Oscar Pistorius had 'big love for guns'

A friend of Oscar Pistorius has told his murder trial that the athlete 'had a big love' for guns.

Darren Fresco said that he had been with him on two occasions when a gun had been fired in public.

Mr Pistorius once accidentally fired a gun in a restaurant but made him take the blame, Mr Fresco said.

The Paralympic athlete denies intentionally killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp and says he mistook her for a burglar.

Mr Fresco said that on another occasion, he was driving when Mr Pistorius fired a gun out of a sunroof after police stopped him.

He said Mr Pistorius became angry after a police officer handled his gun, which was on the back seat of the car.

'You can't just touch another man's gun,' said Mr Pistorius, according to Mr Fresco.

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Earlier Oscar Pistorius' defence team questioned a pathologist's finding that his girlfriend had eaten less than two hours before he killed her.

This contradicts the athlete's account that the pair had been in bed for several hours before the shooting.

Dr Saayman said Ms Steenkamp had been shot three times, in the head, hip and arm but that he did not know the order of the injuries.

If she had been shot in the hip or arm first, screaming would have been expected, he said.

Neighbours have previously said they heard a woman screaming but Mr Pistorius' defence lawyers argue that the athlete was the only one who screamed.

When pressed by defence lawyer Barry Roux, Dr Saayman said that there could be an error of 'an hour or two' in his estimation of when Ms Steenkamp last ate.

Judge Thokozile Masipa has ruled that Tuesday's post-mortem examination testimony could be tweeted but not broadcast live.

The judge had banned live twitter coverage of Monday's testimony because of its graphic nature.

Mr Pistorius has appeared distraught as the events of 14 February 2013 have been recounted in the court in Pretoria.

The state is seeking to convince the court that Mr Pistorius and Ms Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, reality TV star and law graduate, had an argument before the athlete fired the shots that killed his girlfriend.

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

If found guilty, the 27-year-old, a national sporting hero dubbed the 'blade runner' after having both lower legs amputated, could face life imprisonment.

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Mr Pistorius said in his statement at the start of the trial that he woke in the early hours and walked on his stumps to the balcony, pulled in two fans, closed the sliding door and drew curtains. He said that shortly before he had spoken to Reeva, who was in bed beside him.

He said he rejected prosecution claims that a witness heard arguing coming from the house before the shooting.

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Mr Pistorius said he heard the bathroom window sliding open and believed that an intruder, or intruders, had entered the bathroom through the a window which was not fitted with burglar bars.

'Unbeknown to me, Reeva must have gone to the toilet in the bathroom at the time I brought in the fans,' he said.

Mr Pistorius said he approached the bathroom armed with his firearm, to defend himself and his girlfriend, believing Ms Steenkamp was still in bed.

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Both sides agree four bullets were fired. Ms Steenkamp was hit three times.

Mr Pistorius said he fired his weapon after hearing a noise in the toilet which he thought was the intruder coming out of the toilet to attack him and Ms Steenkamp.

He said he was in a fearful state, knowing he was on his stumps and unable to run away or properly defend himself.

Mr Pistorius said he rejected claims made by the prosecution that he was on his prosthesis when he shot at the door.

A witness told the trial she woke to hear a woman's screams and a man shouting for help. She said that after the screams she heard four shots.

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At his bail hearing last year, Mr Pistorius said he went back to the bedroom after shooting at the toilet door, then noticed Ms Steenkamp was not in bed.

Mr Pistorius said he then realised she could have been in the toilet.

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Mr Pistorius said he went back to the bathroom but the toilet was locked, so he returned to the bedroom, pulled on his prosthetic legs, turned on the lights before bashing in the toilet door with a cricket bat.

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Mr Pistorius told his bail hearing he called the manager of his guarded and gated housing complex and a private paramedic service. He then carried Ms Steenkamp downstairs.

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