have zero doubt (that he thought it was an intruder) - it's totally absurd to even suggest anything different. 
 
 "When you wake up in the middle of the night - and crime is so endemic in South Africa - what do you do if somebody is in the house? Do you think it's one of your family? Of course you don't," he said. The family were keen hunters, he said, and his son had grown up with guns. 
 
 Reading a statement before television cameras yesterday, Mr Pistorius' uncle Arnold and sister Aimee said the entire family was "in a state of total shock". 
 
 "Firstly about the tragic death of Reeva who we had all got to know well and care for deeply over the last few months," they said. "We are all grieving for Reeva, her family and her friends. Oscar - as you can imagine - is also numb with shock as well as grief." 
 
 They said that they were also struggling to come to terms with the murder charge Mr Pistorius now faces. "The lives of our entire family have been turned upside down forever by the unimaginable human tragedy," they said. 
 
 "After consulting with legal representatives, we deeply regret the allegation of premeditated murder. We have no doubt there is no substance to the allegation and that the State's case, including its own forensic evidence, strongly refutes any possibility of premeditated murder or indeed any murder at all." 
 
 Last week was not the first time however that Mr Pistorius has brushed with police. In 2009 he received a warning over an alleged assault on a 19-year-old girl at his home. Last year, he was accused of sending a text message to a man he believed was involved with his former girlfriend threatening to break his legs. 
 
 Mark Batchelor, a friend of the man who got involved in the row, alleged Mr Pistorius also telephoned and threatened him. 
 
 "He called me 'boy' and said he wanted to clear the air, saying he had heard I had a problem with him. I told him that he can't go around threatening people. He said he wasn't afraid of me and the phone cut," he told Johannesburg's Star newspaper. "The man I heard on the phone is a different man from the image given out there. He carries a gun everywhere and I have seen him be controlling to women." 
 
 Reeva Steenkamp's uncle Michael, who like most of her family lives in Port Elizabeth on the south coast, said they were ignoring such reports and focusing on the case ahead. Mr Pistorius, who is being held this weekend in a polic station cell, will return to Pretoria Central Magistrates Court on Tuesday for a bail application. 
 
 "We do not want to speculate what happened. We would rather pay attention to the criminal process will take its course now," Mr Steenkamp told Beeld. "We are a religious family. And if you believe in God, then you know justice will be in his hand." ||||| Pistorius 'DID beat model girlfriend with a cricket bat' before he shot her police tell horrified family and relatives have seen her extensive head injuries 
 
 Reeva Steenkamp's skull crushed during attack, South African police say 
 
 Grieving relatives who saw body before cremation described horrific injuries 
 
 Pistorius told bail hearing he used bat to break down toilet door 
 
 Currently being examined by forensic team for evidence 
 
 
 
 By Barbara Jones 
 
 | 
 
 Vital new evidence: Police claim that Pistorius attacked Reeva with the cricket bat 
 
 Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius crushed his girlfriend’s skull with a cricket bat before shooting her dead, police have told her family. 
 
 Details of the post-mortem examination of South African model Reeva Steenkamp were withheld from last week’s bail application hearing. 
 
 But grieving relatives who saw her body before Tuesday’s cremation in Port Elizabeth described horrific injuries from the cricket bat, and entry wounds from 9mm bullets fired by Pistorius. 
 
 They were also briefed about the model’s death by police and lawyers from the state prosecutor’s office. 
 
 In a sworn affidavit read to the bail hearing in Pretoria magistrates’ court last week, Pistorius claimed that he used the bat to break down the toilet door after the shooting, saying he had not realised his girlfriend was in the bathroom. 
 
 The bloodstained bat, which is currently being examined by a police forensics team, will be key evidence when Pistorius goes on trial for premeditated murder. 
 
 The ‘Blade Runner’ – who has previously boasted about having a cricket bat, pistol and machine gun at home to defend himself against intruders – claims the bat became blood-spattered at the scene. 
 
 Last week the prosecution did not mention any details about the bat and the role they believe it played in Reeva’s death, opting not to disclose their case against Pistorius. But to secure bail, Pistorius’s legal team had to detail his defence, which included why he had a blood-spattered cricket bat in his possession on the fatal night. 
 
