The Blade Runner humiliated: Oscar Pistorius sobs as he walks through court on his deformed legs to recreate night he killed Reeva Steenkamp in final plea for leniency

Oscar Pistorius teetered pathetically on his stumps in a packed court room today in a desperate last bid to convince the judge he was too vulnerable to have killed his girlfriend intentionally.

The athlete, known as the Blade Runner, looked humiliated when he was asked to remove his prosthetic limbs to expose his stumps to the televised hearing which will decide his murder sentence.

There was an awkward moment when Barry Steenkamp was forced to stand to make way for his daughter's killer as he left the dock for the dramatic demonstration. 

 

His T-shirt wet with sweat and his red eyes filled with tears, Pistorius paused at the side of the court to remove his prosthetic limbs in the full view of the packed court.

The spectacle of the one-time sporting superstar tottering across the court room prompted a number of family members, fans and members of the public to break down in tears.

Loud sobs echoed around the wood-pannelled room as all eyes watched Pistorius move unsteadily, and much dramatically reduced in height, towards the front of the court.

As he struggled to stand still in front of the judge, and in the glare of live television coverage, a cameraman had to step forward to support him. 

 

His therapist leapt to his aid, guiding him towards the front bench of the court which he clutched to maintain his balance. Pistorius, 29, appeared so humiliated by the demonstration that he could only stare at the floor, tears flooding down his cheeks, as his lawyer told the court how he did not wish 'to hide behind his fame'.

When the strain of tottering became too much, he knelt down on a cushion before wiping his eyes with a tissue passed to him by one of his legal team.

 

Pistorius's sister Aimee, and his close friend Jenna Edkins, wiped tears from their eyes at the excruciating demonstration of the athlete's vulnerability. Mr Steenkamp, 72, then had to stand for a second time to allow the wretched Pistorius to return to the sanctuary of the dock where he bent over, his powerful shoulders shaking as he sobbed. 

Closing his powerful argument in favour of leniency, Mr Roux reminded the judge that punishment was 'not meant to break the offender'. 

 

Pistorius was born without fibulas – calf bones – and at 11 months old, his parents made the difficult choice to have both of his legs amputated below the knee, enabling him to be fitted with prosthetic legs.

Doctors told his parents that the operation would be less traumatic before their son learned to walk.

During his evidence in the witness box, Pistorius described the discomfort of wearing prosthetic legs, or his iconic carbon blades, and the sores that he had to tend on a regular basis. His sentencing hearing heard how his stumps became infected while in jail. 

 

State Prosecutor Gerrie Nel later said he would support Mr Steenkamp's demand for the 'world to see' the extent of Reeva's injuries, with the ban to be lifted on publishing pictures of her bullet-riddled body.

'Isn't it time for the world to see what Oscar Pistorius did with Black Talon rounds to Reeva Steenkamp's head?' he told the court, referring to the expanding bullets used by Pistorius in the killing. 

The deadly ammunition is used by the military and designed to expand upon impact, wreaking devastating damage to the flesh it strikes.  

 

Pistorius is facing a minimum of 15 years behind bars for the murder of his 29-year-old girlfriend on Valentine's Day three years ago. -Daily mail