Prosecutors claim Oscar Pistorius put on legs to kill girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp

Prosecutors have today claim Oscar Pistorius put on his prosthetic legs and walked seven metres before firing through a bathroom door and killing his girlfriend.

During the bail hearing, prosecutor Gerrie Nel argued he fired four shots at unarmed Reeva Steenkamp through a locked door, showing it was a premeditated murder. He added there was “a motive to kill”.

Mr Nel said Ms Steenkamp was cowering inside a small, cramped bathroom with an overnight bag because she was scared after they’d had a row on Valentine’s Day.

The 29-year-old died from “three shots” last Thursday at Pistorius’ home in South Africa. The family are attending her funeral in Port Elizabeth this morning.

Mr Nel said the defence had a number of questions to answer, including:

:: Why did Pistorius carry Ms Steenkamp’s body down a staircase after she was shot?

:: Why didn’t Pistorius look for his girlfriend if he suspected there was a burglar in the house?

:: Why did Ms Steenkamp lock herself in the toilet – was she afraid of being shot or killed?

:: Why did he put on his prosthetic limbs and walk seven metres to the bathroom?

Mr Nel said: “If I arm myself, walk a distance and murder a person, that is premeditated. The door is closed. There is no doubt. I walk seven metres and I kill. The motive is ‘I want to kill’. That’s it.”

He added: “It wouldn’t be correct for me to venture into the motive now. We can say that there was a motive to kill.”

Meanwhile the athlete’s defence lawyer Barry Roux said there was no evidence of premeditation, insisting he did not know it was Ms Steenkamp in the bathroom.

Arguing her death was accidental, he said: “We submit it is not even murder. There is no concession this is a murder.”

“All we really know is she locked herself behind the toilet door and she was shot,” he added.

Pistorius broke down in tears during the hearing which will determine whether he should get bail.

Reports from inside the court in Pretoria, have revealed Oscar’s “face was creased in pain” and he was “weeping” as he was formally charged with murder.

The prosecutor said he “killed an innocent woman”.

For the first time, Pistorius is expected to explain how his girlfriend died during the hearing.

Crawford said his defence team will detail why he should be given bail, arguing that he is not a danger to society or himself and is not going to abscond.