Intro:

Oscar Pistorius arrived in court on Friday (8th August) as his murder trial following the death of his former girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp comes to an end.

Script:

Oscar Pistorius was back in court on Friday morning as his murder trial for shooting to death his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp draws to a close.

The athlete denies prosecution claims that he deliberately shot Ms Steenkamp last year through a toilet cubicle door in his home.

Both sides will summarise their versions of the shooting to Thokozile Masipa, the judge who will determine the fate of the double-amputee Olympic runner.

The chief defence lawyer for Oscar Pistorius delivered final arguments in the athlete's murder trial on Friday, alleging that Pistorius thought he was in danger when he killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp and also that police mishandled evidence at the house where the shooting happened.

At one point, lawyer Barry Roux slapped his hand on the desk in front of him to mimic a sound that the double-amputee runner has said he heard on the night of Steenkamp's death.

Such an alarming sound, Roux argued, explains why Pistorius thought an intruder was in his home and that he had to defend himself by opening fire.

Chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel presented his final arguments, saying that the athlete shot Steenkamp through the closed toilet door after an argument, describing him as an "appalling witness" who lied constantly during testimony to try to cover up the murder.