Oscar Pistorius knew he was breaking the law when he fired at girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp through a locked toilet door, his murder trial heard.

Sean Patrick Rens, a firearms training and licensing officer, told the court the athlete's firearms competency test showed he was aware that firing at an unseen target was illegal.

Pistorius wrote in his competency questionnaire you must "always know your target and what lies behind" before firing a weapon and scored top marks in the test.

Download the new Independent Premium app Sharing the full story, not just the headlines

To the question: "You’re at home alone, you see men jump over the wall, it’s late at night - can you shoot?", Pistorius answered no.

He also stated that, before you are entitled to open fire, any attack must be "against you, must be unlawful, it must be against the person."

Mr Rens told Pretoria's High Court he knew of Pistorius' "great love and enthusiasm" for guns. The pair met at a shooting range in 2012.

He said the athlete had asked him to provide him with a revolver and was seeking to collect other guns.

He showed the court an invoice for a S&W 500 revolver, an LM6 assault rifle, two shotguns and a 38 Special revolver. The order was cancelled because he did not have a collector licence.

Shape Created with Sketch. In pictures: Oscar Pistorius trial Show all 90 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. In pictures: Oscar Pistorius trial 1/90 Oscar Pistorius arrives at court Oscar Pistorius arrives at court prior to another day of cross examination during his ongoing murder trial in Pretoria 2/90 Oscar Pistorius arrives at court Oscar Pistorius is greeted by the "Support for Oscar" Facebook group members as he arrives at the Pretoria High Court 3/90 Prosecutor Gerrie Nel in court Prosecutor Gerrie Nel walks past a courtroom reconstruction of the toilet in which Reeva Steenkamp was shot and killed during Oscar Pistorius' murder trial at the high court in Pretoria 4/90 Prosecutor Gerrie Nel in court Prosecutor Gerrie Nel gestures as he explains a possible scenario into how Oscar Pistorius might have fired on girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in court in Pretoria 5/90 The door through which Reeva Steenkamp was shot used as evidence in court The door through which Reeva Steenkamp was shot used as evidence and displayed during the Oscar Pistorius murder trial at the high court in Pretoria 6/90 Oscar Pistorius leaves court Oscar Pistorius leaves the high court in Pretoria 7/90 June Steenkamp in court June Steenkamp, mother of Reeva, is comforted by unidentified relative after her dead daughter's picture was shown on screen during the trial of Oscar Pistorius at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 8/90 Aimee Pistorius and Lois Pistorius in court Sister of Oscar Pistorius, Aimee Pistorius (L) and aunt Lois Pistorius (R) listen as Oscar Pistorius testifies in court in Pretoria 9/90 Gina Myers in court Gina Myers, Reeva Steenkamp's best friend, is overcome with emotion as she listens to Oscar Pistorius' testimony in the Pretoria High Court 10/90 Aimee Pistorius cries in court Aimee Pistorius (R), sister of Oscar Pistorius, cries as she hears her brother tell his story of the events on the night he killed Reeva Steenkamp during his ongoing murder trial in Pretoria 11/90 June Steenkamp in court June Steenkamp hides her face as she listens to Oscar Pistorius' testimony in the Pretoria High Court 12/90 Arnold and Lois Pistorius cry in court Arnold and Lois Pistorius overcome with emotion as they listen to their nephew Oscar's testimony in the Pretoria High Court 13/90 Oscar Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius reacts as he listens to evidence by a pathologist during his trial in court in Pretoria 14/90 Oscar Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius reacts during his trial for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 15/90 Gerrie Nel speaks in court State Prosecutor Gerrie Nel speaks as he cross-examines the pathologist during the trial of Oscar Pistorius in court in Pretoria 16/90 Oscar Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius puts his hands to his head while he sits during his trial at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 17/90 Oscar Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius reacts during his trial at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 18/90 Oscar Pistorius speaks with relative Oscar Pistorius speaks with a family member during his trial in Court in Pretoria 19/90 Aimee Pistorius in court Aimee, sister of Oscar Pistorius, cries as her brother takes the stand to testify at the high court in Pretoria 20/90 Carl Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius' brother Carl Pistorius reacts during Oscar's trial at the high court in Pretoria 21/90 June Steenkamp in court June Steenkamp, mother of the late Reeva Steenkamp listens to evidence by a pathologist during the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius in court in Pretoria 22/90 Arnold Pistorius and Lois Pistorius in court Uncle Arnold Pistorius and aunt Lois Pistorius look on during the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius at the high court in Pretoria 23/90 Oscar Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius cries as he sits in the dock during his ongoing murder trial in Pretoria 24/90 