Oscar Pistorius Trial: Athlete's Call For Help

The first person Oscar Pistorius called after shooting his girlfriend has told a court about the moment the distressed athlete phoned for help.

Johan Stander, who worked on the luxury estate where the 27-year-old lived, also spoke about the moment he arrived at his neighbour's house to find him "broken", "screaming" and carrying Reeva Steenkamp's body down the stairs.

Recalling the phone call in the early hours of Valentine's Day last year, Mr Stander told the court: "He said, 'Please, please, please come to my house, please. I shot Reeva. I thought she was an intruder. Please, please come quick.'"

Mr Stander, who used to look after the sprinter's dogs when he was competing overseas, went on to speak about what he found at the house three minutes later.

Ms Steenkamp was shot dead on February 14, 2013. Pic: Stimulii

"The door was slightly open and my daughter, who was slightly in front of me, pushed the door open," he said.

"We saw Pistorius coming down the stairs with Reeva in his arms. I could see she had a head wound.

"When he saw us, there was relief on his face. He was crying, really crying. He was in pain. He asked us to help him. He wanted us to put Reeva in a car and take her to hospital.

"We tried to calm him down. He was broken. He was screaming, crying, praying."

Mr Stander, the first witness to be called following the trial's two-week break, said Pistorius "begged" Ms Steenkamp to "stay with him" and was "committed" to saving her.

Mr Stander said he found Pistorius carrying his girlfriend down the stairs

"He prayed to God to keep her alive," he said.

The witness, a former administrator at the Silver Woods estate, Pretoria, also told the court Pistorius would ask to be kept abreast of local crimes when he returned from his travels.

In one incident, he said, thieves broke through a fence and used a ladder to gain access to a house - a scenario the athlete has previously said he was concerned about.

A woman was tied up by intruders during another break-in, he added.

Pistorius' legal team are set to call ballistics, audio and psychological experts over the coming days, as the trial enters what is likely to prove a critical phase.

Sky's Special Correspondent Alex Crawford, in Pretoria, said: "The defence has got to counter several prosecution claims - not least that there was a pause between shots which, crucially, would have given Ms Steenkamp time to shout out in anguish before the fatal head shot."

Pistorius admits shooting his partner but denies a charge of premeditated murder, claiming he mistook her for an intruder.

The trial continues.

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