Pistorius to appear in court on assault charges

Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius will appear in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, police said.

The blade runner spent Saturday night behind bars for allegedly assaulting a woman who had attended a gathering at his Silverlakes house.

The 19-year-old, a friend of his, was allegedly fighting with her boyfriend during a small get-together on Saturday afternoon. Pistorius told them to go outside.

She later returned to the house alone and allegedly started kicking the doors.

“It was while she was kicking the doors that Pistorius allegedly opened the door and told her to leave his house. When he closed the door on her, one of the door panels allegedly hit her on the leg ... she sustained bruises,” said Sergeant Marinda Stoltz.

The woman, also a resident of Silverlakes, then went to the Boschkop police station to open an assault case.

Pistorius was charged with assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. The charge was changed to common assault on Sunday morning.

After his arrest, Pistorius was released with a warning to appear in court.—Sapa