Oscar Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius sheds tears as he sits in the dock during his ongoing murder trial in Pretoria 25/90 Oscar Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius shedding tears as he sits in the dock during his ongoing murder trial in Pretoria 26/90 Oscar Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius sits in the dock during his murder trial at the high court in Pretoria 27/90 Oscar Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius makes his way to the dock during his ongoing murder trial in Pretoria 28/90 Kenny Oldwage questions a witness Kenny Oldwage a member of South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius' legal team questions a state witness during the ongoing murder trial in Pretoria 29/90 Hilton Botha arrives in court Hilton Botha, former lead detective in the Oscar Pistorius murder case, arrives ahead of Pistorius's trial at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 30/90 A member of the African National Congress Women's League outside the court A member of the African National Congress Women's League holds a mobile phone with a picture of Reeva Steenkamp outside the high court in Pretoria 31/90 Pistorius cries during his trial Oscar Pistorius cries during his trial at the North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria 32/90 Pistorius is comforted by relatives Oscar Pistorius is comforted by relatives as he sits in the dock during court proceedings at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 33/90 Pistorius is comforted by relatives Oscar Pistorius is hugged by his aunt Lois in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 34/90 Pistorius in the dock Oscar Pistorius holds his head in his hands in the dock during cross examination of a witnesses in court in Pretoria 35/90 Pistorius leaves court Oscar Pistorius is photographed as he leaves at the end of his trial for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 36/90 Oscar Pistorius and Aimee Pistorius Oscar Pistorius with his sister Aimee Pistorius during the murder trial at the high court in Pretoria 37/90 Photographs of Pistorius taken after the shooting Pistorius from the waist up, with a tattoo visible on his back, and blood on his left arm 38/90 Photographs of Pistorius taken after the shooting Photographs of Pistorius taken soon after fatal shooting of Reeva Steenkamp were shown in court. The athlete's prosthetic legs are splattered with blood 39/90 Pistorius' watch collection with blood marks on it A photograph of Pistorius' watch collection with blood marks on it. One of the watches went missing the night police searched the house after Reeva Steenkamp was shot on Valentine's Day. 40/90 Pistorius's bedroom with the duvet on the floor A close up of Pistorius's bedroom, with the duvet on the floor. Pistorius argues he woke up to bring a fan from his balcony when he heard noises coming the bathroom 41/90 Pistorius covers his head with a notebook as he listens to forensic evidence Oscar Pistorius covers his head with a notebook as he listens to forensic evidence during his trial in court in Pretoria 42/90 Pistorius puts his hands to his head while he sits in court Oscar Pistorius puts his hands to his head as he listens to forensic evidence during his trial in court in Pretoria 43/90 Pistorius reacts while listening evidence in court Oscar Pistorius reacts during his murder trial at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 44/90 Pistorius places his head in his hands Oscar Pistorius places his head in his hands as he listens to the cross examination during his trial in court in Pretoria 45/90 Pistorius during his continuous trial Oscar Pistorius sits in the dock during his murder trial at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 46/90 Lt Col JG Vermeulen demonstrates the effect of hitting of a bathroom door Lt Col JG Vermeulen demonstrates the effect of hitting of a bathroom door with a cricket bat during the trail of Oscar Pistorius in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 47/90 Lt Col JG Vermeulen recreates a possible scenario at Oscar Pistorius home Lt Col JG Vermeulen recreates a possible scenario at Oscar Pistorius home when he shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp 48/90 Pistorius's defence team questions forensic evidence Pistorius's defence team questions forensic evidence suggesting the athlete was wearing his prosthetic legs when he hit the lavatory's door with a cricket bat 49/90 State prosecutor Gerrie Nel speaks in court State prosecutor Gerrie Nel makes a point during the trial of Oscar Pistorius at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 50/90 Pistorius speaks with his legal team Oscar Pistorius speaks with a member of his legal team prior to a hearing of his trial at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 51/90 Pistorius sits in court Oscar Pistorius sits with hands on his head at the court dock during the ongoing murder trial at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 52/90 Pistorius in court during ongoing trial Oscar Pistorius sits in the dock on another day of his trial at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 53/90 State prosecutor Gerrie Nel in court State prosecutor Gerrie Nel takes part in Oscar Pistorius' ongoing murder trial at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 54/90 Pistorius arrives in court The accused