Oscar Pistorius accused of lies and distortion

Oscar Pistorius has faced a second day of intense cross-examination at his trial in which he was accused of being selfish, reckless and a liar. Chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel focused on the athlete's character, enthusiasm for firearms and version of events before he shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

The South African sprinter appeared calmer than he had during his previous three days on the witness stand. The 27-year-old Olympic and Paralympic star denies murder. He again insisted in court in Pretoria on Thursday that the shooting on Valentine's Day last year was a terrible accident after he mistook her for a burglar. said he had not intended to pull the trigger, even to fire at an intruder, and could not explain why he fired four shots through a toilet cubicle door.
"I didn't have time to think about it," he said in a trembling voice.
Mr Nel, known as the "pit bull or sometimes, bull terrier," in South Africa for his fierce questioning, also suggested Mr Pistorius was only concerned about himself during the couple's three-month relationship.
"It was all about you, Mr Pistorius," he said, repeatedly. He tried to give the impression that the Paralympic athlete was self-centred, contemptuous of his girlfriend and lacking responsibility .

Mr Nel suggested that Mr Pistorius should have apologized to Ms Steenkamp's family in private, rather than making a "spectacle" by doing it in court on Monday. The athlete replied that he had not had the opportunity and had been unable to find the correct words. "I'm terribly sorry that I took the life of their daughter," he said.

The prosecution is painting an unflattering picture of Oscar Pistorius - a picture of a self-obsessed man who always wanted others to take the blame for his actions.
They are using the text-message exchange where the couple were arguing to claim that their relationship was "all about Oscar". Chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel said that even when the athlete had apologized, he nevertheless blamed Reeva Steenkamp for their fights. And he took it one step further, saying that Mr Pistorius had often blamed other people for his actions - but at no time during his testimony had he taken responsibility for what he did.

In court, Mrs Steenkamp shook her head as Mr Pistorius was taken through several Whatsapp text messages which Ms Steenkamp had sent to the athlete. In one, she wrote:

 "You have picked on me incessantly since we got back from Cape Town."
Asked to comment, Mr Pistorius said: "I don't feel like I picked on her incessantly - maybe we were having a rough time in our relationship."

Later, Mr Nel set out what the state believes happened in the early hours of 14 February 2013 in Mr Pistorius' Pretoria home. He said they would show that the two had an argument in the bedroom, and Ms Steenkamp ran screaming into the toilet. The chief prosecutor showed a police photograph of the bedroom, taken three hours after the shooting, which he said contradicted Mr Pistorius' account of where various items - including electric cooling fans and a duvet - had been placed at the time of the shooting.
"Your version is a lie," Mr Nel said - something the defendant denied. In earlier cross-examination, Mr Pistorius also denied ever shouting or screaming at Ms Steenkamp, or a previous girlfriend, Sam Taylor, as she had testified earlier in the trial.
Referring to an incident when a gun was fired in a restaurant, he said he had not been aware the gun was loaded but insisted he had not pulled the trigger. Mr Nel said a gun firing itself would be a "miracle", and accused Mr Pistorius of lying and not taking responsibility for his actions. Mr Pistorius did admit keeping ammunition in his bedside table, rather than in a safe, saying he was usually armed for his own safety.
The double amputee faces life imprisonment if convicted of murdering the 29-year-old model, reality TV celebrity and law graduate.
Gerrie Nel: Fierce prosecutor

• One of South Africa's most respected legal minds
• Known for his no-nonsense attitude inside the courtroom
• More than 30 years' experience
• No stranger to high-profile cases - prosecuted former police boss Jackie Selebi on corruption charges, calling him an "arrogant liar" during cross-examination