South African Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius became distraught as he was shown a photo of his dead girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp by the prosecution at his murder trial in Pretoria.

“It’s time that you look at it,” chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel said, presenting the photo at the start of the first day of cross-examination.

Oscar Pistorius, who denies murdering Reeva Steenkamp, insisted he had made a “mistake”.

The athlete says he accidentally killed his girlfriend after mistaking her for an intruder.

He told the court on Wednesday: “I made a mistake. My mistake was that I took Reeva’s life.”

Prosecutors say Oscar Pistorius intentionally killed Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day last year by firing a gun through a bathroom door at her after a row at his Pretoria home.

Oscar Pistorius, who is a double amputee, faces life imprisonment if convicted of murdering the 29-year-old model, reality TV celebrity and law graduate.

Following legal arguments on Wednesday morning, Gerrie Nel showed video footage of the athlete at a gun range shooting a watermelon.

Oscar Pistorius became distraught as he was shown a photo of his dead girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp by the prosecution at his murder trial in Pretoria

Gerrie Nel then said the watermelon had exploded in the same way as Reeva Steenkamp’s head – and showed the photo. He asked Oscar Pistorius to look at it and take responsibility for his actions.

An emotional Oscar Pistorius, 27, turned away from the image on a monitor screen and said: “I’ve taken responsibility… but I will not look at a picture where I am tormented by what I saw and felt that night… I remember. I don’t have to look at a picture, I was there.”

After an adjournment to allow Oscar Pistorius to compose himself, Gerrie Nel sought to highlight what he said were inconsistencies in the athlete’s statements, questioning his claims that police had tampered with items in his home after the shooting.

“I am not pleading not guilty because the scene was contaminated,” Oscar Pistorius countered.

“I am pleading not guilty because what I’m accused of didn’t happen.”

In the opening moments of cross examination, Gerrie Nel showed the highly combative style Oscar Pistorius can now expect from him in the coming days.

Earlier, while being questioned by his lawyer Barry Roux, Oscar Pistorius told the court he had tried to revive Reeva Steenkamp, who was hit by three of four pistol rounds he fired through the door.

He said he had managed to carry Reeva Steenkamp downstairs, where neighbors had tried to administer first aid before paramedics arrived.

Before Barry Roux ended his questioning, he asked Oscar Pistorius if he had intentionally killed Reeva Steenkamp.

“I did not intend to kill Reeva or anybody else for that matter,” he replied.

If Oscar Pistorius is acquitted of murder, South African law stipulates that the court must consider the separate, lesser charge of culpable homicide, or manslaughter, for which he could receive between six and 15 years in prison.

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Oscar Pistorius described events after shooting his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in his home at his murder trial in Pretoria.

During his emotional testimony Oscar Pistorius said Reeva Steenkamp died before the ambulance arrived while he was holding her.

The Paralympic athlete said he tried to help his girlfriend breathe and stem the bleeding from her hip.

Oscar Pistorius denies deliberately shooting dead Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day last year, arguing he mistook her for an intruder.

Prosecutors contend he intentionally killed her in the toilet of his bathroom after a row.

On Tuesday, Oscar Pistorius broke down in tears whilst describing the events leading up to the shooting and the actual event.

If acquitted, South African law stipulates that the court must consider the separate, lesser charge of culpable homicide, or manslaughter, for which he could receive between six and 15 years in prison.

Oscar Pistorius also faces charges of illegally firing a gun in public and of illegally possessing ammunition, both of which he denies.

During his emotional testimony Oscar Pistorius said Reeva Steenkamp died before the ambulance arrived while he was holding her (photo AP)

On his third day on the stand, Oscar Pistorius described the moments after paramedics had arrived at the scene.

“They asked for some space to work so I stood up. Reeva had already died whilst I was holding her before the ambulance arrived. So, I knew there was nothing they could do for her,” he told the court.

He also described his distress as police and other officials arrived at the house.

“I asked a policeman if I could wash my hands because the smell of the blood was making me throw up,” he said.

Oscar Pistorius’ lawyer Barry Roux also asked him to demonstrate how he would swing a cricket bat.

The athlete said he was on his prosthetic legs when he used the cricket bat to break down the toilet door.

He said the three sounds heard by witnesses at 03:17 local time was the cricket bat hitting the door – about five minutes after he shot at the toilet door.

Oscar Pistorius said he was on his stumps, when he shot at the door.

“I can barely stand on my stumps,” he said.

During his questioning, Barry Roux also mentioned statements from close neighbors who were listed by the state but not called by the prosecution.

He said the statement from Kenny Motshoane’s house described hearing “crying” and not “a woman screaming”, as mentioned by other witnesses.

Another woman living nearby also says she heard “loud crying” and not a woman screaming, Barry Roux said.

Before Barry Roux ended his questioning he asked Oscar Pistorius if he had intentionally killed Reeva Steenkamp.

“I did not intend to kill Reeva or anybody else for that matter,” he replied.

On Tuesday, Oscar Pistorius described how the couple had spent a quiet evening together on February 13, Reeva Steenkamp doing some yoga as he spoke to his cousin on the phone.

