A judge is today expected to decide on whether to grant bail to Oscar Pistorius, the athlete accused of shooting his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp dead in South Africa.

Prosecutors have argued he is a cold-blooded killer and should be kept locked up, while his own lawyers say that he is far too famous to flee prosecution.

The bail hearing, which began last Friday, resumed this morning.

In a closing statement, the prosecution said Pistorius’ version of events was “improbable” and that the level of violence used was “horrific”.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel added that the athlete – who has often cried during proceedings – was feeling sorry for himself, and feared that his career was over.

He also said that Pistorius had decided not to be “tested” by court questioning and chose to submit a written affidavit instead.

While trying to persuade the judge that Pistorius is a flight risk, he compared the case to that of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

“His face is well-known all over the world and he’s sitting in embassy in London,” he said.

He also suggested that Pistorius could also consider changing his facial appearance to avoid being recognised.

Earlier, his coach Ampie Louw said that if the athlete is granted bail, he will start training again next week.

On Thursday, police were forced to pull their lead detective off the athlete’s case after it emerged he himself faces attempted murder charges for shooting at a minibus.

Defence lawyers for Pistorius say the athlete shot dead his girlfriend by a terrible mistake, and deserves bail to prepare for his case.

They say the case has been marred by a bungled police investigation.

The ‘blade runner’, whose lower legs were amputated in infancy, is said to have killed model Reeva Steenkamp, 29, in the early hours of St Valentine’s Day at his home.

Prosecutors have told the court it was a premeditated murder, with Pistorius firing four shots through a locked toilet door at Ms Steenkamp on the other side.

She was hit in the head, arm and hip.

Witnesses said they heard gunshots and screams from the home in a gated community surrounded by three-metre-high stone walls and an electric fence.

Pistorius contends he was acting in self-defence.

He says he mistook Ms Steenkamp for an intruder and felt vulnerable because he was unable to attach his prosthetic limbs in time to confront the threat.

The 26-year-old said he grabbed a 9-mm pistol from under his bed and went into the bathroom.

Pistorius described how he fired into the locked toilet door in a blind panic in the mistaken belief that the intruder was lurking inside.

Bail hearings in South Africa allow for prosecutors and defence lawyers to lay out their basic arguments, based on preliminary evidence.

The arrest of Pistorius stunned millions who watched in awe last year as the Olympic and Paralympic sprinter reached the semi-final of the 400m in the London Olympics.

The impact has been greatest in sports-mad South Africa, where Pistorius was seen as a rare hero who commanded respect from both blacks and whites, transcending the racial divides that persist 19 years after the end of apartheid.

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