An extremely upset and distraught Pistorious appears in court covering his face with jacket and notebook. Nevertheless the Police are approaching the case as a ‘Premeditated Murder’ based on the history of squabbles Pistorius is said to have with his girlfriend.

South Africa’s paralympic superstar Oscar Pistorius arrived at court on Friday morning in Pretoria charged with the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, who was found dead at the couple’s home a day earlier.

The BBC’s Andrew Harding, in court, says the defendant Pistorious cut a lonely figure, with his head forward and breathing heavily through tears.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel argued for a “premeditated murder” charge. Mr Pistorius slumped forward at the mention of the words.

Media access was discussed and the magistrate ruled that there should be no live recording for the bail hearings.

Mr Pistorius’s team had argued against such coverage and cited “extremely traumatised state of mind” of Pistorious.

Both prosecution and defence agreed Mr Pistorius could remain in custody at a police station and not in prison.

Members of Mr Pistorius’s family, including sister Aimee, brother Carl and father Henke, were in the courtroom.

Mr Pistorius had earlier arrived at court in the back of a police vehicle, hiding his face with a jacket and notebook.