Updated 8.50am

THE SOUTH AFRICAN Olympian Oscar Pistorius was back in court this morning for a pre-trial hearing, the first time he has returned to court since being released on bail over the killing of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

The hearing this morning was brief as the prosecution asked for more time to complete its investigations into the shooting dead of model Steenkamp in Pretoria in February.

The case has been adjourned until 19 August following agreement between the prosecution and the defence.

The 26-year-old ‘Blade Runner’ claims he shot Steenkamp through a locked bathroom door in the middle of the night after mistaking her for an intruder.

But the prosecution argues it was premeditated murder, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. The case is unlikely to come to a full trial until next year.

Amid hectic scenes at Pretoria Magistrates Court, Pistorius’s sister and brother as well as other family and friends were in attendance. The athlete wore a grey suit and appeared composed in front of the cameras.

Earlier this week the family of Pistorius, a double amputee, said it was left “shaken” by the leaked graphic photos of the blood-spattered bathroom where the killing happened.

Read: Pistorius family ‘shaken’ by leaked images

Read: Police took photos of Oscar Pistorius on their mobile phones after arrest

More: Oscar Pistorius hits out at disrespectful fans’ Reeva Steenkamp comments