Pistorius had 'freak' gun accident in restaurant recently: Report

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - Oscar Pistorius nearly shot a friend at an upmarket restaurant recently when the pistol he was looking at accidentally went off, local media reported on Monday.

The incident occurred less than a month before the star athlete was charged with murder after his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was shot dead at his upscale home in the early hours of Valentine's Day.

His family has strongly denied that he intentionally killed his girlfriend and the sprinter is due to appear in court on Tuesday at a bail hearing.

Pistorius was looking at a friend's gun at a restaurant in Johannesburg when the firearm discharged accidentally, Kevin Lerena told the Afrikaans-language Beeld newspaper.