'Desperate' Pistorius made 'textbook mistakes' in witness stand: Experts

Law experts have said that Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius did himself more harm than good when he took the witness stand by making 'textbook mistakes' throughout five gruelling days.

Pistorius has pleaded not guilty to intentionally killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, as well as to three other charges related to the reckless discharge of a firearm in a separate incident and the unlawful possession of ammunition.

According to News24, criminal lawyer William Booth said that Pistorius made textbook mistakes in the witness stand by being evasive, argumentative and not answering questions, adding that his actions show that Pistorius has become a 'desperate' man.

During his cross-examination Pistorius changed his testimony to say he fired the shots with his 9 mm pistol at the door accidentally after initially saying that he believed he was under attack by an intruder when he fired four shots at the toilet door, the report said.

Booth further said that Pistorius' lawyers are probably regretting calling him as a witness, while another criminal lawyer Martin Hood said that Pistorius' testimony went downhill the moment he took the stand, where he inadvertently revealed that all of his decisions were conscious and intentional.

Hood also said that it did not reflect well on Pistorius that he did not accept responsibility for firing a gunshot in an upmarket Johannesburg restaurant, adding that it is a 'watershed in the case'.

Pistorius blamed his legal team for inconsistencies between his accounts and claimed police moved key pieces of evidence that appeared to incriminate him, a sign that he had abandoned his legal team's strategy, the report added.