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LIVE: Coverage of the murder trial of the South African athlete Oscar Pistorius
The defence team in the murder trial of South African athlete Oscar Pistorius is calling more witnesses, as it seeks to prove that he shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp by mistake.
Two of Mr Pistorius' closest neighbours said on Tuesday they heard a man crying loudly on the night of the shooting.
On Monday two other people - who were the first at the scene - described his frantic efforts to revive Ms Steenkamp.
The athlete is accused of murdering Ms Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year.
The South African Paralympic sprinter denies intentionally killing her and says he shot her through a toilet door in a state of panic, mistaking her for an intruder.
Continue reading the main storyThe trial adjourned early on Monday after defence lawyer Barry Roux failed to get further witnesses to court following a two-week adjournment over the Easter break.
CryingThe athlete's next-door neighbour, Michael Nhlengethwa, told the court on Tuesday that on the night of the shooting he went to the house after hearing a man "crying very loudly".
"I saw Oscar kneeling next to the lady, he was just crying," the witness said.
His wife, Eontle, also testifying, said she heard the loud sound of a "male person's voice" crying "help, help, help".
Both witnesses said they did not hear a woman screaming, contradicting prosecution witnesses who had testified to hearing a woman scream.
A ballistics expert is expected to take the stand later on Tuesday.
On Monday, the court heard from two other neighbours who were first at the scene - Johan Stander and his daughter Carice.
Mr Stander said the athlete "was broken" as he desperately tried to save his girlfriend, sobbing and praying for her life. He was the first person Mr Pistorius called after the shooting.
He implied that he thought Mr Pistorius' reaction showed that the shooting had been a mistake. "I saw the truth that morning and I feel it," he told the court.
He said the athlete told him: "I shot Reeva. I thought she was an intruder, please come quick."
In an emotional testimony, his daughter, Carice Viljoen, told the court she feared the athlete would shoot himself with the gun used to kill Ms Steenkamp.
Before the Easter break, the athlete faced several days of cross-examination from the state prosecutor Gerrie Nel, who accused him of using emotional outbursts "as an escape".
As well as a ballistics expert, the defence is expected to call a psychologist to speak about Mr Pistorius' disability and his acute sense of vulnerability.
The prosecution has sought to show a pattern of reckless behaviour by the athlete and has argued that a reasonable man would have checked before firing four bullets through a locked door.
If found guilty, the 27-year-old - a national sporting hero and double amputee dubbed the "blade runner" because of the prosthetic limbs he wears to race - could face life imprisonment.
Ms Steenkamp, 29, was a model, celebrity TV star and law graduate.
If Mr Pistorius is acquitted of murder, the court must consider an alternative charge of culpable homicide, for which he could receive about 15 years in prison.
He also faces charges of illegally firing a gun in public and of illegally possessing ammunition, both of which he denies.
There are no juries at trials in South Africa, and his fate will ultimately be decided by the judge, assisted by two assessors.
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Mr Pistorius said in his statement at the start of the trial that he woke in the early hours and walked on his stumps to the balcony, pulled in two fans, closed the sliding door and drew curtains. He said that shortly before he had spoken to Reeva, who was in bed beside him.
He said he rejected prosecution claims that a witness heard arguing coming from the house before the shooting.
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Mr Pistorius said he heard the bathroom window sliding open and believed that an intruder, or intruders, had entered the bathroom through a window which was not fitted with burglar bars.
"Unbeknown to me, Reeva must have gone to the toilet in the bathroom at the time I brought in the fans," he said.
Mr Pistorius said he approached the bathroom armed with his firearm, to defend himself and his girlfriend, believing Ms Steenkamp was still in bed.
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Both sides agree four bullets were fired. Ms Steenkamp was hit three times.
Mr Pistorius said he fired his weapon after hearing a noise in the toilet which he thought was the intruder coming out of the toilet to attack him and Ms Steenkamp.
He said he was in a fearful state, knowing he was on his stumps and unable to run away or properly defend himself.
Mr Pistorius said he rejected claims that he was on his prostheses when he shot at the door.
A witness told the trial she woke to hear a woman screaming and a man shouting for help. She said that after the screams she heard four shots.
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Mr Pistorius said he went back to the bedroom after shooting at the toilet door, still shouting for Reeva. Lifting himself up onto the bed, he felt over to the right hand side of it and noticed Ms Steenkamp was not there.
Mr Pistorius said this was when he realised she could have been in the toilet.
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Mr Pistorius said he went back to the bathroom but the toilet was locked, so he returned to the bedroom, pulled on his prosthetic legs, turned on the lights before bashing in the toilet door with a cricket bat.
Forensics expert Johannes Vermeulen told the court that the height of the marks on the door caused by the cricket bat suggest Mr Pistorius was on his stumps at the time.
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Mr Pistorius's defence team say he then called security at the gated housing complex and a private paramedic service before carrying Ms Steenkamp downstairs.
A security guard claimed it was the other way round, and he had called Mr Pistorius first after reports of gunfire. However, phone records shown to the court revealed Mr Pistorius called the estate manager at 3:19am, a minute later he called the ambulance service and at 3:21am he called estate security.
A minute later he received an incoming call - estate security calling him back.
According to police phone expert Francois Moller, Mr Pistorius called his friend Justin Divaris a short time later and just after 4:00am he called his brother Carl.
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