Defence team closes its case in Pistorius murder trial

Oscar Pistorius’s lawyers wrapped up their defence of the Olympic and Paralympic star, bringing the dramatic murder trial of one of the world’s best-known athletes closer to conclusion.

Judge Thokozile Masipa adjourned the court until August 7 to allow the legal teams to prepare closing arguments, due to take a day each. She will then begin her deliberations, extending a trial that has dragged on over four months.

The case has captivated global audiences and had round-the-clock coverage in Pistorius’s native South Africa, making it arguably the most-watched celebrity murder trial since US athlete OJ Simpson was cleared of murdering his wife and her friend in 1995.