In it she wrote: "Roses are red, violets are blue.

"I think today is a good day to tell you that...I love you."

Paralympian Pistorius sobbed as he read the card on his last of seven days giving evidence in his murder trial.

He shot Steenkamp dead on Valentine's Day last year, but says he did so thinking she was an intruder.

Concluding his cross-examination of Pistorius, prosecutor Gerrie Nel confronted him on why he had fired four bullets through the locked toilet door of his Pretoria home.

"You fired four shots through that door while knowing that she [Steenkamp] was standing by the door," he told Pistorius.

"You knew she was talking to you.

"She was locked in the toilet and you armed yourself with the sole purpose of shooting and killing her.

"And that's what you did.

"Afterwards, you were overcome by what you had done only because it was your intention to kill her, you realise that?"

Defence lawyer Barry Roux got an opportunity to question Oscar Pistorius for a second time today at his murder trial in Pretoria  ©Getty Images



Nel described Steenkamp's "blood-curdling" screams as he painted the prosecution's picture of what happened 14 months ago.

"I don't agree," Pistorius responded.

After Nel ended his extensive cross-examination of Pistorius, his defence lawyer Barry Roux asked the athlete how he had felt when he thought there was an intruder in his home.

"Complete terror and helplessness," responded the 27-year-old.

"Not being able to defend myself."

Speaking of the moment he fired four bullets through the toilet door, Pistorius said: "I didn't think about pulling the trigger," adding it was not a conscious action.

As Pistorius left the witness box following seven gruelling and often emotional days of testimony, forensic expert Roger Dixon took the stand.

He testified that Pistorius' bedroom would have been almost completely dark on the night in question, without the light switched on.

Both the prosecution and the defence have asked for the trial to be adjourned until May 5.

Judge Thokozile Masipa said she would give a judgement on the request tomorrow.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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