Paralympic hero Oscar Pistorius sobbed as he read a Valentine’s Card from girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp – after claims he shot her while she screamed for her life.

Ending five days of cross examination, prosecutor Gerrie Nel put it to Pistorius that he armed himself “with the sole purpose of shooting and killing” his girlfriend.

The accusation came before the Paralympian read out a Valentine’s Card from Ms Steenkamp, due to be opened on the day of the killing.

Oscar Pistorius sobbed: “Roses are red, violets are blue. I think today is a good day to tell you that … I love you.”

Prosecutor  Nel again reduced Pistorius to tears as he asked him who was to blame for the bullets that “ripped through her body”.

“Who should we blame for the fact that you shot her?,” Mr Nel asked.

Pistorius replied: “I don’t know my lady, I was scared. I believe there was a threat on my life.”

Mr Nel continued: “Once again, we shouldn’t blame you? Who should we blame?”

“I’m not sure,” Pistorius replied.

Gerrie  Nel asked: “Should we blame Reeva? She never told you that she was going to the toilet – we should blame Reeva?”

Pistorius replied: “No, my lady.”

Mr Nel pressed on: “Should we blame the government? You must be blaming someone?”

“I don’t know. My lady, I believed that someone was coming to attack me,” Pistorius replied.

Mr Nel then asked: “Who should we blame for the black talon rounds that ripped through her body?”

After a few seconds to compose himself, Pistorius said the ammunition was of the type required by his gun.

As he concluded cross examination Mr Nel referred to Reeva’s “blood curdling screams”, heard by neighbours.

He went on: “I’m putting to you that there were only two people in the house.

“You killed Reeva. I’m putting it to you that your version is not only untruthful but is so improbable that it cannot reasonably be true.

“She was locked into the bathroom and you armed yourself with the sole purpose of shooting and killing her.”

Pistorius said: “That’s not true my lady.”

Mr Nel ended: “That’s what you did. Afterwards, indeed, you were overcome by what you had done – only because it was your intention to kill her.”

Pistorius said: “The opposite, my lady,”

Earlier, the athlete sobbed as he was asked to look at a photograph of Ms Steenkamp slumped on the toilet bowl.

He was asked why he didn’t scream when he saw Ms Steenkamp, 27, injured in the toilet, as opposed to the moments before.

Pistorius replied: “The state of panic was not knowing – when I saw her there, it was sadness. I was broken.

“I was talking to her, I was saying ‘baby please hold on’.”

Mr Nel then accused Pistorius of calling security by mistake and telling them things “were ok” because he didn’t want them in the apartment.

Pistorius, 27, admits shooting his girlfriend – but says he believed that she was an intruder.

He denies premeditated murder and illegally possessing ammunition. He also denies two further counts related to shooting a gun in public on separate occasions prior to the killing.

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