South Africa has been rocked by the arrest of star paraolympian Oscar Pistorius for the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Since last week Thursday, details have trickled to the public; from Steemkamp being shot through the bathroom door to the presence of a cricket bat at the murder scene.
The latest details to emerge from the Pistorius case indicate that police asked state doctors to analyse blood and urine samples obtained from Pistorius on the morning of the murder for the presence of steroids.
Police asked for blood taken from Mr Pistorius to be tested for steroids, City Press claimed, in anticipation that his defence team might claim he acted in “roid rage” – an aggressive condition associated with taking large doses of performance-enhancing drugs.
The tests of the blood and urine samples are reportedly being carried out at the University of the Free State without charge, as a matter of emergency. A source told The Sun:
Steroid drugs were found at Pistorius’ home together with evidence of heavy drinking. That’s why police have specifically ordered that he be tested for steroids.
According the the paper, when police questioned Pistorius regarding the drugs found on his property, Pistorius said they belonged to someone – the identity of this someone is unknown. It must be stressed that this report has not been confirmed.
Unsurprisingly, reports of Pistorius’ sample testing and possible presence of steroids has only added to an increasingly potent mix of hearsay and conspiracy theorising.
Speculating on what could have induced a fit of anger in Pistorius strong enough to commit murder, Newser offered the following:
That Reeva Steenkamp’s phone records indicate she may have gotten a text from rugby star Francois Hougaard that night. Sources say Pistorius was unhappy with Steenkamp’s friendship with Hougaard.
If the claim that banned substances were found at Pistorius’ home is corroberated, Pistorius could lose his London 2012 Paralympic medals and have his world records annulled. The World Anti Doping Agency (Wada) is aware of recent newspaper reports but made this statement:
As this is a police matter, Wada and the South Africa Institute for Drug-Free Sport must work appropriately with the police. Bearing in mind the ongoing police investigation, Wada must refrain from making any statement at present.
Anti doping agencies will wait for the investigations to finish before taking any action against Pistorius.
Pistorius is set to appear in court for his bail application this morning.
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[Source: Telegraph, Newser, News24, Times Live, Telegraph Sport]
