South Africa: former Pistorius detective quits force
Purchase this article for republication
Buy SPH photos
In this Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013 file photo, Investigating officer Hilton Botha, sits inside the court witness box during the Oscar Pistorius bail hearing at the magistrate court in Pretoria, South Africa. -- PHOTO: AP
JOHANNESBURG (AP) - South African police say the former lead detective in the investigation of the murder case against Oscar Pistorius has resigned from the police force.
Police Brig. Neville Malila said on Thursday that detective Hilton Botha voluntarily applied to leave the service.
Botha made several procedural errors in his role as the lead investigator after Pistorius, the double-amputee athlete who competed at the London Olympics, shot and killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Feb. 14.
It later emerged that Botha faced attempted murder charges for a case in which he fired on a vehicle in an attempt to make it stop. His superiors then removed him from the Pistorius case.
