Oscar Pistorius’ girlfriend’s murder case cop quits

Johannesburg – The head of police who took charge of the crime scene after Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius shot dead his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, has resigned.

Several police officers said Boschkop police station commander Colonel Schoombie van Rensburg had been under immense pressure because of bungling of the crime scene at Pistorius’ home.

According to news24, the Sunday Times revealed that a crucial piece of evidence, the bathroom door through which Pistorius shot Steenkamp, was bizarrely kept in Van Rensburg’s office.

The door was there for about a week after Steenkamp was killed on 14 February 2013. Police protocol requires evidence to be kept in a secure storeroom.

An officer said that records at the Boschkop show the door was booked into the SAPS 13 [storeroom], but it was kept inside Van Rensburg’s office.

The officer said during this time almost anyone in the police station had access to Van Rensburg’s office, from where they also sent faxes and made telephone calls.

Van Rensburg, who has been in the force for more than 30 years, denied that his resignation had anything to do with the case, saying he was leaving to pursue business interests, the report said.

He is the second officer of the Boschkop police station to resign since the shooting drama.