Oscar Pistorius to return to court

South African athlete Oscar Pistorius is due to return to court for the first time since he was freed on bail over the killing of his girlfriend. The pre-trial hearing is expected to be brief, as the prosecution asks for more time to complete its investigations. Mr Pistorius shot Reeva Steenkamp through the bathroom door of his house in Pretoria on 14 February. He denies committing murder, sayinghe was acting in self-defence after mistaking her for an intruder. The case is unlikely to come to a full trial until early next year, the BBC's Andrew Harding reports from South Africa. At the centre of the forensic investigation is a door, and attached to it are two fundamentalquestions By Andrew Harding Africa correspondent Once prosecutors have concluded, they will reveal their evidence to the defence team, which will then almostcertainly request more time for its experts to examine and challenge theprosecution's conclusions. On Monday, Mr Pistorius's family saidthey were "shaken" by leaked, graphic photos published by Sky News , which showed the bathroom where Steenkamp was killed. Police said they were "disgusted" by the leak. Mr Pistorius, 26, is a double amputee who won gold at the London 2012 Paralympic Games and also competedin the Olympics. His arrest in February stunned many South Africans who saw him as a national sporting hero after his long legal battle to be able to compete in the Olympics. The prosecution has accused him of premeditated murder, alleging that he killed Steenkamp intentionally after a fight.