arrives at the Pretoria High Court in Pretoria 55/90 Pistorius cries in court Oscar Pistorius cries as he listens to cross questioning about the events surrounding the shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, in court during his trial in Pretoria 56/90 Pistorius cries in court Oscar Pistorius cries as he chats to his lawyer Barry Roux during his trial for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 57/90 Pistorius on the sixth day of his trial Oscar Pistorius holds his hands to his face as he sits in the dock during day 6 of his murder trial at the High Court in Pretoria 58/90 Pistorius sits in court Oscar Pistorius is pictured with hands on his head during a hearing on the sixth day of his murder trial 59/90 Relatives of Reeva Steenkamp in court Relatives and friends of Reeva Steenkamp, Gina Meyers (C) and her mother Desiree (R) attend a hearing of Oscar Pistorius on the sixth day of his trial 60/90 Pistorius arrives in court Oscar Pistorius arrives at the Pretoria High Court in Pretoria 61/90 Security guard Pieter Baba testifies Security guard Pieter Baba testifies the murder trial of South African Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius at the high court of Pretoria 62/90 Pistorius family in court Aimee Pistorius, sister of Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar, rests her head on an unidentified woman's shoulder during the fifth day of his trial for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 63/90 Oscar Pistorius listens as witness testifies Oscar Pistorius puts his hands to his head while a witness testifies and speaks about the morning of the shooting of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp 64/90 Oscar Pistorius cries Oscar Pistorius cries while a witness testifies during the fourth day of his trial for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 65/90 Oscar Pistorius looks at notes Oscar Pistorius looks at notes during the fourth day of his trial for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 66/90 Oscar Pistorius on the second day of his trial Covering his ears, on empty benches, Oscar Pistoius gestures after arriving at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 67/90 Oscar Pistorius reads defense paperwork Oscar Pistorius looks at his defense team paperwork during a break on the second day of his trial at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 68/90 Members of the media during the trial Members of the media work during a break in proceedings on the second day of the murder trial of South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 69/90 Oscar Pistorius during trial Oscar Pistorius looks on inside the Pretoria High Court 70/90 Chief investigating officer Lieutenant General Vineshkumar Moonoo during the trial Chief investigating officer Lieutenant General Vineshkumar Moonoo gestures during the second day of the murder trial of South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 71/90 Oscar Pistorius leaves court Oscar Pistorius leaves North Gauteng High Court during the lunchtime break as he faces trial accused of the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in Pretoria 72/90 Oscar Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius at the Pretoria High Court in Pretoria 73/90 Oscar Pistorius and Barry Roux in court Oscar Pistorius and Barry Roux at the Pretoria High Court in Pretoria 74/90 Advocate Barry Roux speaks in court Advocate Barry Roux at the Pretoria High Court in Pretoria 75/90 Oscar Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius at the Pretoria High Court in Pretoria 76/90 Oscar Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius walks at the Pretoria High Court as Reeva Steenkamp's mother looks on 77/90 June Steenkamp in court Reeva Steenkamp's mother looks on inside the Pretoria High Court 78/90 Lois, Arnold and Aimee Pistorius in court Lois, Arnold and Aimee Pistorius at the Pretoria High Court in Pretoria 79/90 Carl, Aimee and Lois Pistorius in court Carl, Aimee and Lois Pistorius speaking with a member of his legal team at the Pretoria High Court in Pretoria 80/90 Carl Pistorious in court Carl Pistorious, the brother of South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius, leaves the courtroom during a lunch recess at the High Court in Pretoria 81/90 Prosecutor Gerrie Nel Prosecutor Gerrie Nel reads out the charges on the opening day of proceedings in the High Court in Pretoria 82/90 Pretoria news A newspaper vendor sells the Pretoria News as the Oscar Pistorius trail starts at North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria. Olympic and Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius is accused of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius denies the allegation claiming he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder inside their home on Valentines Day 2013 83/90 June Steenkamp in court June Steenkamp (L), mother of the murdered Reeva Steenkamp, sits in court ahead of the trial of Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 84/90 June Steenkamp arrives in court June Steenkamp (C), the mother of Reeva Steenkamp, arrives at North Gauteng High Court for the trial of Oscar Pistorius in Pretoria 85/90 June Steenkamp arrives in court June Steenkamp (R), the mother of Reeva Steenkamp, arrives at North Gauteng High Court for the trial of Oscar Pistorius in Pretoria 86/90 Carl Pistorius arrives