A prosecutor demanded that Oscar Pistorius publicly 'take responsibility' for killing his girlfriend while telling him to look at a graphic image of the gunshot wound to Reeva Steenkamp's head.
Gerrie Nel said the model's skull 'exploded' when it was struck by one of four bullets that the double-amputee runner fired through a closed toilet door in his home last year.
The photograph showed a side view of the her head, with a mass of blood and human tissue on the back and upper parts. Her eyes were closed.
'It's time that you look at it,' Mr Nel thundered indignantly on the first day of his cross-examination.
'I remember,' Pistorius said, becoming distraught and turning away from where the photo was shown on a TV screen next to him to audible gasps in the courtroom.
'I don't have to look at a picture. I was there.'
Pistorius, his voice rising and starting to sob, said his hands had touched her brain tissue when he claims he tried to help her after the shooting.
Overcome with emotion: Oscar Pistorius returns
to court for a third day on the witness stand after sobbing
uncontrollably while describing the moment he fired the fatal shots at
Reeva Steenkamp
Back on the stand: Pistorius (centre) is accompanied by relatives as he walks to the high court in Pretoria
Mr Nel
had set the stage for a rigorous cross-examination by demanding that
Pistorius openly say he killed his girlfriend, sharply challenging him
when he said he made a 'mistake.'Mr Nel shouted: 'You made a mistake? You killed a person, that's what you did! You used to be a model to disabled athletes everywhere.
'You shot and killed her, won't you take responsibility for that?'
He asked Pistorius to say he 'shot and killed her', but the amputee runner refused, replying merely: 'I did.'
Mr Nel tried to drive a wedge between the rosy former image of Pistorius and the ideals the runner has said he aspires to, and the prosecution depiction of the runner as a hothead with a gun obsession.
Making a case for his defence: Pistorius, who
has not consented to being shown while giving evidence, has spoken in
court of his desperate attempt to resuscitate Miss Steenkamp
'I did not intend to kill Reeva, milady, or
anyone else' Pistorius has publicly denied killing either his girlfriend
or the intruder he believed to be behind the door
The prosecutor asked Pistorius if
people looked up to him as a sporting hero, if he wouldn't hide anything
and if he lived by Christian principles. 'I'm here to tell the truth, I'm here to tell the truth as much as I can remember,' Pistorius said. He also said: 'I'm human. I have sins.'
Mr Nel then went on to ask whether Pistorius, well-known as a weapons enthusiast, knew what a 'zombie stopper' was, to which Pistorius replied 'No'.
After a brief adjournment, the court then viewed video footage previously broadcast on Sky News of Pistorius firing a handgun at a watermelon at a shooting range.
As the melon disintegrates, a male voice off-camera that sounds like Pistorius says: 'It's a lot softer than brains. But (bleep) it's like a zombie stopper.'
Gruelling: Pistorius leaves court after facing a barrage of ferocious questioning from prosecutor Gerrie Nel
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel tried to drive a wedge
between the rosy former image of Pistorius and the ideals the runner has
said he aspires to and the prosecution depiction of the runner as a
hothead with a gun obsession
Pistorius admitted it was his voice, leading to Mr Nel to press him on his motives for wanting to see the water melon explode.
'You know that the same happened to Reeva's head. It exploded. I'm going to show you, the exact same effect (of) the bullet that went into her head,' he said.
As he spoke, Mr Nel projected a forensic photograph of Miss Steenkamp's head, with the side and back matted with blood and brain tissue, on the court monitors.
'Take responsibility for what you have done,' he told Pistorius, eliciting gasps from the packed public gallery.
Pistorius hid his head in his hands in the witness stand, rocking from side to side, sobbing and saying he took responsibility 'but I will not look'.
Brave: Miss Steenkamp's mother June is comforted
as she listens to evidence about her daughter's gunshot wounds and the
athlete's vain attempts to stop her bleeding after shooting her in the
toilet
Traumatic: Pistorious's sister Amiee wipes away
tears as she listens to evidence from her brother about the immediate
aftermath of the shooting
During an adjournment to allow the
athlete to compose himself, Miss Steenkamp's mother June told reporters
that she had agreed to it being shown because she wanted him to see it.MailOnline has chosen not to show the picture.
