Ex-Steenkamp case detective Botha fears Pistorius could go free after 'leaked' pictures of crime scene

The former lead investigating officer of the murder case of Oscar Pistorius' girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, has said that the Paralympic sprinter could go free because of the pictures of the crime scene, which had been recently revealed to the public.

Hilton Botha was one of the first officers on the scene after Steenkamp was shot to death by the Blade Runner, who said that he had thought her an intruder, in the Olympic hero's Pretoria mansion in the wee hours of Valentine's Day, the Mirror reports.

According to Botha, the leaked photos of the bloodied bathroom and bullet-riddled door could play into the hands of the South African sprinter's defence, leaving the prosecution broken, adding that the pictures were taken within 48 hours of the killing by a corrupt policeman before being sold.

According to Botha, the pictures,which also show the door panel smashed in, may have been taken with a mobile phone, which, the report suggested, could mean that the defence team may have seen raw crime scene photos before they were officially disclosed to lawyers, potentially impeding the police investigation.

Botha, who was controversially removed from the case, also claimed that the high-profile nature of the crime has scared off two potential key witnesses.

Defending his decision to remove the bullet-riddled door from the crime scene, Botha said that the door was critical to the case due to which he personally ordered it to be removed and sent for analysis.

The report said that the pictures show marks on the door that suggest the bullets went through below the handle - allegedly backing up Pistorius's claim that he was on his limb stumps as he went to confront an intruder.

Botha, who was dropped from the case after it emerged he was facing attempted murder charges for a separate incident, defended his decision not to wear foot protection at the crime scene, saying that he and his team were sure that the criminal was Pistorius.

Although Botha said that he had been humiliated in front of the world's media during the week-long bail hearing for the athlete in February, he, however, added that he has no regrets about leaving the South African Police Service and is happy in his new job in his own security company.