Oscar Pistorius Gives Evidence In Murder Trial, Tells Court: “I Wake Up And I Can Smell Blood”

The Paralympic athlete is charged with murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Twenty-seven-year-old Oscar Pistorius has started giving evidence at his trial for the murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in South Africa.

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During his testimony, Pistorius apologised to Steenkamp’s family.

He also revealed he suffers from nightmares and wakes up smelling blood.

Breaking down in tears, the double amputee said he couldn’t imagine “the pain and the sorrow and the emptiness” he had caused her family.

(Photo: AP/Themba Hadebe)

He said: “I was simply trying to protect Reeva. I can promise that when she went to bed that night she felt loved. I’ve tried to put my words on paper many, many times to write to you, but no words would ever suffice.”

Pistorius claims he accidentally killed Steenkamp at his Pretoria home in February 2013 after mistaking her for an intruder.

(Photo: Getty)

The prosecution says the South African athlete killed his model girlfriend after an argument on Valentine’s Day.

The 29-year-old was killed after Pistorius fired a 9 mm pistol through his toilet door while Steenkamp was in the cubicle.

(Photo: Siphiwe Sibeko / Reuters)

During his evidence on Monday, the Paralympian said he was taking antidepressant medication and had suffered from panic attacks.

He also told the court: "I have terrible nightmares about things that happened that night. I wake up and I can smell blood and wake up being terrified."

Earlier in the day he was seen crying and hunched over as pathologist professor Jan Botha gave evidence.

AP Photo/Themba Hadebe

Botha said Steenkamp may not have had a chance to scream before being shot, contradicting the prosecutions' claim she screamed during the altercation and that Pistorius would have known it was her in the toilet and not an intruder.

AP/Press Association Images

Pistorius' evidence could take several days.

The trial continues.