Later, Mr Nel repeatedly pushed the runner to answer exactly what he meant that he 'accidentally' fired his gun.
Pistorius responded: 'The accident was that I discharged my firearm in the belief that an intruder was coming out to attack me.'
Demanding a 'yes or no' answer, Mr Nel snapped back: 'Reeva doesn't have a life any more because of what you did. Please answer and don't think of implications to you.
As the questioning grew more intense, Pistorius began to break down again, prompting Mr Nel to ask if he was alright.
'No I'm not feeling okay. My life is on the line,' he said.
Hard to hear: Aimee Pistorius (second right)
grimaces as her brother gives a graphic account of the moments after he
shot Miss Steenkamp dead
Grief: Gina Myers, Reeva Steenkamp's best
friend, is overcome with emotion as she listens to Oscar Pistorius's
testimony about the night he killed the model
'I'M HUMAN, I HAVE SINS' HIGHLIGHTS OF A BRUISING DAY ON THE STAND
'You
are a model for sportsmen, disabled and abled bodied sportsmen, all
over the world... you shot and killed her. Won't you take responsibility
for that?'
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel opening his cross-examination
'You know that the same happened to Reeva's head. It exploded. I'm going to show you'
Mr Nel before telling Pistorius to look at an image of Reeva Steenkamp's injuries
'I made a mistake. My mistake was that I took Reeva's life... I did not intend to kill Reeva, m'lady, or anyone else for that matter'
Oscar Pistorius denies intentionally killing his girlfriend
'I'm here to tell the truth.... I'm human. I have sins'
Pistorius after being asked if he lived by Christian principles
'I knelt down over Reeva. I had her head on my left shoulder and I could feel her blood was running down on me. I thought I felt her breathing'
The Paralympian on finding the model after shooting her in the toilet
'I had my fingers in her mouth to help to breathe. I had my hand on her hip to try to stop the bleeding'
Pistorius on his attempt to resuscitate Miss Steenkamp
'Reeva had already died while I was holding her so I knew there was nothing they could do for her. I asked a policeman if I could wash my hands because the smell was making me throw up'
Pistorius describes the immediate aftermath of her death.
'Reeva doesn't have a life any more because of what you did. Please answer and don't think of implications to you'
Mr Nel attacks Pistorius's claim he fired at Miss Steenkamp accidentally
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel opening his cross-examination
'You know that the same happened to Reeva's head. It exploded. I'm going to show you'
Mr Nel before telling Pistorius to look at an image of Reeva Steenkamp's injuries
'I made a mistake. My mistake was that I took Reeva's life... I did not intend to kill Reeva, m'lady, or anyone else for that matter'
Oscar Pistorius denies intentionally killing his girlfriend
'I'm here to tell the truth.... I'm human. I have sins'
Pistorius after being asked if he lived by Christian principles
'I knelt down over Reeva. I had her head on my left shoulder and I could feel her blood was running down on me. I thought I felt her breathing'
The Paralympian on finding the model after shooting her in the toilet
'I had my fingers in her mouth to help to breathe. I had my hand on her hip to try to stop the bleeding'
Pistorius on his attempt to resuscitate Miss Steenkamp
'Reeva had already died while I was holding her so I knew there was nothing they could do for her. I asked a policeman if I could wash my hands because the smell was making me throw up'
Pistorius describes the immediate aftermath of her death.
'Reeva doesn't have a life any more because of what you did. Please answer and don't think of implications to you'
Mr Nel attacks Pistorius's claim he fired at Miss Steenkamp accidentally
The double-amputee was giving evidence for a third day, returning to the witness box after wailing yesterday while describing the moment he realised he had fatally shot his girlfriend by mistake.
He also denied any intention to kill girlfriend Miss Steenkamp or the intruder he believed to be behind the door.
'I did not intend to kill Reeva, milady, or anyone else,' he told the court.
In early evidence today, Pistorius mostly kept his composure, though his voice quavered while describing what he said were his desperate attempts to save the 29-year-old model.
He said: 'I knelt down over Reeva.
'She was sitting with her weight on top of the toilet bowl. I checked to see if she was breathing and she wasn't.
'I pulled her weight on to me and I sat there crying for some time.
