In a response to inquiries from the Parliament, the former lead investigator on the case, South African police minister Nathi Mthethwa said all 49 cellphones were confiscated from officers at Boschkop police station in Pretoria, and revealed that the cellphones had reportedly been used to photograph Pistorius during his transfer from the police station to court.
Mthethwa told the Associated Press that he feared that reporters had attempted to purchase photographs of key evidence from the police officers. Defending the confiscation, Mthethwa told Parliament, “This action was necessary after it came to light that photos were taken of a high profile individual who had been arrested.”
There are no reports of any police officers selling evidence photos in the case to reporters and the police ministry has not offered any further details on the cellphone photographs.
This is just the latest in the ongoing sensational Pistorius matter. Earlier this week, reports that the sports star was out partying spurred defensive comments from his publicist, who denied any rumor of inappropriate flirting or partying on her client’s part.
“It was the first time since the tragic and horrific events of February 14 that Oscar went out with friends,” she explained. “He has been out of the house with family, but this was the first time he went out to a restaurant with people other than close family. It is regrettable that what was supposed to be a low-key evening reconnecting with friends is now being blown out of proportion for sensational reasons.”