Oscar Pistorius Trial: Verdict Due This Week

By Paul Harrison, Sky News Correspondent

The judge in the trial of Oscar Pistorius will this week deliver her verdicts in a case that has captivated the world.

For six months a Pretoria court has sought the truth behind what happened on the night the athlete shot his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, through the locked toilet door at his home.

The state claims the couple had rowed in the early hours of Valentine's Day last year and that Pistorius shot his girlfriend deliberately.

Pistorius admits shooting Ms Steenkamp, but insists he mistook her for an intruder and fired in self-defence.

In a first for South Africa the entire case has been televised. While the audio of the testimony was broadcast, witnesses were given the option not to appear on camera.

Pistorius, once South Africa's golden boy, spent seven days on the witness stand giving his version of events.

Pistorius says he mistook Ms Steenkamp for an intruder

Under the guiding hand of his lawyer Barry Roux, an emotional Pistorius explained his fear of intruders had been entrenched from an early age.

"Everyone in South Africa has been exposed to crime at some point and we had many house break-ins," he told Judge Masipa.

"My home had been broken into in 2005, and a TV and laptop had been stolen. I've been followed home late at night and I've been shot at on the highway."

A double amputee since the age of one, Pistorius told the court he heard a noise and, fearing it was an intruder, armed himself and moved towards the bathroom.

"I perceived it as someone coming out of the toilet and before I knew it I'd fired four shots at the door," he told the court.

"I walked up to the bathroom door, it was locked. I ran back to the bedroom and shouted 'help, help, help' from the balcony."

"I then ran straight up to the (toilet) door and began hitting it. All I wanted to do was look inside and see if it was Reeva.

"I sat over Reeva and cried, I don't know how long I was there for … She wasn't breathing."

While a degree of Pistorius' defence centres around their belief the police contaminated the scene, tainting much of the evidence, the state argues the athlete's version of events is implausible and littered with inconsistencies.

Pistorius speaks in court with his lawyer Barry Roux

During a five-day cross examination at the hands of prosecutor Gerrie Nel, Pistorius was asked how it was possible not to have seen Ms Steenkamp walk towards the bathroom.

Pistorius had begun with an apology to Ms Steenkamp's family.

"I don't know how she got up out of bed, I was in close proximity to her, but I didn't see her get out of bed … It was pitch black and she was behind me so it's not strange at all."

During the trial the court was shown exclusive Sky News footage of Pistorius at a shooting range firing at a watermelon.

The prosecution appeared to be painting the Paralympian as not only someone comfortable using guns, but who was obsessed by them.

Other footage obtained by Sky News showed the couple on a shop's CCTV flirting and kissing 10 days before Pistorius brought the relationship to an abrupt and bloody end.

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