'I had her head on my left shoulder and I could feel her blood was running down on me. I could see that her arm was broken.
'I thought I felt her breathing. She was struggling to breathe.'
He said he could barely pick her up, so
placed her 'softly' on a bathmat while he went to open the bedroom door
and the front door.
He then went back to the bathroom and carried her downstairs.
In between sobbing and long pauses, he said: 'I couldn't pick her up.
'I was struggling to pick her up. I was scares that I had hurt her more. I put her arm onto her body.'
At that point, he came across neighbour Johan Stander and his daughter.
'Before I put her down, I said "we need to get her to the hospital, we need to get her to the hospital".
'They said the ambulance is on its way. Then I just sat with her and waited for the ambulance to arrive.
'I had my fingers in her mouth to help to breathe. I had my hand on her hip to try to stop the bleeding'.
Pistorius, who has not consented to being shown while giving evidence, said paramedics arrived a short time later.
'I stood back when they arrived and stood a couple of metres away from them,' he added.
He then went back to the bathroom and carried her downstairs.
In between sobbing and long pauses, he said: 'I couldn't pick her up.
'I was struggling to pick her up. I was scares that I had hurt her more. I put her arm onto her body.'
At that point, he came across neighbour Johan Stander and his daughter.
'Before I put her down, I said "we need to get her to the hospital, we need to get her to the hospital".
'They said the ambulance is on its way. Then I just sat with her and waited for the ambulance to arrive.
'I had my fingers in her mouth to help to breathe. I had my hand on her hip to try to stop the bleeding'.
Pistorius, who has not consented to being shown while giving evidence, said paramedics arrived a short time later.
'I stood back when they arrived and stood a couple of metres away from them,' he added.
Evidence: A still image from video shown to the
court that features Oscar Pistorius shooting a melon with the same type
of gun that killed his girlfriend just months before her death
Footage: The video shown to the court also
features Pistorius firing a shotgun. His defence lawyers claimed the
decision to show the clip was an 'ambush' by the prosecution, but later
agreed it could go ahead
Scene: The court was shown this picture of Oscar Pistorius's house (centre) in relation to his neighbours
'Reeva had already died while I was holding her so I knew there was nothing they could for her.
'The paramedic lady said she would like to inform me that Reeva had passed.'
He said two officers in civilian clothing arrived later.
'I was just sitting on the floor crying,' he told the judge.
'I asked a policeman if I could wash my hands because the smell was making me throw up.'
Earlier, Pistorius had kicked at and swung a bat at the bullet-marked toilet door, which had been placed in the courtroom as evidence.
It was a re-enactment of parts of the night when he killed Steenkamp.
He said he tried to kick the door down with his prosthetic legs and then bashed it with a cricket bat, an attempt to show he had tried to help Steenkamp.
THE MAN TRYING TO TEAR HOLES IN PISTORIUS'S ACCOUNT OF THE KILLING
'You killed a person! Won't you take
responsibility for that?' State prosecutor Gerrie Nel gestures as he
cross-examines Oscar Pistorius during his trial
Gerrie Nel is considered South Africa's top state prosecutor.
He is most famous for sending to jail ex-Interpol president and South Africa's former police chief Jackie Selebi, proving he had taken bribes from an organised crime network.
The prosecution won him an award from the International Association of Prosecutors, but he has not always emerged unscathed from his tangles with power.
In 2008, at the height of the Selebi controversy, Nel was arrested by armed police in front of his family.
Charges of fraud, perjury and 'defeating the ends of justice' were eventually dropped, with commentators decrying an attempt to discredit him.
His elite investigations unit, the Scorpions, was later disbanded amid allegations it was pursuing graft and other charges against now President Jacob Zuma with politically motivated zeal.
It was then he joined the government prosecutor's office.
Nel is described as a master of presenting evidence by legal analysts.
In Pistorius's bail hearing last year, Nel painted a picture of Pistorius as a man who was 'willing and ready to fire and kill' and Steenkamp as cowering, terrified and hiding in the toilet before Pistorius shot through the toilet door to kill her.
'She couldn't go anywhere,' Nel said in court last February. 'It must have been horrific.'
With no direct witnesses, Nel's main task is to pick holes in Pistorius' version of events and cast doubt on the veracity of his testimony about a perceived burglar.
