Pistorius hearing delayed

Oscar Pistorius, the world's most famous Paralympian, is due to appear in court on a murder charge on Friday morning.

The sprinter, nicknamed the Blade Runner because of the prosthetic limbs he uses, was arrested on Thursday after his girlfriend died from gunshot wounds at his house in Pretoria, South Africa.

Police spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Katlego Mogale told Press Association Sport: "The suspect that was arrested this morning for the alleged shooting of a woman will appear at Pretoria Magistrates Court tomorrow morning on a charge of murder."

Pistorius, 26, a 400metres gold medallist at the London 2012 Paralympics and the first double amputee to compete at the Olympics, is alleged to have killed his 30-year-old model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

South Africa Police spokeswoman Brigadier Denise Beukes said officers were aware of media reports the death may have been an accident, caused by suspicions of a break-in, but said that those reports did not come from information provided by police.

"There was no sign of forced entry or persons who weren't supposed to be there at this stage," she said. "The South African Police Service was surprised to hear allegations on the radio this morning that the deceased had been perceived to be a burglar. The allegations did not come from us. The deceased was a friend of his."

She added: "There are witnesses and they have also been interviewed this morning. We're talking about neighbours and people that heard things that happened earlier in the evening and when the shooting took place."

Forensic tests were continuing on the premises.

Police will oppose any bail application and said at this stage there is no other suspect involved. "There were only two people on the premises: the resident and the deceased," Beukes added.

A spokesperson for Pistorius from the Fast Track agency in London said that the athlete was "assisting the police with their investigations".