The Oscar Pistorius murder trial is set to begin with the Olympian facing a life sentence if convicted.
Trial begins ... South African amputee Olympian sprinter Oscar Pistorius (left) arrives, watched by June Steenkamp (right), mother of Reeva Steenkamp, in the High Court in Pretoria. Source: AFP
OSCAR Pistorius has pleaded not guilty to murdering his girlfriend on Valentine's Day last year, marking the start of the Olympian's murder trial.
The trial started 90 minutes late after an Afrikaans interpreter was delayed and two women entered the courtroom trying to see the proceedings.
One woman claimed she knew Pistorius' late mother, Sheila, and had knowledge of Pistorius' character, while another said she was the ex-wife of the doctor who had amputated his legs.
Pistorius plead not guilty to all four charges against him: murder, two charges relating to discharge of firearm in a public place and one charge of illegal possession of ammunition.
Pistorius was ambushed by cameras as he made his way through the building to the courtroom.
Crowds of media gathered outside the court for the case, which has already attracted global attention.
Global interest ... Oscar Pistorius, front left, arrives for his trial at the high court in Pretoria flanked by media. Source: AP
Before the trial started he walked past the victim's mother who says she came to court so she can "really look him in the eyes".
She stared at him coldly for several minutes, journalists in the court said.
READ: OSCAR PISTORIUS - WHAT REALLY HAPPENED?
The double-amputee athlete is charged with murder with premeditation in the shooting death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in the pre-dawn hours of February 14, 2013.
A mother's anguish ... June Steenkamp (centre), the mother of Reeva Steenkamp, arrives at North Gauteng High Court. Source: Getty Images
Pistorius says he shot Steenkamp by accident, thinking she was an intruder inside his bathroom.
Steenkamp's mother, June, earlier entered the court dressed in black.
She was quoted in the Pretoria News, which published an interview she gave to a British newspaper, saying that she wants to see Pistorius.
"I want to look at Oscar, really look him in the eyes, and see for myself the truth about what he did to Reeva,'' said June Steenkamp, 67.
Agonising wait ... Oscar Pistorius looks on in the High Court in Pretoria. Source: AFP
"Whatever the court decides at the end of his trial, I will be ready to forgive him ... But first I want to force him to look at me, Reeva's mother, and see the pain and anguish he has inflicted on me. I feel I need that.''
Pistorius arrived at the high court in Pretoria wearing a dark gray suit and black tie.
June Steenkamp was seated on the same bench as Pistorius' family, and behind Pistorius so there is a possibility that their eyes will lock during the trial.
Prosecutors charged Pistorius, 27, with murder and say it was with premeditation. They say they will seek a life sentence if Pistorius is convicted.
The state says Pistorius intentionally killed Steenkamp by shooting her through a toilet door after an argument.
Pistorius denies murder and says he killed his girlfriend by mistake when he fired four times through the door thinking there was a dangerous intruder on the other side.
But, prosecutors say he had a heated row with his girlfriend in the hours before the shooting — with several witnesses claiming to have heard the couple arguing.
Legal advice ... Oscar Pistorius (right) speaks with his lawyer Barry Roux in the High Court in Pretoria. Source: AFP
His trial is expected to hear from more than 100 witnesses, including neighbours who claim to have heard screams from his house that night, as well as former girlfriends of the athlete.
Betting agency Paddy Power caused uproar on the weekend when it opened up a market on the trial.
The agency has beenx riticised for offering customers a refund if Pistorius is found not guilty,
but the latest offer of "money back if he walks" has incensed people further.
Last month, Reeva's father Barry Steenkamp said he bore the athlete no animosity.
Tough day ... Oscar Pistorius takes a moment to rehydrate in the High Court in Pretoria. Source: AFP
Pistorius broke down in tears in court when he was formally charged with Reeva's premeditated murder and Mr Steenkamp told the Daily Mail: "He must be going through things that we don't know about. There is no hatred in our hearts."
Yesterday the track star dubbed the "Blade Runner", a hero to South Africans, thanked the people that supported him since he shot dead his girlfriend in a message on his Facebook profile.
"Thank you for the continued support and words of encouragement during this difficult time," the post read.
On Saturday, Pistorius's family issued a statement in which they reiterated their support for him, but they also called for an end to "public commentary" on his murder trial.
"With less than two days before the start of Oscar's criminal trial, the family as well as the legal team will not be distracted by extraneous issues that have no bearing on, or relevance to, the legal process that must now be allowed to unfold," his uncle Arnold Pistorius said.
"We will not be commenting on any media reports, nor will we be engaging the press on any issues that belong in court. The time for public commentary is over. The focus is now entirely on a very serious trial ... We love Oscar, and believe in him, and will be standing by him."
Gone too soon ... Reeva Steenkamp with Oscar Pistorius in Johannesburg on January 26, 2013. Source: AFP
Meanwhile, South African police who went to the US last week to ask Apple technicians to recover encrypted content from one of Pistorius's iPhones have retrieved crucial information from the device.
The three senior officers were able to retrieve text and WhatsApp messages from the phone, South Africa's Sunday Times reported yesterday.
Family support ... police try to hold back the media as Carl Pistorius (centre) the brother of Oscar Pistorius, arrives at North Gauteng High Court. Source: Getty Images
The intense public interest in the Pistorius trial is shown by the launching Sunday night of a 24-hour cable channel devoted to covering the court case.
If convicted on the murder charge, Pistorius could be sent to prison for at least 25 years before the chance of parole, the minimum time someone must serve if given a life sentence in South Africa. He would be older than 50 before he could be released.
A lesser sentence is possible if Pistorius is found guilty of murder but without premeditation. He also could be convicted of culpable homicide, South Africa's version of manslaughter in which someone is killed through negligence.
As well as murder, Pistorius faces a second charge of illegal possession of ammunition for bullets found at his Pretoria house that he allegedly didn't have proper licensing for. Prosecutors say he also will be indicted tonight with two more gun charges relating to him allegedly shooting in public on two separate occasions before Reeva's killing.
Sisterhood ... members of South Africa's ruling African National Congress Women's League protest outside Pretoria's North Gauteng High Court. Source: AFP
Those incidents happened in the court jurisdiction of the city of Johannesburg, not where Reeva was killed in Pretoria, and prosecutors applied to have the two charges included and heard at his murder trial.
Female judge Thokozile Masipa will ultimately pronounce the champion runner innocent or guilty and will decide on any sentence. South Africa has no trial by jury.
Parts of the trial will be broadcast on live television, both in South Africa and across the world, and hundreds of reporters are expected to descend on North Gauteng High Court in the South African capital for the start of the trial. The 24-hour cable channel devoted solely to the trial will continue until the case is finished.
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