Yesterday,
Pistorius took off his prosthetic legs and stood next to the very door
he fired through before wailing loudly as he described Miss Steenkamp's
final moments.
'Before I knew it, I'd fired four shots,' he told the court, his voice quivering with emotion.
The sprinter wept so uncontrollably as he spoke of finding the model unconscious on the other side of the door that it forced the adjournment of his trial for the day.
He recounted hearing a window sliding open in his bathroom in the middle of the night on Valentine's Day last year.
Conditioned by years of living in crime-ridden South Africa, he said the noises convinced him someone was breaking into his luxury Pretoria home.
'That's the moment that everything changed,' he said, his voice tense with emotion.
He grabbed his gun from under the bed and told Miss Steenkamp to take cover thinking she was also in the bedroom, he told the court.
He said he then went to investigate
the noise, shouting in terror at the suspected burglar with his firearm
trained in front of him.
He said: 'I noticed that the bathroom window was open. I was with my back against the wall.
'Before I knew it, I'd fired four shots,' he told the court, his voice quivering with emotion.
The sprinter wept so uncontrollably as he spoke of finding the model unconscious on the other side of the door that it forced the adjournment of his trial for the day.
He recounted hearing a window sliding open in his bathroom in the middle of the night on Valentine's Day last year.
Conditioned by years of living in crime-ridden South Africa, he said the noises convinced him someone was breaking into his luxury Pretoria home.
'That's the moment that everything changed,' he said, his voice tense with emotion.
He grabbed his gun from under the bed and told Miss Steenkamp to take cover thinking she was also in the bedroom, he told the court.
He said: 'I noticed that the bathroom window was open. I was with my back against the wall.
'I wasn't sure if the intruders were in the toilet or around the corner at that point.
'Then I heard a noise from inside the toilet that I perceived to be someone coming out of the toilet.
'Before I knew it I had fired four shots at the door.
'My ears were still ringing. I couldn't hear anything, so I kept shouting for Reeva to phone the police.
'I was still scared to retreat because I wasn't sure if there was somebody on the ladder or someone in the toilet.
He said he then went back to the bedroom and realised Miss Steenkamp wasn't there.
'I didn't want to believe it could be Reeva inside the toilet. I didn't know what to do. I kicked the door. I was crying out, I was screaming. I have never screamed like that.'
'Then I heard a noise from inside the toilet that I perceived to be someone coming out of the toilet.
'Before I knew it I had fired four shots at the door.
'My ears were still ringing. I couldn't hear anything, so I kept shouting for Reeva to phone the police.
'I was still scared to retreat because I wasn't sure if there was somebody on the ladder or someone in the toilet.
He said he then went back to the bedroom and realised Miss Steenkamp wasn't there.
'I didn't want to believe it could be Reeva inside the toilet. I didn't know what to do. I kicked the door. I was crying out, I was screaming. I have never screamed like that.'
- Prosecutor to Pistorius: 'Take responsibility for Reeva's death'
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Oscar Pistorius recounts to court events leading up to shooting
-
Tearful Pistorius tells court he's too scared to sleep
-
An emotional Oscar Pistorius apologises to the Steenkamp family
-
Oscar Pistorius turns up to court to give evidence
-
Pistorius keeps head down as loving text messages are read out in...
