Reeva's awful face of death

A graphic account of Reeva Steenkamp's mortal wounds had her lover and killer, Oscar Pistorius, retching as he tried to block out the testimony of a neighbour.

Hunkering in the dock in the Pretoria High Court yesterday, Pistorius held his hands to his ears as Dr Johan Stipp, a radiologist, recalled in detail Steenkamp's bleeding and traumatic head wound.

Stipp, whose Silver Woods Estate home directly overlooks Pistorius's bathroom, was one of the first on the scene in the early hours of Valentine's Day last year.

He said he was awoken by gunshots.

Pistorius claims he killed Steenkamp after mistaking her for an intruder. He fired four shots, three of which struck her. The state alleges he murdered her after an argument.

Stipp, led by prosecutor Gerrie Nel on the fourth day of the murder trial, described the scene he encountered when he arrived at the Blade Runner's home.

He said he knew there were problems when he heard the gunshots.

"When I got to the house I was motioned inside . A lady was on the ground, a man next to her on his knees. His right hand was on her groin, the fingers of his left hand in her mouth . her teeth clenching.

"He said: 'I shot her . I thought she was a burglar . I shot her'," said Stipp. He had tried to resuscitate Steenkamp, he said.

"I think the accused had his fingers in her mouth because he was trying to open her airway. I tried to assist her . check for signs of life, but there was none.

"There was no pulse. I opened her right eyelid but her cornea was already milky . Her teeth were clenching down hard on his fingers.

"It was obvious she was mortally wounded. There were wounds to her right thigh and arm, brain tissue visible, the top of her skull open."

Pistorius, his shoulders convulsing, tried to block out the testimony.

Stipp continued: "He was praying to God: 'Please let her live, she must not die.' He promised to give back his and her life to God if she lived."

Stipp said that earlier, when he ran to his balcony, he saw lights on in Pistorius' s bathroom.

"I heard three sounds, like gunshots, then a woman's screams - emotional, angry and fearful - and a man's voice, and then bangs, again like gunshots.

"When I heard the last sounds I told my wife to get to safety . I thought shots could be fired in our direction."

Running to the balcony for a second time after phoning security guards, he saw the silhouette of a person moving from "right to left" in the bathroom.

"I clearly saw a person walk from right to left. There were lights on in the bathroom . I saw a person's silhouette," he said during cross-examination by defence lawyer Barry Roux.

Stipp testified that the wife of the estate's security manager, who arrived after him, was worried the media would find out about the shooting.

"After I got home, I got a call from the security manager saying I must expect a call from Oscar's lawyer. It was 4:17."

Roux "debated" with Stipp how it was possible he had heard Steenkamp scream. "My client, when anxious, screams like a woman. Is this the scream that you possibly heard? Steenkamp was killed at 3:17 with the fatal shot . the other 'shots' you heard were the cricket bat used to bash open the door. You made an honest mistake." Nel argued it was not the first shot that killed Steenkamp but the last.

Pistorius should have been in Sochi, Russia, this week to take part in the Paralympic Championships, which start today. His mother, Sheila, died 12 years ago yesterday.