Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius who took the witness stand for the first time, has revealed that he became so tormented by memories of the fatal shooting and panic attacks that he once hid helplessly in a closet.
Pistorius also offered an apology to the family of Reeva Steenkamp, who died from multiple wounds after the double-amputee runner shot her through a closed toilet door last year in his Pretoria home on Valentine's Day.
According to News24, speaking in a soft, quavering voice, Pistorius, stifling sobs, said that he was on antidepressant medication and sometimes woke from nightmares to the 'smell of blood', adding that he once climbed into a cupboard after waking up in a 'panic' and phoned his sister to come and sit by him.
Describing that Steenkamp was a 'blessing' in his life, Pistorius also said that he had not slept the night before due to the 'overbearing weight' of the trial and a 'lot of things going through his mind', after the judge granted an early adjournment as she felt the Blade Runner looked 'exhausted'.
Prosecutors have provided a contrasting picture with evidence indicating that Pistorius had been reckless with firearms in public, the report added.