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"Hilton Botha, the lead investigator in the Oscar Pistorius murder case, is facing seven charges of attempted murder. South African police have clarified earlier reports from national media and agencies suggesting that Botha was facing removal from the case, telling AFP that no decision has yet been taken on his continued participation in the investigation.  &amp;quot;We were only informed yesterday that attempted murder charges against Hilton Botha have been reinstated,&amp;quot; police spokesman Neville Malila told reporters on Thursday (February 21). Prosecutor Gerrie Neil also told the court on the third day of Pistorius&amp;#039;s bail hearing that the attempted murder charges against Botha stem from an alleged incident in 2011.  He confirmed that the charges had been dropped in March 2012, but were apparently recently reinstated. The prosecution are believed to have been unaware of the allegations and charges against Botha as of yesterday. Sky News correspondent Alex Crawford has confirmed that the magistrate adjourned the bail hearing once again, in hopes of speaking to Botha in private.  Botha - who was given a robust cross-examination by Pistorius&amp;#039;s legal team during yesterday&amp;#039;s court session - is reportedly due to appear in court himself this May to answer allegations that he and two other police officers fired shots from a state vehicle while trying to stop a minivan. Olympic and Paralympic sprinter Pistorius denies a charge of premeditated murder following the death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in a shooting at his Pretoria home on Thursday, February 14. Pistorius admitted to court on Tuesday (February 19) that he shot Steenkamp, saying in a statement that he had tried to save her life after the shooting, but she had died in his arms. His application for bail continues at Pretoria Magistrates Court. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/showbiz/news/a460458/pistorius-case-lead-detective-botha-facing-attempted-murder-charges/>