He was publicly adored in his native South Africa, but

questions had been raised about his colourful private life that was replete with glamorous girlfriends, guns and fast cars. "Obviously we are shocked," his father Henke Pistorius told AFP. "He is with the police and the matter is in the hands of the authorities." Steenkamp, once an FHM cover girl, was described as "the kindest, sweetest human being; an angel on earth," by Sarit Tomlins of her management agency. Born in Cape Town, she grew up in Port Elizabeth where she graduated with a degree in law from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. Police have revealed there had been previous allegations of domestic disputes at Pistorius's home. "There were always rumours attracted to Oscar Pistorius, but most of them I just put down to him being a celebrity," said Kyle Wood, a 25-year-old fellow resident of the gated community. In 2009, Pistorius spent a night in jail after allegedly assaulting a 19-year-old woman at a party. He has often spoken publicly about his fondness for guns. Last year he told a newspaper he sleeps with a pistol, machine gun, cricket bat and baseball bat for fear of burglars. There are an estimated 1.5 million gun owners in South Africa, where crime remains a major problem. Many residents keep weapons at home and equip their houses with electric fences and panic buttons that summon heavily armed guards within minutes. In November, Pistorius tweeted about arriving home and hearing the washing machine on "and thinking it's an intruder to go into full combat recon mode into the pantry! waa." MORE (AFP) ARN 02151558 NNNN