He had then watched TV in bed with his head resting on her stomach and she would occasionally show him photos of cars she was looking at on her phone, he said.

Oscar Pistorius said that they had bought Valentine’s Day gifts for each other.

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Oscar Pistorius has described the moment he fired the shots which killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in his home in Pretoria.

The 27-year-old double amputee told his trial in Pretoria he had heard noises from the toilet and thought an intruder was coming out.

“Before I knew it, I had fired four shots at the door,” Oscar Pistorius said.

The trial of the athlete, who could face life imprisonment if convicted of murder, was adjourned until Wednesday after he broke down crying.

The Paralympic athlete denies deliberately shooting Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day last year.

On his first day on the stand, on Monday, Oscar Pistorius made a tearful apology to Reeva Steenkamp’s family.

The prosecution alleges that Oscar Pistorius killed his girlfriend after an argument with her.

In the early hours of February 14, 2013, Oscar Pistorius said he had got up from bed to bring in some fans he had left outside, in order to cool his bedroom.

Oscar Pistorius has described the moment he fired the shots which killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in his home in Pretoria

When he heard a window opening in the bathroom, he said, he thought there was a burglar trying to get in.

Wanting to protect Reeva Steenkamp, who was not sleeping, he had gone to get his gun in the dark.

“I whispered to Reeva to get down and phone the police,” he said.

He said he then went into the passage without his prosthetic legs and, overcome with fear, started screaming, and shouted for Reeva Steenkamp to get to the floor.

The toilet door slammed, reconfirming his belief there was a person or people in the bathroom, the athlete said.

“I heard a noise from inside the toilet, what I perceived to be someone coming out of the toilet,” he said tearfully. At that point, he shot at the door.

After the shooting, Oscar Pistorius said he had smashed in a door panel to get into the toilet, where he discovered what he had done.

“Whilst I leant over the partition to get in, I saw the key, so I took it and I unlocked the door, and I flung the door open, and I threw it open,” he said, sobbing.

“And I sat over Reeva and I cried… and um, I don’t know how long… I don’t know how long I was there for… She wasn’t breathing.”

As the athlete broke down, the judge adjourned the trial.

Earlier, Oscar Pistorius described how the couple had spent a quiet evening together on February 13, Reeva Steenkamp doing some yoga as he spoke to his cousin on the phone.

He had then watched TV in bed with his head resting on her stomach and she would occasionally show him photos of cars she was looking at on her phone, he said.

Oscar Pistorius said that they had bought Valentine’s Day gifts for each other. He had bought her a bracelet and they had been due to go the jewellers’ to collect it the next day, he said.

Reeva Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, reality TV celebrity and law graduate, was hit by at least three bullets while in the toilet cubicle of Oscar Pistorius’s home in Pretoria.

Known as the Blade Runner, Oscar Pistorius holds six Paralympic medals and competed in the 2012 Olympic Games.

There are no juries at trials in South Africa, and his fate will ultimately be decided by the judge, assisted by two assessors.

Even if he is acquitted, South African law stipulates that the court must consider the separate, lesser charge of culpable homicide, or manslaughter.

If convicted on this charge, Oscar Pistorius could face between 6 and 15 years in prison.

Oscar Pistorius also faces charges of illegally firing a gun in public and of illegally possessing ammunition, which he denies.

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Oscar Pistorius trial in Pretoria has been postponed until April 7 as one of the assessors assisting the judge has been taken ill.

The defense in the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius had been expected to take place on Friday.

The trial has already heard 15 days of prosecution-led testimony.

Oscar Pistorius, 27, denies deliberately shooting his 29-year-old girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in February 2013, saying he mistook her for an intruder.

Prosecutors allege that the athlete killed Reeva Steenkamp after an argument.

Oscar Pistorius trial in Pretoria has been postponed until April 7 as one of the assessors assisting the judge has been taken ill

Judge Thokozile Masipa announced that one of the assessors is ill and suggested the date of April 7 to resume the trial. The prosecution and defense teams agreed to the postponement.

Under South African law, there is no jury system and two assessors help the judge reach a decision.

Although Oscar Pistorius is not legally obliged to testify, he is the only witness to the alleged murder and is expected to testify when the trial restarts.

His lawyers had previously told journalists that it was “likely” they would call him to give evidence first.

Prosecution testimony has relied on accounts from neighbors and specialist ballistics, forensic and mobile phone evidence.

The defense had been due to address key questions, in particular:

• Allegations from witnesses that Oscar Pistorius was reckless with guns and had fired a pistol indiscriminately on two occasions in the past
• Why he didn’t check the whereabouts of Reeva Steenkamp when he feared an intruder was in the house
• Why, as a person used to handling weapons, he didn’t fire a warning shot

Reeva Steenkamp, a model, reality TV celebrity and law graduate, was hit by four bullets while in the toilet cubicle of Oscar Pistorius’ home in Pretoria.

People who were in the area on the night of the shooting have told the court they heard screams, shots and bangs.

However, Oscar Pistorius has said he believed Ms Steenkamp was in bed when he shot at the toilet door, thinking an intruder was about to attack them.

Oscar Pistorius is a double amputee who holds six Paralympic medals and competed in the 2012 Olympic Games.

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