Oscar Pistorius’s older brother Carl also faces homicide charges in South Africa over a 2010 car crash in which a female biker was killed.

Carl Pistorius, whose brother Oscar denies murdering his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, is charged with culpable homicide over the death of a woman motorcyclist in a traffic accident, his lawyer said.

The case has no relation to that of his brother.

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Lawyer Kenny Oldwage, who also represents Oscar Pistorius, confirmed that Carl Pistorius - who has been present in court over the past week to support his brother - faces the charges.

Carl Pistorius appeared in court just two days before his brother's bail hearing last week.

Sky News has reported that the charge of 'culpable homicide' is similiar to that of manslaughter in British law.

The accident involving Carl Pistorius happened in 2010 and took place in the town of Vanderbijlpark, an hour's drive south of Johannesburg. Details of the charge have only just emerged.

According to the BBC police conducted tests on Carl Pistorius' blood at the time of the accident, and he was found not to have been drinking alcohol.

Carl Pistorius faces charges at the end of March, meaning it's possible his trial may end before Oscar's is due to begin on the 4th June.

His younger brother, the Olympic and Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius, denies murdering girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in a shooting in the early hours of Valentines Day.

He was awarded bail last week after a tense four days of proceedings during which the judge decided he did not pose a flight risk.

Oscar Pistorius has claimed he killed his girlfriend accidentally after mistaking her for an intruder.

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The problems surrounding his older brother Carl are the latest twist in a case that has transfixed South Africa and much of the world. Today's revelation of the culpable homicide charge immediately created a stir.

"It's also doubly sad because it's involved with Oscar and his brother and all the family - so they have double sort of trouble. So, not good," said Johannesburg resident Jim Plester.

Oscar Pistorius was charged with premeditated murder, but the athlete says he killed his girlfriend accidentally, opening fire after mistaking her for an intruder in his home.

The Pistorius family has yet to react to the accusations that Carl is facing.

Yesterday, the family took steps to lower its profile on social media after someone hacked into the Twitter account of Carl. They cancelled all the social media sites for both Oscar's brother and his sister Aimee.

Carl has always been close to Oscar but was notably absent when their uncle Arnold, flanked by Oscar's sister Aimee, read out a first reaction to the shooting on February 17, even though he was also on the premises.

The three-storey house where Pistorius is staying with his aunt and uncle lies on a hill with a sweeping view of Pretoria. It has a large swimming pool and an immaculate garden.