in court Police try to hold back the media as Carl Pistorius, the brother of Oscar Pistorius, arrives at North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 87/90 Media outside the court in Pretoria Bewildered media stand outside North Gauteng High Court as Oscar Pistrious slips into court through another door to face trial accused of the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in Pretoria 88/90 Daily News front page day after the shooting Oscar Pistorius was arrested in South Africa in the shooting of Reeva Steenkamp 89/90 Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp at the Feather Awards in 2012 in Johannesburg 90/90 Reeva Steenkamp Reeva Steenkamp who was shot dead on the Valentine's Day 2013 1/90 Oscar Pistorius arrives at court Oscar Pistorius arrives at court prior to another day of cross examination during his ongoing murder trial in Pretoria 2/90 Oscar Pistorius arrives at court Oscar Pistorius is greeted by the "Support for Oscar" Facebook group members as he arrives at the Pretoria High Court 3/90 Prosecutor Gerrie Nel in court Prosecutor Gerrie Nel walks past a courtroom reconstruction of the toilet in which Reeva Steenkamp was shot and killed during Oscar Pistorius' murder trial at the high court in Pretoria 4/90 Prosecutor Gerrie Nel in court Prosecutor Gerrie Nel gestures as he explains a possible scenario into how Oscar Pistorius might have fired on girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in court in Pretoria 5/90 The door through which Reeva Steenkamp was shot used as evidence in court The door through which Reeva Steenkamp was shot used as evidence and displayed during the Oscar Pistorius murder trial at the high court in Pretoria 6/90 Oscar Pistorius leaves court Oscar Pistorius leaves the high court in Pretoria 7/90 June Steenkamp in court June Steenkamp, mother of Reeva, is comforted by unidentified relative after her dead daughter's picture was shown on screen during the trial of Oscar Pistorius at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 8/90 Aimee Pistorius and Lois Pistorius in court Sister of Oscar Pistorius, Aimee Pistorius (L) and aunt Lois Pistorius (R) listen as Oscar Pistorius testifies in court in Pretoria 9/90 Gina Myers in court Gina Myers, Reeva Steenkamp's best friend, is overcome with emotion as she listens to Oscar Pistorius' testimony in the Pretoria High Court 10/90 Aimee Pistorius cries in court Aimee Pistorius (R), sister of Oscar Pistorius, cries as she hears her brother tell his story of the events on the night he killed Reeva Steenkamp during his ongoing murder trial in Pretoria 11/90 June Steenkamp in court June Steenkamp hides her face as she listens to Oscar Pistorius' testimony in the Pretoria High Court 12/90 Arnold and Lois Pistorius cry in court Arnold and Lois Pistorius overcome with emotion as they listen to their nephew Oscar's testimony in the Pretoria High Court 13/90 Oscar Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius reacts as he listens to evidence by a pathologist during his trial in court in Pretoria 14/90 Oscar Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius reacts during his trial for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 15/90 Gerrie Nel speaks in court State Prosecutor Gerrie Nel speaks as he cross-examines the pathologist during the trial of Oscar Pistorius in court in Pretoria 16/90 Oscar Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius puts his hands to his head while he sits during his trial at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 17/90 Oscar Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius reacts during his trial at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 18/90 Oscar Pistorius speaks with relative Oscar Pistorius speaks with a family member during his trial in Court in Pretoria 19/90 Aimee Pistorius in court Aimee, sister of Oscar Pistorius, cries as her brother takes the stand to testify at the high court in Pretoria 20/90 Carl Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius' brother Carl Pistorius reacts during Oscar's trial at the high court in Pretoria 21/90 June Steenkamp in court June Steenkamp, mother of the late Reeva Steenkamp listens to evidence by a pathologist during the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius in court in Pretoria 22/90 Arnold Pistorius and Lois Pistorius in court Uncle Arnold Pistorius and aunt Lois Pistorius look on during the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius at the high court in Pretoria 23/90 Oscar Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius cries as he sits in the dock during his ongoing murder trial in Pretoria 24/90 Oscar Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius sheds tears as he sits in the dock during his ongoing murder trial in Pretoria 25/90 Oscar Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius shedding tears as he sits in the dock during his ongoing murder trial in Pretoria 26/90 Oscar Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius sits in the dock during his murder trial at the high court in Pretoria 27/90 Oscar Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius makes his way to the dock during his ongoing murder trial in Pretoria 28/90 Kenny Oldwage questions a witness Kenny Oldwage a member of South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius' legal team questions a state witness during the