Three weeks after submitting his closing arguments and two weeks before a verdict is rendered, Oscar Pistorius' attorney still is arguing his client's case, even if indirectly.
The Telegraph reported Thursday that attorney Barry Roux, who has defended the double-amputee Olympic sprinter in his murder trial, said in a recent lecture to law students South African police are "exploiting the country's legal system through sloppy police work."
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Roux alleged corruption within the force, his words smacking of irony.
"The biggest problem in South Africa is that "there's a fair chance they (criminals) won't get caught - or if arrested, won't get tried," said Roux, the Telegraph reported, citing local paper The Citizen.
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Pistorius awaits a verdict from Judge Thokozile Masipa on murder charges in connection with the Valentine's Day 2013 killing of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius shot Steenkamp four times as she was behind a bathroom door.
The athlete said he thought she was an intruder; the prosecution said he shot her after the two had gotten into a verbal fight.
During Pistorius' trial, Roux accused the police of ignoring and mishandling key pieces of evidence - including a fan and a pair of Steenkamp's jeans - that he says support's the defense's case.
The Telegraph added that last year, Roux harshly criticized detective Hilton Botha, one of the first officers at the Pistorius crime scene in the early morning hours after the shooting , saying his testimony had "disastrous shortcomings" and "patently lacked substance."
"There was no respect for the police scene," Roux said to the law students.
If found guilty of premeditated murder, Pistorius, named the "Blade Runner" for his sleek prosthetic racing limbs, faces at least 25 years in prison. If convicted of a lesser charge, he could still serve time behind bars.
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