Oscar Pistorius could face life imprisonment if found guilty of the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp
South
African athlete Oscar Pistorius "was broken" after shooting his
girlfriend, his neighbour has said, as the murder trial resumed after a
two-week break.
Johan Stander was the first person the athlete called after shooting Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year.
The South African Olympic sprinter denies intentionally killing her.
He says he shot through a toilet door while in a state of panic, fearing there was an intruder in his house.
The trial was adjourned on 17 April for an Easter break after
Mr Pistorius and two expert witnesses had given evidence for the
defence.
Mr Stander explains that he thought Mr Pistorius' reactions showed that the shooting had been a mistake.
"I saw the truth that morning and I feel it," he told the court.
"He was desperate to save her [and] prayed to God."
Recent break-ins
The Paralympic athlete, 27, has a pen in hand and is listening intently to his neighbour as he testify in court.
Mr Stander, who lives about 350 metres from Mr Pistorius said he received a call at 03.18 on 14 February 2013.
He said the athlete told him: "I shot Reeva. I thought she was an intruder, please come quick."
Mr Stander said that when he and his family arrived at the
house, they saw Mr Pistorius coming downstairs with Ms Steenkamp in his
arms.
"I could see she had a head-wound," Mr Stander said.
"He was broken. He was screaming, he was crying, he was praying," he said, his voice breaking with emotion.
"It's not something I would like to experience again," he said.
"He asked us to assist him to take her to hospital."
Mr Stander also said there had been several recent break-ins in the private estate where he and Mr Pistorius live.
However, under cross-examination, he accepted that it was a safe place to live.
The couple had been dating for just a few months when the incident happened in 2013
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel accused Mr Pistorius of "tailoring his evidence" during his cross-examination
Before the Easter break, the athlete faced several days of
cross-examination from the state prosecutor Gerrie Nel, who accused him
of using emotional outbursts "as an escape".
As well as neighbours, the athlete's defence team is expected to call on a ballistics expert.
A psychologist is also set to be called to speak about Mr Pistorius' disability and his acute sense of vulnerability.
The prosecution has sought to show a pattern of reckless
behaviour by the athlete and has argued that a reasonable man would have
checked before firing four bullets through a locked door.
If found guilty, the 27-year-old - a national sporting hero
and double amputee dubbed could face life imprisonment.
Ms Steenkamp, 29, was a model, celebrity TV star and law graduate.
If Mr Pistorius is acquitted of murder, the court must
consider an alternative charge of culpable homicide, for which he could
receive about 15 years in prison.
He also faces charges of illegally firing a gun in public and of illegally possessing ammunition, both of which he denies.
There are no juries at trials in South Africa, and his fate will ultimately be decided by the judge, assisted by two assessors.
