Oscar Pistorius Murder Trial: Witness Woken Up By ‘Blood-Curdling Screams’ The Night He Shot Her!

The first witness in the Oscar Pistorius murder trial claimed she was woken by ‘blood-curdling screams’ on the night of Reeva Steenkamp’s death.

Michelle Burger, who lived near to the former Paralympic sprinter, said she and her husband were woken up just after 3am on Valentine’s Day last year.

‘(Ms Steenkamp) screamed terribly and she yelled for help. Then I also heard a man screaming for help. Three times he yelled for help,’ she told the court. ‘Just after her screams, I heard four shots. It was very traumatic for me. You could hear that it was blood-curdling screams.’

Oscar Pistorius arriving in court this morning, walking past Reeva Steenkamp’s mother June (Picture: AP)

While the athlete, nicknamed the Blade Runner, has admitted to the shooting he pleaded not guilty to murder claiming that he thought Steenkamp was an intruder.

The highly-anticipated trial, at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, was delayed this morning after the Afrikaans language interpreter was late.

Reeva Steenkamp’s mother June (left) is in court for the opening day of the trial (Picture: AP)

Much of the trial will be televised live and a dedicated channel has even been set up in South Africa to broadcast it.

The mandatory sentence for someone convicted of premeditated murder in South Africa is life with a minimum of 25 years in prison, meaning if double amputee Pistorius is found guilty, he will be over 50 when he leaves prison. www.metro.co.uk