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Steenkamp said she was scared of Pistorius in text message exchange
-
Watch video
Pistorius trial: Neighbour reports hearing woman's screams
-
Watch video
Pistorius prosecution case weakened by poor handling of evidence
-
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Ballistic expert on Pistorius trial says shots were fired downwards
-
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Police photographer questioned in trial as Pistorius seen in car
-
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Pistorius trial lawyer puts police photographer under pressure
-
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Gun licenser, Sean Rens: Pistorius had a 'Great Love' for guns
-
Stripped and blood-splashed Pistorius pictures in court
-
Police take court through crime scene photos in Pistorius trial
-
Pistorius defense question police handling of evidence
-
Forensic analyst testifies and Pistorius leaves court
-
Pistorius' former friend Darren Fresco testifies
-
Pistorius trial: Media WILL be allowed autopsy testimony
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Pistorius judge bans live broadcast of post mortem analysis
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Pistorius ex: he cheated on me with Reeva; shot out of sunroof
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Pistorius trial: witness 'badgered' and a 'breakdown' in court
-
Oscar Pistorius wipes his eyes as witness 'heard woman's screams'
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The first witness in the Pistorius trial addresses the court
-
Pistorius witness: 'Blood-curdling screams' then 4 gun-shots
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Paralympian Oscar Pistorius arrives at Court for murder trial
-
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Judge decides Oscar Pistorius murder trial will be televised live
-
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Oscar Pistorius cries in dock and is consoled by Legal team
-
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COURT VIDEO: Oscar Pistorius' trial date set for murder of girlfriend
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INSIDE COURT as Oscar Pistorius case DELAYED until August
-
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Oscar Pistorius at court for first appearance since bail release
Pistorius shot Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model,
through the closed door of a toilet cubicle in his home in the night,
later saying he mistook her for an intruder
When she did not respond Pistorius
said he realised he may have made a terrible mistake and rushed back to
the bathroom to break down the ldoor.
After hitting the door, he saw the key inside, unlocked the door and 'flung it open'.
There, he found her fatally injured.
'I said "Oh, Reeva". I sat over her and cried,' the athlete testified sobbing loudly and putting his head in his hands and before letting out the barely inaudible cry: 'She wasn't breathing'.
After a brief adjournment, his lawyer Barry Roux came back to say his client was in no state to continue.
Pistorius, known as the ‘Blade Runner’ for his distinctive running prostheses, denies premeditated murder and two firearm charges. His evidence continues.
After hitting the door, he saw the key inside, unlocked the door and 'flung it open'.
There, he found her fatally injured.
'I said "Oh, Reeva". I sat over her and cried,' the athlete testified sobbing loudly and putting his head in his hands and before letting out the barely inaudible cry: 'She wasn't breathing'.
After a brief adjournment, his lawyer Barry Roux came back to say his client was in no state to continue.
Pistorius, known as the ‘Blade Runner’ for his distinctive running prostheses, denies premeditated murder and two firearm charges. His evidence continues.
SHOCKING TESTIMONY, VOMITING IN THE DOCK AND THE GRISLY TRAIL OF BLOOD THROUGH PISTORIUS'S HOUSE: A TIMELINE OF THE TRIAL SO FAR
March 3:
The trial begins with testimony from neighbour Michell Burger who
claims she heard 'blood-curdling screams' before gunshots were fired at
the time Oscar Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp.
His lawyer Barry Roux says he intends to call a witness to testify that Pistorius screams sounded like a woman in a bid to discredit the claims.
March 4: Pistorius breaks down in court as Mr Roux argues that Miss Steenkamp was so badly brain damaged by the gunshot to her head she couldn't possibly have screamed for help.
March 5: Mr Roux seeks to undermine the testimony of a couple who say they heard a woman's screams and gunfire on the night the athlete shot his girlfriend.
Barry Roux said similarities in the accounts given by husband and wife Michell Burger and Charl Johnson indicated they had aligned their versions at the expense of the truth.
March 6: Pistorius weeps in the dock as a neighbour describes the harrowing moment he tried to resuscitate his girlfriend after she was shot.
Radiologist Johan Stipp dashed to the Paralympian's home after hearing gunshots to find Pistorius kneeling next to Reeva Steenkamp and 'praying to God' that she would survive, the trial heard.
March 8: A former girlfriend who claims Pistorius dumped her for Miss Steenkamp testifies that he once shot at a traffic light because he was furious that a police officer had touched his gun.
March 10: Pistorius vomits in court when a pathologist describes how he shot Miss Steenkamp with so-called cop-killer Black Talon bullets which are designed to 'expand and mushroom' to inflict maximum damage.
March 11: A friend tells the judge that the Paralympian has a 'big love' of weapons and recalls the time the athlete laughed after allegedly firing his gun out of the sunroof of a car.
March 12: A forensic analyst stages a dramatic courtroom reconstruction of the moment Pistorius broke down the toilet door with a cricket bat after shooting Miss Steenkamp.
Police colonel Johannes Vermeulen argued that Pistorius was on his stumps at the time, contradicting the Paralympian's assertion that he was wearing his prosthetic legs.
