Oscar Pistorius case: Lead detective Hilton Botha resigns
A throng of reporters wait outside the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court during Oscar Pistorius’s first court appearance, Feb. 15, 2013.
Hilton Botha was supposed to be the lead detective in the case against Oscar Pistorius. But instead, the public has become more fascinated with Botha's own conduct than with his actual investigation. Last week, Botha was removed from the case, and he has now resigned from his job completely, South African police announced today. They did not elaborate on why he decided to resign, BBC News reported.
But his resignation comes after the news broke last month that Botha has actually faced seven attempted murder charges himself. Last week he was removed from the case.
He also damaged his credibility during Pistorius' bail hearing last month. Botha admitted in court that his investigation "could have been handled better," AAP reported.
More from GlobalPost: Oscar Pistorius wants to contact Reeva Steenkamp's family
Botha was the first officer on the scene after the Valentine's Day shooting of Reeva Steenkamp.
In another embarrassment at the bail hearing, Botha testified that Pistorius shouldn't be granted bail because he had a home in Italy he could flee to. But after getting grilled by the defense, Botha admitted that he wasn't sure if there actually is a Pistorius home in Italy and then dropped his claim, the Telegraph reported.
Rudolph Zinn, a former detective, said that another detective should have taken over much sooner. "A senior person should be appointed as soon as possible to take over the investigation's management to make sure that the crime scene is processed accordingly," he told the Associated Press last month.
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