ongoing murder trial in Pretoria 29/90 Hilton Botha arrives in court Hilton Botha, former lead detective in the Oscar Pistorius murder case, arrives ahead of Pistorius's trial at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 30/90 A member of the African National Congress Women's League outside the court A member of the African National Congress Women's League holds a mobile phone with a picture of Reeva Steenkamp outside the high court in Pretoria 31/90 Pistorius cries during his trial Oscar Pistorius cries during his trial at the North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria 32/90 Pistorius is comforted by relatives Oscar Pistorius is comforted by relatives as he sits in the dock during court proceedings at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 33/90 Pistorius is comforted by relatives Oscar Pistorius is hugged by his aunt Lois in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 34/90 Pistorius in the dock Oscar Pistorius holds his head in his hands in the dock during cross examination of a witnesses in court in Pretoria 35/90 Pistorius leaves court Oscar Pistorius is photographed as he leaves at the end of his trial for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 36/90 Oscar Pistorius and Aimee Pistorius Oscar Pistorius with his sister Aimee Pistorius during the murder trial at the high court in Pretoria 37/90 Photographs of Pistorius taken after the shooting Pistorius from the waist up, with a tattoo visible on his back, and blood on his left arm 38/90 Photographs of Pistorius taken after the shooting Photographs of Pistorius taken soon after fatal shooting of Reeva Steenkamp were shown in court. The athlete's prosthetic legs are splattered with blood 39/90 Pistorius' watch collection with blood marks on it A photograph of Pistorius' watch collection with blood marks on it. One of the watches went missing the night police searched the house after Reeva Steenkamp was shot on Valentine's Day. 40/90 Pistorius's bedroom with the duvet on the floor A close up of Pistorius's bedroom, with the duvet on the floor. Pistorius argues he woke up to bring a fan from his balcony when he heard noises coming the bathroom 41/90 Pistorius covers his head with a notebook as he listens to forensic evidence Oscar Pistorius covers his head with a notebook as he listens to forensic evidence during his trial in court in Pretoria 42/90 Pistorius puts his hands to his head while he sits in court Oscar Pistorius puts his hands to his head as he listens to forensic evidence during his trial in court in Pretoria 43/90 Pistorius reacts while listening evidence in court Oscar Pistorius reacts during his murder trial at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 44/90 Pistorius places his head in his hands Oscar Pistorius places his head in his hands as he listens to the cross examination during his trial in court in Pretoria 45/90 Pistorius during his continuous trial Oscar Pistorius sits in the dock during his murder trial at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 46/90 Lt Col JG Vermeulen demonstrates the effect of hitting of a bathroom door Lt Col JG Vermeulen demonstrates the effect of hitting of a bathroom door with a cricket bat during the trail of Oscar Pistorius in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 47/90 Lt Col JG Vermeulen recreates a possible scenario at Oscar Pistorius home Lt Col JG Vermeulen recreates a possible scenario at Oscar Pistorius home when he shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp 48/90 Pistorius's defence team questions forensic evidence Pistorius's defence team questions forensic evidence suggesting the athlete was wearing his prosthetic legs when he hit the lavatory's door with a cricket bat 49/90 State prosecutor Gerrie Nel speaks in court State prosecutor Gerrie Nel makes a point during the trial of Oscar Pistorius at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 50/90 Pistorius speaks with his legal team Oscar Pistorius speaks with a member of his legal team prior to a hearing of his trial at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 51/90 Pistorius sits in court Oscar Pistorius sits with hands on his head at the court dock during the ongoing murder trial at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 52/90 Pistorius in court during ongoing trial Oscar Pistorius sits in the dock on another day of his trial at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 53/90 State prosecutor Gerrie Nel in court State prosecutor Gerrie Nel takes part in Oscar Pistorius' ongoing murder trial at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 54/90 Pistorius arrives in court The accused arrives at the Pretoria High Court in Pretoria 55/90 Pistorius cries in court Oscar Pistorius cries as he listens to cross questioning about the events surrounding the shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, in court during his trial in Pretoria 56/90 Pistorius cries in court Oscar Pistorius cries as he chats to his lawyer Barry Roux during his trial for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 57/90 Pistorius on the sixth day of his trial Oscar Pistorius holds his hands to his face as he sits in the dock during day 6 of his murder trial at the High Court in Pretoria 58/90 Pistorius sits in court Oscar Pistorius is pictured with hands on his head during a hearing on the sixth day of his murder trial 