Oscar to ask for more slack

Oscar Pistorius is to appeal his bail conditions today - a day after his brother, Carl, was in the dock in connection with the death of a female motorcyclist.

Lawyer Kenny Oldwage, who is representing both the Pistorius brothers, said Oscar Pistorius would "probably not" be in court today. "It's an appeal. There is no need for him to be there," Oldwage said.

Pistorius is out on bail of R1-million on a charge of murder in connection with the fatal shooting of his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, in his Pretoria home onValentine's Day.

His lawyers will ask that his bail conditions be relaxed to allow him to travel, and will contend that it is not necessary for him to report to the Brooklyn police station.

Pistorius, whose trial is to resume on June 4, wants the court to end his supervision by a probation officer, and compulsory drug and alcohol testing. He also wants permission to return to the Pretoria home where the shooting occurred.

The Vanderbijlpark Magistrate's Court, in the Vaal Triangle, heard yesterday that a motorbike crashed into a bakkie Carl Pistorius was driving.

"The motorbike was very close to the back of the bakkie when the bakkie suddenly swerved to the right," motorcyclist Anton Coetzee recalled.

"The motorbike hit the right back of the bakkie. It looked like the bakkie swerved out of the way for something. I had to brake to avoid the accident."

Carl Pistorius, 28, sat in the dock with his arms folded. Family members, including his sister, Aimee, sitting in the front row of the public gallery, held onto each other.

Coetzee testified that he and other motorcyclists participated in a "Poker Run" on March 8 2008. It was during this excursion that the collision between Pistorius and 36-year-old Maria Barnard occurred.

He told the court it seemed there was nothing Barnard could have done to avoid hitting the bakkie.

"She was thrown forward," he said.

Asked by prosecutor Johan Venter to estimate how far Barnard was thrown, he said 5m to 10m.

The court heard that Pistorius stopped after the crash and got out of his car to make a cellphone call.

Describing Barnard's injuries, Coetzee said her left forearm was stripped and her hand was bent, and it appeared that her leg was broken.

Barnard died in hospital on March 14 2008.

Pistorius yesterday pleaded not guilty to culpable homicide and to the alternative charges of reckless or negligent driving, and driving without reasonable consideration for other road users . The trial was postponed to Wednesday next week.