Pistorius: Top Cop Offers Confused Testimony

The detective investigating the killing of Reeva Steenkamp said police have no evidence challenging Oscar Pistorius' claim he accidentally killed his girlfriend.

The prosecution attempted to cement its argument that the couple had a shouting match, Miss Steenkamp fled and locked herself into the toilet cubicle of the bathroom and that Pistorius fired four shots through the door which killed her.

Lead detective Hilton Botha said: "I believe that he knew that Reeva was in the bathroom and he shot four shots through the door."

But Mr Botha was forced to admit that Pistorius' claim that he mistook the 29-year-old model for an intruder matched the crime scene.

Asked if the police found anything inconsistent with the version of events presented by Pistorius, Mr Botha responded that they had not.

"It sounds consistent," Mr Botha said.

The second day of the bail hearing appeared at first to go against the double-amputee runner, 26, with prosecutors saying a witness can testify to hearing "non-stop talking, like shouting" between 2am and 3am.

However, Mr Botha later said under cross examination that the person who overheard the argument was in a house 600m away in Pistorius' gated community in Pretoria.

Later, prosecutor Gerrie Nel questioned Mr Botha again and the detective acknowledged the distance was much closer.

And confusion reigned again when Mr Botha said officers found syringes and steroids in Pistorius' bedroom.

Mr Nel quickly cut the officer off and said the drugs were actually testosterone.

But when questioning the detective, Pistorius' defence lawyer Barry Roux said it was not a banned substance and that police were trying to give the discovery a "negative connotation".

"It is an herbal remedy," Mr Roux said.

"It is not a steroid and it is not a banned substance."

And later in day, the national prosecutor said Mr Botha - who has 24 years' experience in the police force - made a mistake in his testimony by saying the substance was testosterone.

Medupe Simasiku, the spokesman for South Africa's National Prosecution Agency, said that it was too early to identify the substance as it was still undergoing laboratory tests.

During his testimony, Mr Botha - who arrived on the scene an hour after the shooting - also admitted that he walked through the crime scene without foot covers, possibly contaminating it.

"You were in the house walking with unprotected shoes," Mr Roux said.

"That should not happen."

Sky's Alex Crawford, reporting from the court, said: "I think very much the family feels this has been a good day for the defence."

However, Mr Botha still poked holes in Pistorius' own account that he feared for his life and opened fire on Valentine's Day after mistaking Miss Steenkamp for an intruder.

Mr Botha said the trajectory of the bullets showed the gun was fired pointed down and from a height.

This seems to conflict the statement Pistorius gave on Tuesday, because the athlete said that he did not have on his prosthetics and on his stumps and feeling vulnerable because he was in a low position when he opened fired.

After four hours of testimony, the hearing was adjourned until Thursday.