59/90 Relatives of Reeva Steenkamp in court Relatives and friends of Reeva Steenkamp, Gina Meyers (C) and her mother Desiree (R) attend a hearing of Oscar Pistorius on the sixth day of his trial 60/90 Pistorius arrives in court Oscar Pistorius arrives at the Pretoria High Court in Pretoria 61/90 Security guard Pieter Baba testifies Security guard Pieter Baba testifies the murder trial of South African Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius at the high court of Pretoria 62/90 Pistorius family in court Aimee Pistorius, sister of Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar, rests her head on an unidentified woman's shoulder during the fifth day of his trial for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 63/90 Oscar Pistorius listens as witness testifies Oscar Pistorius puts his hands to his head while a witness testifies and speaks about the morning of the shooting of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp 64/90 Oscar Pistorius cries Oscar Pistorius cries while a witness testifies during the fourth day of his trial for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 65/90 Oscar Pistorius looks at notes Oscar Pistorius looks at notes during the fourth day of his trial for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 66/90 Oscar Pistorius on the second day of his trial Covering his ears, on empty benches, Oscar Pistoius gestures after arriving at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 67/90 Oscar Pistorius reads defense paperwork Oscar Pistorius looks at his defense team paperwork during a break on the second day of his trial at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 68/90 Members of the media during the trial Members of the media work during a break in proceedings on the second day of the murder trial of South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 69/90 Oscar Pistorius during trial Oscar Pistorius looks on inside the Pretoria High Court 70/90 Chief investigating officer Lieutenant General Vineshkumar Moonoo during the trial Chief investigating officer Lieutenant General Vineshkumar Moonoo gestures during the second day of the murder trial of South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 71/90 Oscar Pistorius leaves court Oscar Pistorius leaves North Gauteng High Court during the lunchtime break as he faces trial accused of the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in Pretoria 72/90 Oscar Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius at the Pretoria High Court in Pretoria 73/90 Oscar Pistorius and Barry Roux in court Oscar Pistorius and Barry Roux at the Pretoria High Court in Pretoria 74/90 Advocate Barry Roux speaks in court Advocate Barry Roux at the Pretoria High Court in Pretoria 75/90 Oscar Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius at the Pretoria High Court in Pretoria 76/90 Oscar Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius walks at the Pretoria High Court as Reeva Steenkamp's mother looks on 77/90 June Steenkamp in court Reeva Steenkamp's mother looks on inside the Pretoria High Court 78/90 Lois, Arnold and Aimee Pistorius in court Lois, Arnold and Aimee Pistorius at the Pretoria High Court in Pretoria 79/90 Carl, Aimee and Lois Pistorius in court Carl, Aimee and Lois Pistorius speaking with a member of his legal team at the Pretoria High Court in Pretoria 80/90 Carl Pistorious in court Carl Pistorious, the brother of South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius, leaves the courtroom during a lunch recess at the High Court in Pretoria 81/90 Prosecutor Gerrie Nel Prosecutor Gerrie Nel reads out the charges on the opening day of proceedings in the High Court in Pretoria 82/90 Pretoria news A newspaper vendor sells the Pretoria News as the Oscar Pistorius trail starts at North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria. Olympic and Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius is accused of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius denies the allegation claiming he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder inside their home on Valentines Day 2013 83/90 June Steenkamp in court June Steenkamp (L), mother of the murdered Reeva Steenkamp, sits in court ahead of the trial of Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 84/90 June Steenkamp arrives in court June Steenkamp (C), the mother of Reeva Steenkamp, arrives at North Gauteng High Court for the trial of Oscar Pistorius in Pretoria 85/90 June Steenkamp arrives in court June Steenkamp (R), the mother of Reeva Steenkamp, arrives at North Gauteng High Court for the trial of Oscar Pistorius in Pretoria 86/90 Carl Pistorius arrives in court Police try to hold back the media as Carl Pistorius, the brother of Oscar Pistorius, arrives at North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria 87/90 Media outside the court in Pretoria Bewildered media stand outside North Gauteng High Court as Oscar Pistrious slips into court through another door to face trial accused of the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in Pretoria 88/90 Daily News front page day after the shooting Oscar Pistorius was arrested in South Africa in the shooting of Reeva Steenkamp 89/90 Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp at the Feather Awards in 2012 in Johannesburg 90/90 Reeva Steenkamp Reeva Steenkamp who was shot dead on the Valentine's Day 2013

