outh Africa - Police

PRETORIA, South Africa - Police photographs of a bare-chested Oscar Pistorius standing in his garage on blood-stained prosthetic legs and wearing shorts covered in blood, taken shortly after the athlete fatally shot his girlfriend, were shown to the court at his murder trial Friday. wholesale jerseys . Prosecutors displayed two photos on TV monitors in the courtroom, with the first of the muscled double-amputee Olympic athlete standing facing a camera. There are blood stains up to the knees of his limbs and his shorts are also bloodied, but his naked chest appears to be clean of blood. A second photograph of Pistorius from the waist up and from the left side also shows blood on his shorts and parts of his body, with a tattoo visible on his back. The photographs were taken in Pistorius Pretoria home soon after the athlete killed Reeva Steenkamp in the early hours of Valentines Day last year, a former policeman testified. Pistorius says he carried Steenkamp downstairs to try to save her after mistakenly shooting her in his bathroom. Former police Col. G.S. van Rensburg described the early part of the investigation after he arrived at the scene around 30 to 40 minutes after prosecutors say Pistorius killed Steenkamp in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 14, 2013. The prosecution says Pistorius intentionally killed Steenkamp in the upstairs bathroom after a loud argument and then tried to cover it up by saying he thought the 29-year-old model was a dangerous intruder. Pistorius, 27, maintains the killing was an accident and has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him. Van Rensburg, the former commander at a police station close to Pistorius home, said he didnt arrest Pistorius immediately, but did warn him to remain at the house. "I told him I observed him as a suspect at that stage," van Rensburg said. "I warned him of his rights ... I requested him to remain present at all times at the scene." Van Rensburg said Pistorius was earlier "very emotional," and that the runners brother and sister, Carl and Aimee, and a lawyer later arrived at the house. A close-up photograph of the toilet inside the cubicle where Steenkamp was shot three times, once in the head, was also displayed. It showed an extensive blood smear on the rim, as well as thick blood streaks in the bowl, where the water was also dark with blood. Van Rensburg said he recognized the toilet door through which Pistorius shot as the "most valuable" piece of evidence, and that it was important to secure it, particularly since he had heard media were willing to pay up to $5,500 for a photo of it. The toilet door was placed in a plastic "body bag" and transported to a police station, where van Rensburg said he stored it in his office because it was too big to fit in an area normally reserved for evidence from crime scenes. The police investigation has been heavily criticized by Pistorius defence lawyer, Barry Roux. Roux particularly questioned the conduct of former investigating officer Hilton Botha, who was thrown off the case last year and resigned from the police force. Roux repeatedly asked van Rensburg what Botha was doing at the scene during different parts of the investigation. Botha admitted last year that he didnt wear proper forensic clothing and shoe covers when he examined parts of the scene, and Pistorius team believes the police disturbed evidence and may have tampered with it. "You did not disturb anything in the bathroom? You did not see Mr. Hilton Botha disturb anything in the bathroom?" Roux asked van Rensburg. "Were you acutely aware that you should not disturb the scene? Did you have that awareness? And what was Mr. Botha doing?" Roux asked a little later. And again, Roux said: "Where was Mr. Botha now?" Van Rensburg said at points he did not know where Botha was. During the investigation in the bathroom, van Rensburg also said that he turned around at one point to see that the firearms expert was handling the gun Pistorius used to kill Steenkamp and had taken the magazine out of the weapon without using gloves. "I asked him, What are you doing?" van Rensburg testified. The officer realized his error, apologized, put the magazine back in the gun and laid it on the mat where it was on the floor. "I was very angry," van Rensburg said. Van Rensburg also testified that one of Pistorius expensive watches was apparently stolen from the crime scene that night. About eight expensive watches were found in a blood-spattered box in Pistorius bedroom and van Rensburg said he warned fellow officers that the watches should be observed closely because they could be tempting to anyone moving through the crime scene. Pistorius sister asked if she could take one of the watches, leaving seven in place, he said. But van Rensburg said another went missing while he was out of the room, prompting him to order the frisking of all the police