March 13: Horrific pictures following the trail of blood through Pistorius's house are shown at the trial - including one of his girlfriend's corpse that made the athlete throw up in the dock.
The image of Miss Steenkamp's blood-covered body was accidentally shown while the prosecution was showing other images including the cocked 9mm pistol used to kill the model.
March 14: Dramatic pictures are shown to the court of a bare-chested Pistorius with blood all over his shorts and prosthetic legs shortly after killing his model girlfriend.
March 17: A gun licenser testifies that Pistorius was in the process of buying seven guns - three shotguns, two revolvers, semi-automatic assault rifle and another self-loading rifle - at the time he killed his girlfriend.
The order, which came to $5,000 (£3,000), was cancelled a month after the shooting.
Earlier, the court heard the double-amputee had a 'great love and enthusiasm' for guns and once went into full 'combat mode' after hearing a possible intruder at his home.
The noise turned out to be a washing machine.
Pistorius had also passed self-defence tests that stated you shouldn't fire unless you knew what you are shooting at and what lay behind the target, the trial heard.
March 19: The trial is told that Pistorius looked at porn and car websites the night before he killed Miss Steenkamp.
He breaks down in the dock as a ballistics expert tells Pretoria's High Court that Miss Steenkamp was struck in the hip by the first bullet, then fell back on to a magazine holder by the toilet.
She was then hit by another two bullets which struck her in the right arm and her skull as she crossed her arms over her head to protect herself.
March 20: It is revealed by the runner's lawyer that he has been forced to sell the luxury villa where he shot Miss Steenkamp to raise money to pay for his legal bills.
March 24: The court hears how the 29-year-old model admitted to being scared of the South African track star in text messages sent less than three weeks before her death.
One of them read: 'I'm scared of you sometimes and how you snap at me'. A later text said: 'I can’t be attacked by outsider for dating u and be attacked by you the person I deserve protection from.'
March 25: A selfie of Miss Steenkamp blowing a kiss which she sent to Pistorius weeks before he killed her is shown to the court.
March 28: Trial is adjourned until April 7 after one of the judge's two assessors is taken ill in hospital.
April 7: Pistorius takes the witness stand. He starts his testimony with a tearful apology to Miss Steenkamp's family, saying: 'I can’t imagine the pain and the sorrow and the emptiness that I’ve caused you and your family. I was simply trying to protect Reeva.'
He tells the court the shooting has left him plagued by nightmares which he wakes up from 'smelling blood' and that he is taking anti-depressant medication to help with panic attacks.
April 8: Pistorius wails on the stand as he speaks in public for the first time about the moment he killed Miss Steenkamp.
The Paralympian said he heard the noise of the bathroom window opening. 'That's the moment that everything changed,' he said, his voice tense with emotion. 'Before I knew it, I'd fired four shots.'
He wept so uncontrollably the court was forced to adjourn for the day.
His lawyer Barry Roux says he intends to call a witness to testify that Pistorius screams sounded like a woman in a bid to discredit the claims.
March 4: Pistorius breaks down in court as Mr Roux argues that Miss Steenkamp was so badly brain damaged by the gunshot to her head she couldn't possibly have screamed for help.
Physically sick: Oscar Pistorius vomits into a
bucket as the pathologist who carried out the post-mortem on Reeva
Steenkamp gave a graphic account of her injuries
March 5: Mr Roux seeks to undermine the testimony of a couple who say they heard a woman's screams and gunfire on the night the athlete shot his girlfriend.
Barry Roux said similarities in the accounts given by husband and wife Michell Burger and Charl Johnson indicated they had aligned their versions at the expense of the truth.
March 6: Pistorius weeps in the dock as a neighbour describes the harrowing moment he tried to resuscitate his girlfriend after she was shot.
Radiologist Johan Stipp dashed to the Paralympian's home after hearing gunshots to find Pistorius kneeling next to Reeva Steenkamp and 'praying to God' that she would survive, the trial heard.
March 8: A former girlfriend who claims Pistorius dumped her for Miss Steenkamp testifies that he once shot at a traffic light because he was furious that a police officer had touched his gun.