In a separate incident, he described how Pistorius told him he was alerted by a noise at his Pretoria home and went into "full combat mode" by drawing his gun and checking rooms looking for a possible intruder.

"He went into what we call 'code red' or combat mode," Mr Rens told the court. "When he came to the source of the noise, it was the laundry or something."

Daily coronavirus briefing No hype, just the advice and analysis you need Enter your email address Continue Continue Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid Email already exists. Log in to update your newsletter preferences Register with your social account or click here to log in I would like to receive morning headlines Monday - Friday plus breaking news alerts by email Update newsletter preferences

Pistorius tweeted about the incident in November 2012: "Nothing like getting home to hear the washing machine on and thinking its an intruder to go into full combat recon mode into the pantry!"

His defence counsel, Barry Roux, asked Mr Rens if Pistorius, with his level of training, would have been able to fire, from two or three metres away, through a door at the height where the head and central body would be. The shots in the bathroom door are all only around 90 centimetres from the ground.

He answered: "Absolutely, my lady".

Later, court heard from police crime scene photographer Bennie van Staden, who arrived at the house at approximately 04:50 am on Valentine's Day last year and took photographs of Pistorius before he was arrested and girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

One of the photographs appeared to show a blood mark above Pistorius’s bed.

The athlete’s version of events is that after breaking down the locked toilet door and finding Ms Steenkamp on the floor, he carried her body downstairs, at no point returning to the bedroom.

The inclusion of the image on the evidence reel suggests the state will try to use it to counter Pistorius’s story of what happened in his house on the night he shot his girlfriend.

Another photograph from the Paralympian's bedroom showed boxes of 'testis compositum'- a testosterone booster and sexual performance enhancer- as well as syringes, needles, condoms and lubricant.

Mr Van Staden also photographed the cricket bat used by the athlete to smash down the locked toilet door, the toilet bowl and the bathroom floor.

Earlier, Pistorius greeted Ms Steenkamp's mother, June Steenkamp, as he walked into court. She nodded and appeared to acknowledge him. Pistorius's sister, Aimee, also approached her, speaking to her for several minutes.

Mrs Steenkamp had spoken of her disappointment after Pistorius failed to "look her in the eye" at the start of his murder trial earlier this month. She had told reporters she was prepared to forgive the athlete despite losing her daughter, but was left shaken after Pistorius ignored her presence.

Mrs Steenkamp left the court before Mr Van Staden described her daughter's injuries. The television screens next to Pistorius were turned off after the athlete threw up last week after a graphic photograph of Ms Steenkamp's body was displayed by mistake.

The 29-year old model and law graduate was shot in the right hip, the elbow, and the right temple from a 9mm pistol carrying bullets designed to "penetrate and then mushroom" on impact, causing extensive damage on her body.

At the start of his murder trial, Pistorius pleaded not guilty of murdering Ms Steenkamp, claiming he shot her in a case of mistaken identity thinking she was an intruder.

Prosecutors argue he intentionally shot and killed his girlfriend following a domestic dispute. If convicted of murder he will almost certainly receive a life sentence, with a minimum term of 25 years.

The case continues.