Oscar Pistorius broke down as he recounts moment he shot his girlfriend at his home

Oscar Pistorius broke down in court yesterday as he described the moment he shot & killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp through a toilet door at his Pretoria home. Oscar claimed he was paralyzed with fear thinking an intruder had entered the house before he opened fire through a locked toilet door.

The athlete told the court he was paralysed with fear thinking an intruder had entered the house before he opened fire through a locked toilet door, killing Ms Steenkamp in the early hours of Valentine's Day last year.

"I wasn't sure where to point the firearm," he said. "My eyes were going between the windows and the toilet. I stood for some time.

"I just stayed where I was and kept on screaming. Then I heard a noise from inside the toilet that I perceived to be somebody coming out of the toilet. Before I knew it, I had fired four shots at the door."

Sobbing uncontrollably and wailing, he described the moment he realised Ms Steenkamp wasn't in bed and smashed down the toilet door to reach her. By the time Pistorius entered the toilet, Ms Steenkamp "wasn't breathing", Pretoria's High Court heard.

Earlier, the athlete had stripped off his prosthetic legs, struggling to move and maintain balance on his stumps, as he sought to demonstrate his walking ability without them.

Describing the events leading up to Ms Steenkamp's death, Pistorius said he heard a window sliding open in his bathroom in the early hours of 14 February, which he said convinced him an intruder was inside the house and that he needed to arm himself and "protect Reeva".

"That's the moment that everything changed," he said. "I thought that there was a burglar that was gaining entry to my home."

The athlete said the room was completely dark, except for a small LED light, and he was alarmed by the sound of a door slamming shut as he made his way along the passage leading to the bathroom.

"Just before I got to the bathroom, I heard a door slam. It could only have been the toilet door," he said. "It confirmed that there was a person or people inside the bathroom at that time."

He added: "I was overcome by fear. I screamed at the person to get out. I screamed at Reeva. I was constantly aware this person could come at me at any time. I did not have my legs on. Just before I got to the bathroom, I stopped shouting."