London - Oscar Pistorius beat his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp with a cricket bat before shooting her dead, forensic investigators have claimed.
The Paralympian told his murder trial he shot Steenkamp, 29, through the door of his bathroom in accidental self-defence, believing her to be an intruder. He claimed that when he realised it was his girlfriend, he used the cricket bat to smash down the locked door to try to save her.
But researchers Calvin and Thomas Mollett, who studied the evidence and conducted their own tests, say in their book Oscar vs The Truth that two injuries on the model’s back match the tip of the bat. They also claim he shot at her with an air rifle.
Marks on the ripped and twisted bat handle also suggest there was a struggle between the pair before she died in the early hours of Valentine’s Day 2013.
Pistorius, 29, was initially cleared of murdering Steenkamp at his home in Pretoria, but found guilty of culpable homicide. However, his conviction was upgraded to murder after a prosecution appeal.
Now under house arrest, he faces 15 years in prison when he is sentenced in June.
Daily Mail