 The athlete claims that during the night he heard a noise in the bathroom and feared it was an intruder. Pistorius, 26, said he felt ‘vulnerable’ without his prosthetic legs, so he got a gun from under his bed and fired through the bathroom door, shouting at the ‘intruder’ to get out of the house and for Reeva to call the police. 
 
 At that point Pistorius thought she was still in bed. 
 
 Pistorius described his ‘horror and fear’ as he realised Reeva was not in the bed, and said he used the bat to break down the toilet door to find Reeva slumped inside the cubicle. 
 
 He said he called paramedics and then carried Reeva, 29, downstairs, trying to revive her, but she died in his arms. 
 
 Yesterday, Reeva’s father Barry Steenkamp said that the athlete would have to ‘live with his conscience’ if he is lying about how he killed her. 
 
 Paralympian Oscar Pistorius is at home after being granted bail following a gruelling four-day hearing 
 
 He told Afrikaans-language newspaper Beeld: ‘It doesn’t matter how much money he has and how good his team of lawyers is, he must be able to live with his conscience if he allows his team of lawyers to lie on his behalf. 
 
 ‘He will have to live with his conscience. But if he speaks the truth, I can perhaps someday forgive him. If it does not happen as he tells it, he must suffer.’ 
 
 In another interview, Reeva’s mother June said: ‘Everything has been taken away from me in such a terrible way. The only thing that matters now is the truth.’ 
 
 Reeva Steenkamp's father, Barry Steenkamp, said Pistorius 'will have to live with his conscience' if he turns out to be lying about her death 
 
 Pistorius’s family believe him to be innocent, with his father Henke saying he had ‘zero doubt’ that Reeva’s death was a tragic accident. In an earlier interview, Henke said: ‘When you are a sportsman , you act even more on instinct. It’s instinct, things happen and that’s what you do. 
 
 ‘When you wake up in the middle of the night, and crime is so endemic in South Africa, what do you do if somebody is in the house? Do you think it’s one of your family? No, of course you don’t.’ 
 
 In a statement yesterday Pistorius’s family said: ‘Oscar will never be the same . . . having to live with the knowledge he caused the death of the woman he loved, and that he can never undo the immense pain and loss this has caused Reeva’s family and friends.’ 
 
 Having been released from bail after the gruelling four-day hearing, Pistorius was yesterday spending the day with his family at a secret address in Pretoria provided by his legal team. 
 
 His uncle Arnold Pistorius said: ‘We are convinced Oscar’s version of what happened that terrible night will prove to be true.’ 
 
 Today, if his athletics coach Ampie Louw has his way, Pistorius could be back in training at the track at the University of Pretoria. He was last there earlier this month with Reeva, who watched admiringly as he was put through his paces. 
 
 Friends have spoken of the need for a suicide watch on the sportsman as he spends the next four months preparing for his court appearance on June 4. 
 
 Meanwhile, South Africa’s top detective Lieutenant General Vinesh Moonoo is taking over the role of chief investigator in the case, after Hilton Botha stepped down from the post. 
 
 Detective Botha resigned after seven charges of attempted murder against him were reinstated. He and three other officers shot at a minibus of escaping murder suspects in 2009. 
 
 Celebrity - the fatal flaw that could topple a hero 
 
 By ALAN DERSHOWITZ, celebrity lawyer who successfully defended O.J. Simpson 
 
 
 
 Lawyer Alan Dershowitz says Pistorius may have won bail at the risk of compromising his future freedom 
 
 This weekend, Oscar Pistorius is walking free in South Africa. The prospect of being caged in prison has receded, at least for the moment. 
 
 
 
 The double-amputee Olympic athlete has won bail – but at what cost to his future liberty? 
 
 Beyond his sporting prowess, Pistorius has been a national hero, an inspirational role model, and, above all, a global celebrity. 
 
 
 
 Yet that could prove his downfall, as Pistorius, like so many celebrities, is focused on living for the moment. By securing his freedom today, he may have taken a huge gamble with his future liberty. 
 
 
 
 It is, perhaps, the fatal flaw of a celebrity in the legal cross-hairs: a fixation on the immediate repair of their tarnished image, rather than a long-term strategy best suited to their ultimate freedom. 
 
