Pistorius: Defence to beging case

 
The murder trial of Oscar Pistorius is due to resume in South Africa on Monday with the start of the defence case.
The athlete is set to take the stand this week to tell the court how and why he shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Prosecutors say he killed her in February 2013 after an argument. He denies shooting her deliberately, saying he mistook her for an intruder.
The trial in Pretoria was postponed for a week after one of the assessors assisting the judge fell ill.
Under South African law, there is no jury system and two assessors, normally lawyers or retired magistrates, help the judge reach a decision in serious cases.
The trial has already heard 15 days of prosecution-led testimony, which has relied on accounts from neighbours and specialist ballistics experts, as well forensic and mobile phone evidence.
One neighbour, Michelle Burger, told the court she was awoken by a woman’s “terrible screams” followed by gun shots.

This could be a decisive week for Mr Pistorius, says the BBC’s Africa correspondent Andrew Harding.
The athlete aims to convince the court that the screams were his, and that he shot Ms Steenkamp through a closed toilet door because he had mistaken her for an intruder.
For administrative reasons, the first person to give evidence for the defence on Monday is expected to be a pathologist, our correspondent adds.
But it is thought Mr Pistorius will go next. He had been expected to take the stand when the trial was postponed on Friday March 28.
The defence is also likely to address key questions, including allegations that Mr Pistorius was reckless with guns and why he did not check the whereabouts of his girlfriend before he opened fire.
Steenkamp, a model, reality TV celebrity and law graduate, was hit by four bullets while in the toilet cubicle of Mr Pistorius’ home in Pretoria on 14 February 2013.
Pistorius is a double amputee who holds six Paralympic medals and competed in the 2012 Olympic Games.
If found guilty, the 27 year old – dubbed the “blade runner” because of the prosthetic limbs he wore to race – could face life imprisonment.