forensic experts on the scene, as well as a search of their bags and vehicles, and the entire house. jerseys from china . Bortles, one of three quarterbacks vying to be the first taken in the NFL Draft in May alongside Bridgewater and Johnny Manziel, helped his cause by impressing scouts with a clean performance at the UCF Pro Day Wednesday, according to reports. Cheap New York Islanders Jerseys . Louis Cardinals had a major need at shortstop and signed a veteran free agent who, while having PED issues, has been a potent hitter throughout his career.EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Kobe Bryant is back in practice with the Los Angeles Lakers, and even the five-time NBA champion gets a charge out of getting back to work. Bryant participated in his second full workout with the Lakers at their training complex on Tuesday. He still isnt sure when hell be back in uniform, but hes grateful to take the next step in his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon. "Its always a much greater appreciation for it," Bryant said, his forehead beaded with post-practice sweat. "You understand the mortality that comes with being on that doorstep. Theres always a sense of enjoyment when you come back. ... Put the jersey on, you walk out in practice, and felt like it was 97 again and I was getting my first start as a pro." Bryant isnt setting a return date, but acknowledged he could see himself returning to the Lakers later this month. Coach Mike DAntoni said Bryant will return whenever he says hes ready, although the Lakers next game against Golden State on Friday is very unlikely. The fourth-leading scorer in NBA history hasnt played since tearing his Achilles tendon in a game against Golden State in April. He did several weeks of conditioning work before returning to practice last Saturday for a brief workout. Bryant did drills and 5-on-5 play with the Lakers on Tuesday. He says hes "pleasantly surprised" by how good he felt afterward. "I just went out there and just played," Bryant said. "Just tried to do what I normally do and figure some things out about my game, what can I do and what cant I do at this stage. Just try to figure out the route." Bryant says he could adjust his game and contribute something to the Lakers right now, but he wants to make sure hes ready to play for the long haul when he returns for his 18th NBA season. "Its definitely something where youre kind of champing at the bit a little bit, but weve come so far," he said. "I want to make sure, we all do, when you step out there youre ready to go the long haul, and its not something that continues on. ... You just have to get stronger, but I could adjust my game and play at a pretty high level right now." Bryantss self-evaluation isnt about praising his strengths, such as his better-than-expected upper-body strength, but finding his weaknesses. wholesale nhl jerseys. Hes also withholding judgment until he figures out how his body responds Wednesday morning. "Youve got to be honest with yourself, and if you have those limitations, then youve got to figure out a way to be effective around those," Bryant said. "You cant be stubborn about that. If there are certain things that I used to do that I cant do now. I wont try to do them. Ive got to figure out another way." Bryants teammates were uniformly impressed with his condition and mobility in his first workouts back from a serious injury. DAntoni allows Bryant and trainer Gary Vitti to plot the superstars comeback pace, and the coach didnt encourage his players to go easy on Bryant. "They had better beat him up while they can, because when he gets better, they wont be able to," DAntoni said. "Im sure theyll take their shots early. ... Hes going to be a little rusty. Hes going to make mistakes. But if he feels good, and when he feels like, You know what? I can do this, then thats what he should do, and hes the only one that can (say) that." During his recovery, Bryant has spent plenty of time with Steve Nash, the 39-year-old point guard currently sidelined with the latest in a series of injuries. Nash is out for at least another week with nerve root irritation, a back problem stemming from a broken leg last season. Bryant and Nash intend to be back in the Lakers lineup together soon. Los Angeles is off to a 5-7 start in Bryants absence and with little help from Nash. But Bryant is impressed by his younger teammates, particularly Jordan Hill. The energetic big man has been outstanding since joining the starting lineup four games ago, capped by his career highs of 24 points and 17 rebounds in a win over Detroit last Sunday. "Weve got a bunch of competitors," Bryant said. "Weve got a bunch of guys that can step up and compete. Thats the most important thing. Weve got guys that are willing to do whatever it takes to win. Ive been extremely proud of the way weve competed." cheap jerseys cheap jerseys from china ' ' '