 
 
 I have represented dozens of celebrities in the US – professional athletes, film stars, mega-wealthy tycoons, musicians and political figures. 
 
 
 
 People ask me all the time: Does being a celebrity help or hurt the case? Well, sometimes it helps, sometimes it hurts, but it is never irrelevant. 
 
 
 
 Representing a celebrity poses distinct challenges to a lawyer. Celebrities often care more about today than tomorrow. They are concerned about the immediate impact of the case on their image. 
 
 Pistorius’s image is worth millions of dollars and every day that passes reduces that value. 
 
 
 
 I am certain that he instructed his lawyers to get him out on bail now, even if that meant compromising his longer-term chances of freedom. The best proof of that is the unusual affidavit he signed, laying out his defence in some detail. 
 
 
 
 He was not required to do that, but I’m certain his lawyer told him that he would increase his chances of getting bail if he put forward a plausible defence. However, there are great risks in submitting an affidavit before all the forensic evidence is in. 
 
 
 
 Scientific evaluation of the crime scene may show inconsistencies with the defence proffered in the affidavit. That would hurt Pistorius further down the line. 
 
 Alan Dershowitz said the Pistorius legal team went into unusual detail in his affadavit in a bid to win bail 
 
 When a celebrity is placed on trial, the legal system often becomes distorted. This is true even in a country such as South Africa, which does not have trial by jury. Professional judges, though they often deny it, are also influenced by their perception of the defendant, which they have garnered not from the evidence, but from the media and from watching the celebrity perform. 
 
 
 
 Judges go out of their way to pronounce from the bench that they will not be influenced by the defendant’s notoriety. Methinks they protest too much. 
 
 
 
 When I represent a celebrity, I base my actions on the belief that celebrity matters. Oscar Pistorius is not only a celebrity, he is a beloved son of South Africa; a man who overcame significant handicaps; a hero. 
 
 
 
 Celebrities’ lawyers are often too anxious to please their clients and sometimes sacrifice professionalism in the interests of not being fired. I’m not suggesting that filing the affidavit in Pistorius’s case was an example of this, but I am saying that the defence lawyer should have been darn sure that his client was telling him the truth before he allowed him to lock in his story so early. 
 
 
 
 Most lawyers would not have submitted such an affidavit. But the defence attorney knows more than I what is in the public record and may have made the right decision. 
 
 
 
 In granting Pistorius bail, the judge drew attention to the affidavit – so the trial lawyer’s tactic worked in the short term. 
 
 
 
 Only time will tell whether it will work in the long term. 
 
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– With an eye toward 'roid rage, police had Oscar Pistorius' blood tested for steroids, and a "source close to the investigation" tells the Sun that police did find performance enhancers in their search of his house. "Steroid drugs were found at Pistorius’ home together with evidence of heavy drinking. That’s why police have specifically ordered that he be tested for steroids," says the source. What might have gotten him so angry? The Sun reports that Reeva Steenkamp's phone records indicate she may have gotten a text from rugby star Francois Hougaard that night. Sources say Pistorius was unhappy with Steenkamp's friendship with Hougaard. Pistorius' running days are over for now even if he is granted bail. "I have decided that following these tragic events that we have no option but to cancel all future races that Oscar Pistorius had been contracted to compete in," his agent said after a visit to his client, who is being held in a police station, the AP reports. The Olympic and Paralympic star still has "overwhelming support" from his fans, says his agent, whose company has confirmed that big sponsors including Nike are sticking by Pistorius and "are happy to let the legal process takes its course before making any change in their position." He declined to discuss Pistorius' emotional state, Reuters reports. Pistorius' best friend—who introduced him to Steenkamp—says the runner called him minutes after the shooting, before contacting emergency services, the Mirror reports. Pistorius said, "My baba, I’ve killed my baba. God take me away," says Justin Davaris. Asked to explain, Pistorius said, "There has been a terrible accident, I shot Reeva," Davaris says. Amid reports that a bloodied cricket bat is now a key part of the case, the runner's family say they have "zero doubt" that Pistorius shot his girlfriend by accident after mistaking her for an intruder. "When you are a sportsman, you act even more on instinct," his father tells the Telegraph. "It's instinct—things happen and that's what you do."