March 10: Pistorius vomits in court when a pathologist describes how he shot Miss Steenkamp with so-called cop-killer Black Talon bullets which are designed to 'expand and mushroom' to inflict maximum damage.
Aftermath of the killing: This picture of Oscar
Pistorius, bare-chested and covered in blood from the waist down, was
taken by police shortly after the Paralympian shot Reeva Steenkamp at
his home
Shocking: Blood can be seen down the athlete's
left arm and on his shorts apparently from when he carried his dead
girlfriend down the stairs after shooting her in the bathroom
March 11: A friend tells the judge that the Paralympian has a 'big love' of weapons and recalls the time the athlete laughed after allegedly firing his gun out of the sunroof of a car.
March 12: A forensic analyst stages a dramatic courtroom reconstruction of the moment Pistorius broke down the toilet door with a cricket bat after shooting Miss Steenkamp.
Police colonel Johannes Vermeulen argued that Pistorius was on his stumps at the time, contradicting the Paralympian's assertion that he was wearing his prosthetic legs.
March 13: Horrific pictures following the trail of blood through Pistorius's house are shown at the trial - including one of his girlfriend's corpse that made the athlete throw up in the dock.
The image of Miss Steenkamp's blood-covered body was accidentally shown while the prosecution was showing other images including the cocked 9mm pistol used to kill the model.
March 14: Dramatic pictures are shown to the court of a bare-chested Pistorius with blood all over his shorts and prosthetic legs shortly after killing his model girlfriend.
March 17: A gun licenser testifies that Pistorius was in the process of buying seven guns - three shotguns, two revolvers, semi-automatic assault rifle and another self-loading rifle - at the time he killed his girlfriend.
The order, which came to $5,000 (£3,000), was cancelled a month after the shooting.
Earlier, the court heard the double-amputee had a 'great love and enthusiasm' for guns and once went into full 'combat mode' after hearing a possible intruder at his home.
The noise turned out to be a washing machine.
Pistorius had also passed self-defence tests that stated you shouldn't fire unless you knew what you are shooting at and what lay behind the target, the trial heard.
Key evidence: Forensic analyst Colonel Johannes
Vermeulen stands in front of the toilet door through which Oscar
Pistorius shot Reeva Steenkamp while holding the cricket bat the athlete
then used to break it down
He breaks down in the dock as a ballistics expert tells Pretoria's High Court that Miss Steenkamp was struck in the hip by the first bullet, then fell back on to a magazine holder by the toilet.
She was then hit by another two bullets which struck her in the right arm and her skull as she crossed her arms over her head to protect herself.
March 20: It is revealed by the runner's lawyer that he has been forced to sell the luxury villa where he shot Miss Steenkamp to raise money to pay for his legal bills.
March 24: The court hears how the 29-year-old model admitted to being scared of the South African track star in text messages sent less than three weeks before her death.
One of them read: 'I'm scared of you sometimes and how you snap at me'. A later text said: 'I can’t be attacked by outsider for dating u and be attacked by you the person I deserve protection from.'
Scene of horror: This newly released photograph
shows the blood-soaked bathroom where Oscar Pistorius shot his
girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in the toilet cubicle (top) with his 9mm
pistol (seen lying on a bathmat, right) and the blood-splattered cricket
bat (bottom right) he used to break down the toilet door after killing
her
March 25: A selfie of Miss Steenkamp blowing a kiss which she sent to Pistorius weeks before he killed her is shown to the court.
March 28: Trial is adjourned until April 7 after one of the judge's two assessors is taken ill in hospital.
April 7: Pistorius takes the witness stand. He starts his testimony with a tearful apology to Miss Steenkamp's family, saying: 'I can’t imagine the pain and the sorrow and the emptiness that I’ve caused you and your family. I was simply trying to protect Reeva.'
He tells the court the shooting has left him plagued by nightmares which he wakes up from 'smelling blood' and that he is taking anti-depressant medication to help with panic attacks.
April 8: Pistorius wails on the stand as he speaks in public for the first time about the moment he killed Miss Steenkamp.
The Paralympian said he heard the noise of the bathroom window opening. 'That's the moment that everything changed,' he said, his voice tense with emotion. 'Before I knew it, I'd fired four shots.'
He wept so uncontrollably the court was forced to adjourn for the day.
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