Pistorius judge rules out premeditated murder

The trial of Oscar Pistorius for the killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp last year is in its final phase inside the High Court of South Africa, in Pretoria.

The murder case has been described in many ways, including as ‘an individual psychological disaster’, also as representative of national crime fears.

Pistorius is a double-amputee paralympic and olympic runner. His victim was a model and a law graduate. He killed her on Valentine’s Day.

The verdict will be decided by judge Thokozile Masipa, a former social worker and journalist.

Reading a summation of the trial proceedings, the judge said: “In the early morning hours of 14 February 2013, the accused shot and killed Steenkamp, the deceased. At the time the shots were fired, the deceased was inside the locked toilet.”

Pistorius says he shot Steenkamp in a tragic accident, believing she was an intruder. They were at his home.

The first of four shots hit her while she was standing, facing him, with the bedroom toilet door closed between them. The defence said he believed an attacker was about to come out.

Outside the court, a few activists gathered, from the group No Violence Against Women.