Oscar Pistorius has been forced to release a statement after being spotted downing shots and engaging in "inappropriate" flirting in a South African nightclub last week.
The athlete, who is currently on trial for the murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, was seen at a trendy Johannesburg nightclub partying with friends on Saturday, with onlookers saying that Pistorius looked "relaxed" and "didn't seem like someone [who had] lost the love of his life".
"He's the last person we expected to see ... I can't believe he showed his face in public, carrying on as if nothing's happened," said one source.
"He was greeting a couple and then gave the woman a little pat on her backside. It was just so inappropriate."
Pistorius' spokesperson Anneliese Burgess has since spoken out to say that the athlete "strenuously and vigorously denies any inappropriate behaviour towards any people or women present, or 'partying it up' with shooters".
"Oscar did go out last Saturday with friends. It was the first time since the tragic and horrific events of the 14th of February that Oscar went out with friends. He has been out of the house with family, but this was the first time he went out to a restaurant with people other than close family," she said.
"For Oscar, it was a way of trying to reconnect with friends of his and Reeva's - and these were the people he was out with. It is regrettable that what was supposed to be a low-key evening reconnecting with friends is now being blown out of proportion for sensational reasons. "
Pistorius has since resumed posting to his Twitter account, which had lain dormant since February 2013, to send out several religious and inspirational quotes.
